I have a lot of favorite passages in the Scripture as you can well imagine, and I’m sure you do too. Scripture passages that come alive and create images. Scripture passages that we hold in our minds and our hearts and we pray over. The living word of God that comes back to us. On this, the Feast Day of the Ascension of the Lord, the Scripture passage that really strikes a cord with me comes from that first reading that we heard.

When the angels are there in the presence of the 11 and they’re saying, “Men of Galilee.” Better said, “People of Galilee. What are you doing here standing, looking up into the sky? What are you doing standing here, looking up into the sky?”

Angels are messengers. They are messengers from God, telling the people of Galilee and telling us not to be standing still and idle, looking or gazing up into the heavens. But the work of Christ, the work of The Risen One, is the work that we do when we see each other eyeball to eyeball, face to face. You know, one of the things that gives us dignity as human persons, as the very children of god, is work. How important work is. Faith, family, friends, and work. Work is part of our dignity as human persons.

I’m really proud to say here at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls I’ve been involved now 27 years, but every single one of our children here at Mercy Home do work. We teach them a work ethic, how important it is. Whether it be helping in the kitchen, doing dishes or cleaning tables. Whether it’s up in their own homes, working in the house and keeping it clean. Whether go into the community and holding down jobs. Whether it be summer internships where they go and they work with professionals. How important work is and the dignity of work. Not standing idle.

Good people of Galilee. Good people, period. Followers of the Christ. We are to do the work of Christ in the world. He’s taught us everything. Everything he has shown us as we heard in the gospel. How it is that we are to be compassionate and forgiving and understanding. How it is we are to reach out to help sister and brother in need. How it is that we are to pray and to be grateful. The work of the Church, the work of the Lord, all of us are called to do as disciples.