7th Sunday of Easter ASCENSION, MATTHEW 28:16-20, May 17, 2026
By Father Vincent
Corbelli, MM
1. STORY
Fr. John went on
a tour to China. The tour group stopped
in a department store to buy some souvenirs. He walked around the store and came to where
paintings were being sold and asked the young Chinese salesgirl which painting
she liked most. She immediately pointed
to a painting of a girl with folded hands praying. This surprised Fr. John very much as religion
was a topic not often spoken of in a communist controlled country like China. He then asked her why she liked this picture. He said she was a Catholic. Again, this response surprised Fr. John and he
asked her how was it that she was a Catholic. She said her grandmother taught her about
Jesus and arranged for her baptism. Even under difficult circumstances, the
Gospel was being preached.
2. GOSPEL,
MATTHEW 28:16-20
A) GO TO ALL
NATIONS
Jesus tells us
very clearly where we must go to share the good news. We must go to the over 6 billion people
throughout the world. We must go to the
rich and poor, the educated and not educated, and to those who welcome us and
do not welcome us.
B) MAKE DISCIPLES
OF THEM
Jesus not only
tells us where we must go but also tells us very clearly what we must do. We must make disciples of all. We must tell them of the great peace and
happiness that will be theirs when they come to know, love, and serve God.
3. APPLICATION TO
LIFE
A) GO TELL ALL
Go to your
family, your friends, your classmates, your colleagues, your neighbours and
whomever you may meet. Most people live
very busy lives and may not have the interest or time to think about God. This should not discourage us, rather it
should challenge us to think of practical and interesting ways to help them
know about God.
B) MAKE THEM
DISCIPLES
THE FOLLOWING ARE
STEPS TO HELP ONE BECOME A DISCIPLE OF Jesus.
i) One must know
that Jesus exists and can help them
find peace and
happiness.
ii) One must
study the basic teachings of Jesus by attending a weekly class for about 18
months.
iii) One must be baptized and live a life following the instructions of Jesus by loving God, neighbour and self.
4. CONCLUSION
In the story,
under difficult circumstances, the grandmother was able to make her
granddaughter a disciple of Jesus. She
obeyed Jesus’ command to go and make all his disciples. We also must obey Jesus’ command by going to
all whom we meet and tell them about God and pray that they will accept God who
is the source of peace and happiness.
