THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD, MAY 17, 2026
- Maria Knox
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Gospel Matthew 28:16-20
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
REFLECTION
"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations"
For decades we have been hearing about the "New Evangelization". St. Pope John Paul II first coined the concept around the 80's. The aim was to re-engage lapsed Catholics and strengthen the faith of active members with the use of then-modern communication methods to reach wider audiences. One person that took that call very seriously was Mother Angelica. She started EWTN out of a garage. Look at the impact that network now has around the world!
Even before them we have two-time Grammy award winner Ven. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. We can still find videos of his tv show "Life is Worth Living" as well as recordings he did for radio. Even though they were recorded decades ago, they are still relevant because he taught us the truth.
Using "new" media is really not a "new" thing. Even in 1500's Europe, the Augustinians were using the then new invention, the printed press, to disseminate religious texts. One of them was Fray Juan de la Anunciación.
Saint Pope Paul VI wrote the Apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi (On Evangelization in the Modern World) telling us:
To evangelize must therefore very often be to give this necessary food and sustenance to the faith of believers, especially through a catechesis full of Gospel vitality and in a language suited to people and circumstances... The Church also has a lively solicitude for the Christians who are not in full communion with her. While preparing with them the unity willed by Christ, and precisely in order to realize unity in truth, she has the consciousness that she would be gravely lacking in her duty if she did not give witness before them of the fullness of the revelation whose deposit she guards.
Pope Benedict the XVI talked about it in the Apostolic letter Ubicumque et Semper. In this letter, the Holy Father reminds us of the duty of the Church (us) to proclaim always and everywhere (thus the title of the letter) the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
This variety of situations demands careful discernment; to speak of a “new evangelization” does not in fact mean that a single formula should be developed that would hold the same for all circumstances. And yet it is not difficult to see that what all the Churches living in traditionally Christian territories need is a renewed missionary impulse, an expression of a new, generous openness to the gift of grace. Indeed we cannot forget that the first task will always be to make ourselves docile to the freely given action of the Spirit of the Risen One who accompanies all who are heralds of the Gospel and opens the hearts of those who listen. To proclaim fruitfully the Word of the Gospel one is first asked to have a profound experience of God.
Pope Leo XIV has also taken up this matter and has met with influencers and digital missionaries. In a nutshell the message to them, and to us is this:
Peace needs to be sought, proclaimed, and shared everywhere
Always look for the “suffering flesh of Christ” in every brother and sister you encounter online... not only generate content, but of create an encounter of hearts.
The mission, which I extend to all of you: “go and mend the nets.” Jesus called his first apostles while they were mending their fishing nets (cf. Mt 4:21-22). He asks the same of us today. Indeed, he asks us to weave other nets: networks of relationships, of love, of gratuitous sharing where friendship is profound and authentic; networks where we can mend what has been broken, heal from loneliness, not focus on the number of followers, but experience the greatness of infinite Love in every encounter; networks that give space to others more than to ourselves, where no “bubble” can silence the voices of the weakest; networks that liberate and save; networks that help us rediscover the beauty of looking into each other’s eyes; networks of truth. In this way, every story of shared goodness will be a knot in a single, immense network: the network of networks, the network of God.
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