Christ is Risen! Alleluia!
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today we gather, as did the apostles, after the fact of our Lord's ascension into heaven, beyond the sight and sound of humanity. He is risen from the dead – at this fact we rejoice. He is ascended into heaven – this fact is cause for rejoicing, but is just as likely to cause some melancholy. For what comes now? The apostles were told to go back to Jerusalem and wait. And what should they do while they waited? What should you do while you wait for the Lord?
“All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.” Note two things about this verse. First, the apostles were of one accord. They were literally “of the same thymus”, that is, of the same soul, life, or desire. That is to say, the apostles were united in desire and will, and certainly in action. For with one accord they were devoting themselves to prayer. As one Greek lexicon renders it, they were “persisting obstinately” in prayer. They were united, and they were stubborn about adhering to the prayers of the brethren. Nothing could divide the apostles in those days, while they waited for the will of the Lord to be made manifest.
But what is the nature of this accord with which the apostles, the women, and the brethren of Jesus were united? Is it merely a bond of affection? A mutual consolation and wish for similar goals? Is it a common bond of grief for the One whom they all loved and lost?
