Ascension of the Lord
by Fr. Ivan Olmo

“Behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you.” I once heard a person say, “promises are meant to be broken and lies are meant to be kept.” What a sad thing to say and to believe that it is ok to lie and ok to break a promise. Thank God he is truth and he always keeps his word. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. It is never ok to lie even to make someone feel better. It is never ok to lie to someone in order to prevent them from being hurt. That is wrong. God never lies. He always keeps his promises. A promise is a commitment to do or not to do something. It is a pledge, an agreement, a guarantee. For example, “do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” It does not say part of the truth but the whole truth. Or in the Rite of Holy Matrimony, “do you promise to be true in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love and honor each other all the days of your life?” It is meant to be a covenant, permanent, forever. Or as in the Rite of Holy Ordination, “do you promise respect and obedience to me and my successors?” These are covenants that we enter into with God and one another. They are not contracts that can be broken or dissolved.  When God guided his people in the desert, he promised to be with them, to feed and guide them, to be their God and protect them. However, they rejected God and broke their covenant. The Father promised to send his Only Begotten Son and enter into an everlasting covenant with his chosen people. However, they would not believe. God made us a promise and the promise is no less than this: eternal life. Do you believe? Easter is about encountering the risen Savior who died for us, rose from the dead for us, ascended to Father and promised to return and bring us home. Do you believe that? Jesus is next to the Father interceding for us. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, he remains present to us in the gathered assembly, in his Word, in his priest and in his Sacrament. God loves us and desires to be united to us forever and that my beloved friend is simply the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.

Reflections from the Heart – October 15, 2023

Reflections from the Heart - October 15, 2023
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!” The word ...

Reflections from the Heart – October 8, 2023

Reflections from the Heart - October 8, 2023
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo “Let me now sing of my friend.” As years pass, we seem ...

Reflections from the Heart – October 1, 2023

Reflections from the Heart - October 1, 2023
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo “Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.” ...

Reflections from the Heart – September 24, 2023

Reflections from the Heart - September 24, 2023
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo “Conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Intimate ...

Reflections from the Heart – September 17, 2023

Reflections from the Heart - September 17, 2023
Twenty-fourthSunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight.”  Scripture ...

Reflections from the Heart – September 10, 2023

Reflections from the Heart - September 10, 2023
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the ...

Reflections from the Heart – September 3, 2023

Reflections from the Heart - September 3, 2023
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.” What is ...

Reflections from the Heart – August 27, 2023

Reflections from the Heart - August 27, 2023
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo “Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your ...

Reflections from the Heart – August 20, 2023

Reflections from the Heart - August 20, 2023
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo "Lord, help me."  Prayer is such a simple thing, really and we ...

Reflections from the Heart – August 13, 2023

Reflections from the Heart - August 13, 2023
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo “I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for his word.”  I ...

Reflections from the Heart – August 6, 2023

Reflections from the Heart - August 6, 2023
Transifuguration of the Lordby Fr. Ivan Olmo Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are ...

Reflections from the Heart – July 30, 2023

Reflections from the Heart - July 30, 2023
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo "Do you understand all these things?" They answered, "Yes."  The word honest ...