Greetings. Hope all is well.

Today, we hear in the Gospel about Jesus beginning to tell his beloved disciples that he is about to take his leave. He tells them that is necessary that he leaves, otherwise the Paraclete will not come. I am sure that the disciples were more shaken by Jesus’s pending departure than understanding that the Holy Spirit coming to them.

Goodbyes are not always easy. Leaving home for the first time, leaving the security of a loving family, faced with the  saying goodbye to the college crowd and the starting if a new job.

It is hard to realize that we have left our mark on those we are leaving. We have left them part of ourselves. We even may have made a great impact on the lives of those we are now leaving. No matter who we are, where we are, if we live a good life we leave a legacy with those we have encountered.

The American poet Maya Angelou tells us, “You have no idea what your legacy will be . Your legacy is what you do every day. Your legacy is every life you’ve touched, every person you’ve harmed or helped, That is your legacy.”

The disciples has no idea what the future held for them. All they knew was that the one who gave reason for their life was saying “goodbye”. It was not until the coming of the Holy Spirit did all this begin to make sense.

As Maya tells us our legacy may not be understood at this moment, but the reality is that if we are true to ourselves and other, we have made some meaning to them. We leave them, hopefully, better that before we met them. The disciples, after Jesus went back to the Father, touch the lives of many people. They left them better off than they were before they met them. Some they healed, some they give instruction, others came to a deeper faith in the Love the Father has for each one of us.

The Brazilian Lyricist tells us, “If you are brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.”

Peace and All Good,

Fr. Vinnie, fcm and the

Bros and Srs of the

Franciscan House of Prayer.