presence of Jesus
Wherever You Are, There Is the Church
Feast of The Ascension of the Lord – Year A
Fr. Mark Gatto
Preached: May 17, 2026
Sometimes a person comes to me, feeling upset about something happening in their life or something happening in the world. They will say, “Why doesn’t God do anything about this?” Sometimes a person in our parish will ask me, “how is your parish going?” I feel uncomfortable with this because I do not feel that this is “my parish.” In fact, most of you will be here longer than me. This is our parish. We are the Church, all of us.
St. Paul, in the Letter to the Ephesians, refers to the church as “his body.” It is the body of Christ. A parish is the body of Christ in a local area. All of you are members of the “body of Christ.”
In both cases, they are seeing themselves as separate from God and or the Church. God and the Church are things outside of themselves. God is some distant figure only referred to when I need or want something. The Church is something over there, perhaps the Bishops and Priests, but not something for which I have any responsibility.
The Feast of the Ascension is not about Jesus leaving us. Rather he is leading us into a deeper unity with God and forming us into the church, as the body of Christ Just before the experience of the Ascension, Jesus promises, “remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We need to be the body of Christ that allows the presence of Jesus to be with us always.
Think of all the Christians over the past two thousand years, who have kept the promise of Jesus alive in our world. Think of the great Saints who allowed the promise and presence of Jesus to remain alive through the Church over the many centuries.
Now, it is up to us. We are to be the ones who keep the memory of Jesus alive today, we are to be the body of Christ keeping the presence of Jesus alive today. You need to be the presence of Jesus in our world today. In your family, where you work or study, in our parish. You might think that you are not important or that you have nothing important to do. But, in the eyes of God, it is never too small. St. Therese of Lisieux said, “Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God.”
There is a story of Primo Levi, an Italian Jew in Auschwitz. He tells how an Italian layman, Lorenzo, would give him a share of bread everyday. He wrote, “I believe that it was really due to Lorenzo that I am alive today; and not so much for his material aid, as for his having constantly reminded me by his presence, by his natural and plain manner of being good, that there still existed a world outside our own, something and someone still pure and whole, not corrupt, not savage, … a remote possibility of good…” The small piece of bread saved his soul.
What small act might you do that keeps the presence of Jesus alive for someone today? On this Feast of the Ascension, do not ask, why is God not doing something? Ask, what does God want to do through me?
Do not ask, where is the Church? Wherever you are, there is the Church. Ask, what is one small thing I can do to keep the presence of Jesus alive for one other person?
Real Presence
5th Sunday of Easter
Fr. Mark Gatto
Date Preached: May 10, 2020
My mother is 89 years old and living in a senior’s condo. So, my siblings and I have decided not to visit her in her condo to keep her safe. My brother and sister arrange for food to be delivered or drop it off. I call her daily to maintain contact since I am unable to go to Guelph to visit her in person. But, it is not the fullness of being present with her. Many of you are experiencing that same limited personal presence with family and friends.
As Catholics, we are unable to gather now for the Eucharist in our churches. There are TV and livestream Masses to maintain contact. But, again, this is not the fullness of the presence of Jesus. The presence of Jesus in the People of God gathered together in assembly and the real presence of Jesus in holy communion.
Jesus says, “I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” Jesus hungers to be with us, to be present with us. Like a person who passionately longs to be with their beloved, Jesus passionately longs to be with us. Jesus, “the way, the truth and the life”, reveals a God who hungers and longs to embrace us. A God who desires us to be present within the mystery and life of God.
The First Letter of Peter says, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people.” This God looks at us as a person looking upon their beloved. The desire to be together, to be present with one another, this is the longing of our God revealed in Jesus.
Jesus then says, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Have we seen Jesus? How do we see Jesus? To really see someone we need to spend time with them, watch them, listen to them, share experiences with them. We spend time with Jesus in the People of God assembled together in the church as the body of Christ. We see Jesus in the Priest presiding in the Sacraments. We listen to Jesus speaking to us as the Scriptures are proclaimed. We receive Jesus in the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
In this time we need to remember that we also need to see Jesus in the poor, the sick, the needy, the lonely. Mother Teresa used to say that her Sisters began their day in Adoration in the chapel. There they spent time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Then they went out to serve the poor in the streets. There they spent time with Jesus in those in need.
At this time when we do not have the presence of Jesus in the Sacraments in our churches, we are still able to spend time with Jesus, to listen to Jesus, to see Jesus. We are perhaps encouraged in a special way to spend time and listen to Jesus by reading one of the Gospels. Take a Gospel and slowly read through it, watching for how Jesus acts, how Jesus treats others, what Jesus says and teaches. As we see this Jesus we are seeing God the Father. What do you see about God as you see this Jesus?
“so that where I am, there you may be also.” Jesus longs for us to be present with him. We see the God who hungers for us, who thirsts for us, who passionately wills that we be embraced in the love of God.