A few days ago, we shared the words of Graciela Francovig, Superior General of the Daughters of Jesus, in which she invited us to nourish the deep desire to live from the identity of Daughters of Jesus. And in this week, as we continue to go through this intermediate time after the GCXIX, back to the daily life and the usual places of mission of each member and everyone waiting for the transmission of their determinations, this invitation to live in connection with the depths of life resonates even more strongly.
And so, in the midst of everyday life and expectation, life itself gives us celebrations and coincidences that seem casual, but that have a message for those who know how to look with eyes of faith.
The Ascension, the expectation of Pentecost, World Communications Day and even World Reef Day, which this year coincided with the liturgical feast, all speak to us of the same call: to go deep.
Apparently some of these commemorations are unconnected. Surely there has been no intention to make them coincide, especially those that follow different calendars, civil or liturgical. But from the premise that “coincidences do not exist”, it makes us smile to approach and let ourselves be enlightened through these coincidences…
Ascension and World Communications Day
On Ascension, the Church also celebrates World Communications Day. And the reason is because the last words of Jesus before being raised to heaven, the bible tells us that they were:
You will receive the power of the Holy Spirit which is to come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and “to the ends of the earth.” Having said this, in their sight he was taken up into heaven, until a cloud took him out of their sight. Acts 1:1-11
He sends us to “the ends of the earth in search of souls” to communicate, in the way of Jesus, his Good News of life, forgiveness and Love. He makes each one of us “social communicators”, communicators of hope for the possibility of a world truly made up of brothers and sisters.
And, in addition, this feast of the Ascension expresses another communication: that of Jesus who returns to the Father and, “seated at his right hand,” rests in conversation that unfolds in the sending of the Spirit.
The Ascension of Jesus becomes a sign of communication: it is a moment of dialogue, a time of shared love. Jesus and the Father, seated and dialoguing in the Spirit, appear in this way as space and time of life for human beings, as the beginning of all communion .
To communicate is not to talk a lot but to learn to look at the other as a brother. Share with gentleness the hope that is in your hearts” (cf. 1 Pet 3:15-16).(cf. 1 Pet 3:15-16) The message for the 59th World Communications Day, 2025 invites us to “Share the hope that is in your hearts with gentleness” (cf. 1 Pet 3:15-16) .
Ascension and World Reef Day
In the civil calendar, World Reef Day is celebrated on June 1. This 2025 has coincided with Ascension Sunday. We have experience of how much nature is a teacher for our lives. We feel, on this occasion too, that we can learn from nature what the Ascension of Jesus can mean.
The Ascension contains a series of symbolic elements that must be taken, as the “symbols” that they are, searching for the deep meaning of its language.
One of these symbols is the image of “up and down, up (and down…)”. In most peoples “heaven” (i.e. the fullness of life) is above (and hell, destruction, is below); therefore, to go up is to reach full life, happiness, it is to purify oneself, to ascend from the earth of death to the height of God….
But today we know that in the cosmic sense there is neither above nor below, that the universe is a whole in which all things are involved… That is why, instead of ascending, we prefer to speak of “delving”, submerging, deepening, penetrating into the depths of mystery. More than the height, God would be the DEPTH of life. X. Pikaza
To witness the beauty, color and richness of the reefs, you have to dive, you have to go down deep, you have to get “wet” and dive…
By diving down to the reefs we can learn valuable life lessons, among which we highlight:
- Resilience and adaptation: Reefs, despite the pressures of climate change and other threats, can learn to adapt and resist.
- Biodiversity and balance: The complexity and richness of reef life highlight the importance of biodiversity to ecosystem health,
- Sustainability and resource management: Reefs are a source of food and resources for many communities,
- Ecosystem interconnection: The interconnectedness between reefs and terrestrial systems demonstrates that there are no isolated ecosystems and that actions in one part of the planet can have consequences in others.
- Education and awareness: The beauty and complexity of reefs can inspire education and awareness of the importance of environmental conservation,
In summary, coral reefs teach us that the health of nature and the health of people are intimately related, and that the conservation of these ecosystems is crucial for the well-being of humanity.
Ascension calls us to come down
This week, the Ascension and the reefs invite us to go deeper, to go to the depths of our life, our mission and our communion.
In this expectation of Pentecost, may we allow ourselves to be immersed in the depths of life by the Spirit, to discover the decisions of GCXXIX not as just another document, but as a living and new call to communicate, to resist, to care, to be connected to God and to each other. What do you find valuable for your life and that of your family and community from what we can contemplate with Jesus’ ascension and descent to the reefs and depths of our person and our reality? Perhaps in that question lies the key to continue walking with hope.
