The reading from Revelation during the Easter Season focuses on a vision--an experience of the heavenly realm; but the promise of Revelation is yet to be completely realized -it is an ideal that we can never experience fully until heaven -- in fact some would day that this search for a new heaven and a new earth is somewhat ethereal (unreal).

But they were written to give hope to a people living in times of persecution. The first reading from Acts likewise finds Paul and Barnabas giving encouragement to the newly established church communities to withstand persecution and remain steadfast in their faith.

Don't panic: We all have numerous opportunities every day to turn our trials however small or big into lessons of painful experience -- into opportunities to choose between bitterness or betterness.

The gospel sections which we begin reading today through the remainder of the Easter Season are actually presented as a series of homilies given by Jesus to his apostles at the Last Supper, the evening before his death; yet several times he speaks of himself as already risen and glorified. He prophecies both his death and resurrection as well as his ascension in saying I will be with you only a little while longer.

Like the first reading it is telling us that what the ultimate reality will be; we already have a foretaste in the present. This is how all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. Conversely a lack of love for one another indicates that something is deficient in discipleship.

On May 13, 1917, Our Lady made her first appearance (visitation) at Fatima, at which she announced as a loving Mother both a warning and a promise for escaping or mitigating the conditions that would result if her warning was not taken seriously. History has spoken and we have seen the results.

When Mary comes to speak at various places, the message is always the same: Come to me your loving mother. She wants to lead us to the city of God; where now she sits not with an infant, but with her Son, the King and Lord -- in the Holy City, the city of God but note she adds: that dwelling is among you today. She has given birth to Emmanuel. God is ever present with us.

In a sermon from St. Bernard in the Liturgy of the Hours we read: My delight is to be with the sons of men. Emmanuel who descended to be with us who are in tribulation. One day we shall be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord, and to be with Him always.

Provided however that we are concerned here below to have Him with us as our companion in life's journey. It is good for me to be sad, O Lord, as long as you are with me. It is better for me to embrace you in tribulation, to have you with me in a furnace of suffering, than to be without you in heaven.

What have I desired on earth? Gold which is tested in the furnace or the purity of heart by tribulation? Why do we flee from this furnace? If God is with us who can be against us?

This fire of the furnace is nothing other than the fire of the Holy Spirit. It disciples and purifies the sacred temple. Mary is the perfect temple--the perfect disciple who heard and did the word of God as she heard it. The most faithful of all disciples in which God dwells--recognized by an angel as full of grace --of purest heart.

Biblically, the heart denotes the person, the personality with all its qualities. Today we still say that a person has a good heart or a bad heart.. The heart is the throne of our own personalizes and from which we will one day hear a loud voice proclaim: a new heaven -- but for now; it remains yet a still small voice reminding us of our call to discipleship, faithfulness - to a new earth formed by our daily choices.

We honor Mary as we join in honoring all mothers this week end. But we must not loose the context. It is still the Easter season. The gospel sets preparation for the departure — the ascension of Jesus in His return to the Father.

From that day and from that mountain, He promises to come back again. In the meantime he sent his disciples with His mother to prepare for Pentecost--for the outpouring of the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Until that day when He does return, it is his mother whom He constantly sends back to gently remind us that we must come back in heart -- before He does -- so that we will be prepared and not get caught embarrassed

The world speaks of chastisements and calamities but Mary speaks only of love echoing her son in the gospel.

In one location where she is alleged to appear and leave monthly messages they always begin and end with the same words, "My dear children, thank you for listening to my call.