Sue Monk Kidd, best known for her book The Secret Life of Bees, tells about when her daughter was small and got the dubious part of the Bethlehem star in a Christmas play. After her first rehearsal, she burst through the door with her costume, a five-pointed star lined in shiny gold tinsel designed to drape over her like a sandwich board. "What exactly will you be doing in the play?" her mother asked her. 

"I just stand there and shine," her daughter answered. Sue Monk Kidd says she has never forgotten that response. 

Jesus' disciples were concerned about the future and their part in it. Jesus wanted them to know that their role was to stay behind and shine. But they would not be alone. He would be with them. He would give them the power to transform their aches into alleluias.