This weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, commemorating that day when Jesus was taken up to heaven, to the glory of his Father - 40 days after he rose from the dead and 10 days before the Feast of the Pentecost. Usually, the Ascension is celebrated on the Thursday of the Sixth Sunday of Easter - which is exactly 40 days after the Resurrection, but in some dioceses in the United States including our local Church, we move the celebration to a Sunday - the Sunday before Pentecost. What is so significant or important about this feast that other dioceses moved it to a Sunday? The answer is found in the readings for today.
In the first reading, the disciples of Jesus still could not understand what the whole Paschal Mystery was about - they still could not fathom the meaning of his death, his resurrection and now his ascension to the Father. They still thought that what Jesus did - everything that had transpired - was to restore and build an earthly kingdom where Jesus would be the King, surrounded by an undefeatable and courageous army of soldiers. Thus we hear one of them asking Jesus, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” The disciples thought that the time had already come when Jesus would rule the nations on earth in the manner of an earthly king - with all the pomp, power and influence, where the glory of the Kingdom of Israel would be restored just like before, and they would no longer be under the hands of the Roman empire. They saw Jesus like the mighty gladiator in the movie "Gladiator" who would topple the oppressive king. Jesus immediately reminded them that the kingdom that he inaugurated/started was far from the standards of the world. It would not be a kingdom ruled by the sword, force and intimidation, but rather a faithful witnessing to his Gospel values. As he ascended to the glory of the Father, he told his disciples in these clear and simple words, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." This my friends is at the center of the message of the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus: that each one of us convinced of what Christ did on the cross will be able to reflect the meaning and full significance of what Christ did for us in the way we lead our own lives. In simple words, we who profess the faith in Christ, we who value in high esteem the offering of Christ of himself on the cross, and we who proclaim with boldness that he rose from the dead must be able to manifest that in the way we conduct ourselves with one another - it should be
visible beyond words in our own relationships.
Speaking of fostering relationships, I would like to extend my profoundest gratitude to our Knights of Columbus and Men’s Club brothers for a splendid Mother’s Day Brunch. They totally outdid themselves with a beautiful spread of sumptuous food and great fellowship. I hope our Moms felt truly loved during their special day. The Men’s Club also worked hard last weekend for the annual plant sale. To all our men and women behind these wonderful endeavors, we are truly grateful for your dedication, love and service to our parish family! – Fr. Cary