THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD 2024

Dear brothers and sisters, this Sunday we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord, which means that Jesus ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of The Father, from where He will come at the end of time to judge the living and the dead and His Kingdom will not end. Let me share with you some questions to reflect on this Ascension Celebration.

Where do you want to go when you die? Are you doing anything to get to Heaven? What will be your legacy to your loved ones? Do you think our job is to know when the "End Of Times" will be, or are we to be witnesses of God's Presence in this world? How often do you repent of your sins in confession? Dear brothers and sisters, I would like to highlight some points about the Mission of Jesus that I consider very important for us after our Celebration of Jesus’ Ascension and the readings we have just heard.

The Ascension of Jesus is not the absence of God among us, but another way of becoming present in the midst of the world through the Holy Spirit and the witness of those who knew Him. The Holy Spirit becomes the New Presence of Jesus among believers and The One who continues His work in the midst of this “peaceless” world.

Evangelization becomes the first task of all those who have believed in Jesus. The mission is to go to the whole world and make disciples of Jesus by leading them to Baptism, and repentance of their sins. In this way, the disciples' task is not to waste time asking questions about the "End Of Times," but to make Jesus' Presence felt in this world through their preaching and good deeds. This Mission also applies to us who believe in Jesus. Our mission is to make Him Present in this world through our true witness of living our Catholic faith and our preaching of the "Good News.

We must ask God to give us the Spirit of Wisdom and Truth to enlighten the eyes of our souls to understand the hope that is ours and the Glory that is ours if we believe in Jesus. We need this guidance to open our eyes to see and understand what is waiting for us as a Gift from Jesus if we remain faithful to His Words.

As we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord, we must remember that love is the best way to make Jesus present in this world: St. John reminds us that "if we love one another as Jesus has loved us," we will make Him present among people.

The Ascension reminds us that one day we will all arrive at the same place where our Lord is. As He said to His disciples at the Last Supper: "I am going to the Father's house to prepare a place for you, and I will come again and take you with Me, so that where I am, you also may be.” That is OUR FAITH, that is OUR HOPE, and that is Jesus’ Promise to all of us.

Brothers and sisters, let us ask Jesus today to give us the grace to feel the Presence of the Holy Spirit among us, guiding our lives and helping us to be instruments of His Love and Peace in this world until we go to our Eternal Rest in Heaven. Amen.

-P. Luis

Proclaim the Gospel to the Whole Creation…

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. This Solemnity embraces two elements. On the one hand it directs our gaze toward heaven, where the glorified Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. On the other, it reminds us of the mission of the Church: why? Because Jesus, Risen and Ascended into heaven, sends his disciples to spread the Gospel throughout the world. Therefore, the Ascension exhorts us to lift our gaze toward heaven, in order to return it immediately to the earth, to implement the tasks that the Risen Lord entrusts to us.

It is what we are invited to do in the day’s Gospel passage, in which the event of the Ascension occurs immediately after the mission that Jesus entrusts to the disciples. It is a boundless mission — that is, literally without boundaries — which surpasses human strength. Jesus says, in fact: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation”. The task which Jesus entrusts to a small group of common men lacking great intellectual capacity seems truly too bold! Yet this small company, insignificant compared to the great powers of the world, is sent to bring the message of Jesus’ love and mercy to every corner of the earth. But this plan of God can be accomplished only with the strength that God himself grants to the Apostles. In this sense, Jesus assures them that their mission will be supported by the Holy Spirit. And he says this: “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth”. This is how this mission was able to be accomplished, and the Apostles began this work which was then continued by their successors. The mission that Jesus entrusted to the Apostles has continued through the centuries, and continues still today: it requires the cooperation of all of us. Each one, in fact, by the power of the Baptism that he or she received, is qualified in turn to proclaim the Gospel. Baptism is precisely what qualifies us and also spurs us to be missionaries, to proclaim the Gospel.

The Lord’s Ascension into heaven, while inaugurating a new form of Jesus’ presence among us, calls us to keep eyes and hearts open to encounter him, to serve him and bear witness to him to others. It is a matter of being men and women of the Ascension, that is, those who seek Christ along the paths of our time, bringing his word of salvation to the ends of the earth. On this journey we encounter Christ himself in our brothers and sisters, especially in the poorest, in those who suffer in their very flesh the harsh and humiliating experience of old and new forms of poverty. As at the beginning the Risen Christ sent his Apostles with the power of the Holy Spirit, so too does he send all of us today, with the same power, so as to establish concrete and visible signs of hope. Because Jesus gives us hope. He went to heaven and opened the gates of heaven and the hope that we will reach it.

May the Virgin Mary who, as Mother of the dead and Risen Lord, enlivened the faith of the first community of disciples, help us too to “lift up our hearts”, as the Liturgy exhorts us to do. And at the same time may she help us to keep our “feet on the ground”, and to bravely sow the Gospel in the practical situations of life and of history. [synthesized from Pope Francis, Regina Caeli 6 V 18]

-Fr. Rajesh

Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus

Mothers Day

My friends – today – on Mothers Day – we honor and ask Almighty God to bless all mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, great-great-grandmothers – and mothers to be.   We also honor and bless all single parents – widows and widowers who are both mother – and father – to their children. 

We continue to remember and bless and pray for all those mothers who have gone before us. 

In this month of May – we also remember and honor Mary – Mother of Jesus, Mother of God.  Saint John Paul II said:  "Mary's divine motherhood is poured out upon the entire Church." 

…My friends – today our Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus.  In the Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed – we profess that Jesus “ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.”

Jesus’ corporal life concluded with the event of the Ascension.  Namely – when he passed from this world – to the Father and Jesus the Christ was seated at the right hand of our Father.

The Ascension does not signify Jesus’ absence – but rather – tells us that he is alive and in our midst in a new way.  Jesus is no longer in a specific place of the world as he was before the Ascension.

Now he’s in the dominion of God – present in the entire Cosmos.  Present in all space – and time  As such – he is with near to each one of us.  We are never alone in our life.

My friends –  the Gospels contain parables of a master who sets out on a long journey and leaves his servants in charge of his estate until his return. In the Ascension of Jesus – parable becomes reality. Jesus departs to his heavenly Father – and leaves his disciples (that includes us) in charge of the affairs of his kingdom – until he returns in glory.

The details regarding the Ascension vary from gospel to gospel. 

Actually – the bodily ascension of Jesus into heaven is described only by Mark – as we heard in our gospel today.  And by Luke – who also wrote the Acts of the Apostles – our First Reading today.

But – at the end of all of the gospels – there are scenes where Jesus has final words to his disciples. 

These farewell scenes do not focus on the details of the event – but rather on the last words Jesus said to his disciples – as well as his instructions to them.

The crux of what Jesus said is:

·          “Go out into the world and make disciples of all nations.  Preach the Good News – and baptize them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” 

·          “When I go – I will not leave you orphans.  My Father will send another Advocate in my name – the Holy Spirit.  He will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”

·           “And know that I am with you always – until the end of the world.” 

And – here we are 2,000 years later.  The message of Jesus continues to be preached to:

·          All nations – on every continent

·          Every ethnicity             Every Culture                   Every Language

·          All peoples – from every walk of life

His message is so simple – yet so profound:  “Love one another as I love you…”

 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I would like to now ask God to bless all mothers here today. This blessing is from the Book of Blessings:

Loving God, as a mother gives life and nourishment to her children, so you watch over your Church. Bless these women, that they may be strengthened as Christian mothers. Let the example of their faith and love shine forth. Grant that we, their sons and daughters, may honor them always with a spirit of profound respect.

Grant this through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

(Prayer for mothers on Mother's Day, Book of Blessings 1728)