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The Ascension

Today is the ascension as I am sure everyone is well aware. So I thought it would be appropriate to talk about that. I am sure you all have read or heard the reading today but here it is again:

Acts 1:1-11
In the first book, Theophilus,I dealt with all that Jesus did and taughtuntil the day he was taken up,after giving instructions through the Holy Spiritto the apostles whom he had chosen.He presented himself alive to themby many proofs after he had suffered,appearing to them during forty daysand speaking about the kingdom of God.While meeting with the them,he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,but to wait for "the promise of the Fatherabout which you have heard me speak;for John baptized with water,but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
When they had gathered together they asked him,"Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"He answered them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasonsthat the Father has established by his own authority.But 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."When he had said this, as they were looking on,he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.They said, "Men of Galilee,why are you standing there looking at the sky?This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heavenwill return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven."

I am not sure if any of you have heard of the Navarre Bible or not, but it has large pieces of commentary under the passages. Here is what I think is some interesting words about the ascension:

Jesus’ life on earth did not end with his death on the Cross but with his ascension into heaven. The ascension, reported here, is the last event, the last mystery or our Lord’s life on earth (cf. also 24:50-53) - and also it concerns the origins of the Church. The ascension scene takes place, so to speak, between heaven and earth. “Why did a cloud take him out of the Apostles’ sight?”. St John Chrysostom asks. “The cloud was a sure sign that Jesus had already entered heaven; it was not a whirlwind or a chariot of fire, as in the case of the prophet Elijah (cf. Kings 2:11), but a cloud, which was a symbol of heaven itself” (Hom. On Acts, 2). A cloud features in theophanies - manifestations of God - in both the Old Testament (cf. Ex 13:22) and the New (cf. Lk 9:34f).

Our Lord’s ascension is one of the actions by which Jesus redeems us from sin and gives us the new life of grace. It is a redemptive mystery. “What we have already taught of the mystery of his death and resurrection the faithful and should deem not less true of his ascension. For although we owe our redemption and salvation to the passion of Christ, whose merits opened heaven to the just, yet his ascension is not only proposed to us as a model, which teaches us to look on high and ascend in spirit into heaven, but it also imparts to us a divine virtue which enables us to accomplish what it teaches” (St Pius V Catechism, I, 7, 9).

“Today we are not only made possessors of paradise”, St Leo says, “but we have ascended with Christ, mystically but really, into the highest heaven, and through Christ we have obtained a more ineffable grace than that which we lost through the devil’s envy” (First homily on the ascension).

The ascension is the climax of Christ’s exaltation, which was achieved in the first instance by his resurrection and which - along with his passion and death - constitutes the paschal mystery. The Second Vatican Council expresses this as follows: “Christ our Lord redeemed mankind and gave perfect glory to God[…] principally by the paschal mystery of his blessed passion, resurrection from the dead, and glorious ascension” ( Sacrosanctum Concilium, 5; cf. Dei Verbum, 19).

Theology has suggested reasons why it was very appropriate for the glorified Lord to go up into heaven to be “seated at the right hand of the Father”. First of all, he ascended because the glorious kingdom of the highest of the heavens, not the obscure abode of this earth, presented a suitable dwelling place for him whose body, rising from the tomb, was clothed with the glory of immortality. He ascended, however, not only to possess the throne of glory and the kingdom which he had merited by his blood, but also to attend whatever regards our salvation. Again, he ascended to prove thereby that his kingdom is not of this world” (St Pius V Catechism, I,7, 5; cf. Summa Theologiae, III, q. 57, a. 6)

The ascension marks the point when the celestial world celebrates the victory and glorification of Christ: “ It is fitting that the sacred humanity of Christ should receive homage, praise and adoration of all the hierarchies of the Angels and of all the legions of the blessed in heaven” (J. Escrivia, Holy Rosary, second glorious mystery).

Okay, so I know that that was a little lengthy and wordy, but I liked what it had to say and thought I would share. Now for some of my own words. The Navarre Bible comments on what a glorious occasion today is, how we partake in his ascension and made are possessors of paradise. That the ascension is an integral and essential part of our salvation. Hearing these things make me want to leap for joy and join in with the choirs of angels and give him praise! We have been saved! We now possess salvation! But things didn’t end their for the Apostles, and nor should they end there for us. After his ascension they retreated back to the upper room with Mary our Mother and prayed, prayed, prayed and prayed some more. They remembered Jesus promise to them that he would not leave them orphan but he would “give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever.” And so I would invite us all to follow their example. Keep our eyes towards the heavens with wonder and awe and give thanks and praise to God for his glorious ascension, but also remember that he did not abandon us that and to pray more fervently for the holy Spirit so that when we celebrate Pentecost in 10 days we will be ready and that it might change us and have an effect on us like it did the first 12.

Hope you guys were able to take something away from and enjoyed it. Looking forward to hearing some banter now. God bless!

On the Holy Family (from Sean)

Peace of the risen Lord be with you brothers and sisters!

So I was just reading Pope Benedict’s homily from when he celebrated mass in Nazareth last Thursday and I came across something that struck me. So I am going to share it with you.

Finally, in contemplating the Holy Family of Nazareth, we turn to the child Jesus, who in the home of Mary and Joseph grew in wisdom and understanding, until the day he began his public ministry. Here I would simply like to leave a particular thought with the young people here. The Second Vatican Council teaches that children have a special role to play in the growth of their parents in holiness (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 48). I urge you to reflect on this, and to let the example of Jesus guide you, not only in showing respect for your parents, but also helping them to discover more fully the love which gives our lives their deepest meaning. In the Holy Family of Nazareth, it was Jesus who taught Mary and Joseph something of the greatness of the love of God his heavenly Father, the ultimate source of all love, the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name (cf. Eph 3:14-15).

I will repeat the Pope’s words: REFLECT ON THIS. I thank God for giving us such a wonderful and blessed man to be our Pope. Please keep the Pope in your prayers and his intentions. Along the lines of keeping holy men in your prayers, why don’t we say some prayes for Fr. Willie this week, or even throughout the summer.

I pray right now that God bless each and every one of you and that our Blessed Mother surrounds with you with her mantle of love. I pray right now that your heart be open to the holy Spirit and that He may work through you this week. I pray right now that the love and peace of Jesus Christ radiate in your hearts, in your faces, and in your smiles to all those who you come in contact with this week. Amen.

Your brother in Christ,

Sean

P.S. If you were interested in reading the Pope’s homily in its entirety here is the link: http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/b16HLnazareth.htm