From the Pastor&#039;s Desk: May 24, 2020

The Solemnity of the
Ascension of the Lord

Today the church in the United States celebrates the Feast of the Ascension. The Feast itself commemorates when, on the fortieth day after His Resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven. The Ascension is an important Christian feast attesting and celebrating the reality of the God-Man Jesus Christ's returning to the Father,
and His second and final coming-
the future parousia. The Ascension is the final part of the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ- His Passion, Death and Resurrection. Along with the Resurrection, the Ascension functioned as proof of Jesus' claim that He was the Messiah. Although Jesus ascended into Heaven, it does not mean Jesus is gone. The scriptures assure us of this when they testify that He would not leave us "orphans” and that "I, the Lord, am with you always, until the end of the world.”

In today’s First Reading, Saint Luke recalls why he decided to make his writings a
two-volume set. The work of salvation is not done until everyone has an opportunity to be saved. Like the disciples, we are awaiting the Lord’s return in glory. But we also know that in ascending to Heaven, He is not just sitting up there on His hands. He and the Father are preparing to send the Holy Spirit to His Church. We need the Trinity’s help in fulfilling our mission throughout history: to help Our Lord in Heaven to continue His saving work on earth. This is our job as His followers. He calls upon us to be a witness of these things.
And to strengthen us in our mission, the Lord imparts a blessing even as He is taken up into Heaven, and He doesn’t stop imparting blessings, even today. To be able to carry out His message, He will send us the Holy Spirit to be "clothed with power from on high,” to go to "all the nations" as Christ's witnesses. So, in the Ascension of Our Lord, we come face to face with the core of the entire Gospel: Christ's saving message being transmitted to all people through the witness of the Church. Today's Feast, then, should not leave any impression that Jesus is gone; it should, in fact, remind us that we are to be Christ's disciples and with the power given to us to continue the work of Jesus and be His presence in the world.

On Monday, May 25 ^th, we celebrate Memorial Day. Memorial Day was officially declared on May 5, 1868, by General John Logan, and was first commemorated on May 30 ^th of that same year. Its purpose is to honor our brave soldiers who died in the wars, while Veterans Day honors those veterans who survived their time of service. Throughout America, memorial services are being held, wreaths are being placed at tombs, and, as a nation, we honor our military men and women who have given their lives in service of our country, not only in past wars, but also during the ongoing wars, military actions, and protective presence missions in the Middle East. In a very special way, we remember our parishioners and their loved ones who have died in the service for the sake of freedom and liberty of our country.

As you know we returned to the celebration of public Masses last weekend. Over the last several weeks, the staff of the parish worked diligently to prepare for you to have a safe, positive, and spiritual experience. We have prepared detailed guidelines in accord with the civic and church’s leadership. Our Mass reservation system offers us an opportunity to serve you well and to make sure that we have time for cleaning and sanitizing the church between Masses. You responded beautifully, lovingly, and respectfully to our direction and I am most grateful to each one of you. You truly shared a spirit of Christian love, understanding, and generosity during these difficult times. I kindly ask you to continue this beautiful spirit as we still face challenges and difficulties, and your collaboration makes a profound difference. After all, I’m grateful to God to be the pastor of such a compassionate, generous, and faithful church!

Together with Fr. Xaviour, we pray with gratitude for our staff and our church community. I look forward to the day when I will see more of you face to face.

I wish you a blessed Memorial Day Weekend!

With prayers,
Fr. Andy