Dear brothers and sisters,

In the First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear a summary of the key events of our salvation: Jesus’s passion, His resurrection, and now His ascension into heaven. In the Second Reading, Saint Paul speaks of the time after the Ascension- how Christ now reigns at the right hand of the Father, and how the Church, His Body, is called to live in His presence and carry His mission forward.

At first, the Ascension might seem like a moment of sorrow. After all, the disciples are watching the risen Lord leave their sight. From a purely human point of view, it’s another goodbye. But Scripture tells us the Apostles were not sad. They rejoiced. Why?

Because they knew something had changed. Not in Jesus’s love for them, but in how that love would now be present. Jesus didn’t leave them alone. He ascended so that He could be with them—and with us—in a new and deeper way. Through His Holy Spirit, through the sacraments, and through the Church, Jesus is still with us. And because He is in heaven, we now have a place with Him there.

This is the heart of today’s feast: hope! The Ascension is not about Jesus going far away. It’s about Jesus going ahead of us. It’s the Lord preparing a place for us. It’s the assurance that our humanity, united to His, now shares in heavenly glory. Therefore, let us live as people of hope—people who know where we are going, because we follow the One who has already gone before us!

Brothers and sisters, mark your calendars for Father Anthony Donatelli's Mass of Thanksgiving at the 12 pm Mass next weekend on Sunday, June 8 at St. Mary's. A reception will follow Mass in the St. Mary's Banquet Room.

 

Also, mark your calendars for a Eucharistic Procession on Sunday, June 22. We will gather for the 12 pm St. Mary Mass that day, and have a procession through the Chardon Square with rosary prayers said along the way. Eucharistic Processions are great ways to honor our Lord and give public witness to our faith in Jesus’s risen and Eucharistic presence in our community. If weather will not permit an outdoor procession, we will do a shortened procession through the church. A time of adoration will follow the procession until 2:30 pm when we will end with Benediction. Until next week, take care, keep praying, and stay healthy! 

In Christ,

Fr. Fabian Han