by Sister Margaret Mary Halbach
Forty days after the Feast of Easter, we in the Catholic Church celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. This year, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is transferred from Thursday, May 9, to Sunday, May 12, in many dioceses in the United States.
In the Acts of the Apostles (1:1-11) the story is told to many who had seen the Risen Body of Jesus. He was alive to them, giving evidence of the wounds and suffering He endured.
On the day of the Ascension, Jesus gave parting words to those who had gathered with Him. Even after many discussions with Jesus, they asked Him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?" He said, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by His own authority." Then He says, "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." The very last thing Jesus said to those gathered on the hill (and to us) was that He expects us to be His witnesses of all that He taught us until the end of the earth.
During His ministry, Jesus spent time with the Apostles telling them of the Father, doing miracles, and preparing them for their leadership in the Church through the direction of the Holy Spirit who would come to them at Pentecost. This is a beautiful part of the Acts of the Apostles that gives direction to our lives as well ... being witnesses to the world of the life of Jesus until the end of the earth. May the Holy Spirit be with all of us as we give witness to the command of Jesus, "Love one another as I have loved you."
Besides the beautiful Feast of the Ascension, we also celebrate Mother's Day in our country today. As we thank our mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers, godmothers and all women who have taken on the role of mother in our lives, we congratulate them with much gratitude. May Mary, our Blessed Mother, continue to guide them as they journey with their children. May God bless all mothers living and deceased.
chapter 16,
US Catholic Catechism for Adults
by Sister Lynne Marie Simonich
As we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, we are reminded that Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of Luke 24:49 Jesus tells his disciples "And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you…" That "promise" is the gift of the Holy Spirit -- the gift we receive at our baptism and at our confirmation.
We celebrate the great Feast of Pentecost on May 19. Consider praying this prayer each day before that great feast arrives as a reminder of the power of the Spirit given to us when we were confirmed:
Come Holy Spirit, fill
the hearts of Your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your
love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And You
shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the
hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may
be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our
Lord, Amen
(from Catholic
Online)
Very nice reflection article on this duel event weekend. A special reminder from a very special person. Thank you for all the guidance and love you have shared with so many and myself.
God bless you always,
Pete