Ascension Homily

Happy Mother’s Day to all of our mothers. We thank you for the gift of life and pray that the Blessed Mother way intercede for you always. She was the mother of the Lord and watches over all those who have devotion to her that they may be taken closer to her Son.

Please pray for Bishop-elect Mark Beckman who has been appointed by Pope Francis as the new bishop of Knoxville. His ordination Mass will take place on July 26th. At the conclusion Mass we will now pray for Bishop-elect Beckman which is a new prayer that can be found in your pew.

Today we celebrate the Transferred Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord into Heaven. This feast draws many parallels to His Transfiguration. It was at the Transfiguration that the Lord went with two of His apostles to a mountaintop and revealed His divinity unto them. This glimpse into His divinity strengthened them as they would soon undergo the Passion and death of the Lord.

Both accounts take place high upon a mountain which is understood to be a place where God goes in order to reveal Himself to us. Upon this mountain He revealed Himself to be divine in nature as His clothes came to be dazzling white. Also, upon this mountain He was taken into Heaven both Body and Soul. As He is taken up our sight must be elevated upward in order that we may dare to go where He has now gone before.

At the Transfiguration Peter desired to make three booths for He was not ready to be separated from this experience. The same held true for the apostles at the time of the Lord’s Ascension. As we are told in the Gospel of Saint Luke, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

This departure that took place at the Transfiguration as well as at the Ascension is not a bad thing. We are not being left alone as if abandoned. Hope has not been ripped away from us. Rather, this departure that the Lord undergoes is leading us into freedom. Through it we are being led towards the Promised Land as the Israelites who had been liberated from their slavery were led towards the Promised Land.

For this reason we must elevate our sight upward to where He has now gone before, Heaven. In these days which lay ahead we must prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost just like the apostles. It is the Holy Spirit who came upon the apostles as a strong driving wind moving them forward into the abundant harvest of the Lord. This same Holy Spirit must come upon us to sanctify our heart that we may live for the Lord.

Let this celebration of the Lord’s Ascension convince us of what is truly important in this life. No matter the ups and down that we face with life we are a possession of the Lord and we should live as such. Let our fervent desire be that we will be lifted up the Lord when all is said and done and thus hear those words, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

5th Sunday After Easter Homily (Extraordinary Form)

The month of May is devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Prior to this Mass we held a May crowning ceremony as a reminder of this. When we look to the life of Mary we are able to see one who not only hears, but puts into action what was heard. She was a woman of great faith and as was stated by the archangel Gabriel in reference to her, “full of grace.” She came to give her “yes” unto God which shows that she was willing to put her faith into action.

We must also foster such devotion unto her that our heart and mind may come to dwell with her Son always. Devotion to the Blessed Mother does not end with her, but flows outward to her Son. It is her Son that we must come to love more intimately by how we choose to live and order our life on this earth. So often people are found chasing after things which lead them further and further away from her Son.

To be people of faith requires much from us. This reality transcends sitting in a church and listening with our ears. We must be willing to open our heart and mind up to the gift of God’s grace in order that we may be found receptive of such a gift. Some see the life of faith to be that which is lived in the church for a moment, but instead that which we receive here must be brought out into the world and lived.

In the words of the Epistle of Saint James, “Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.” These words testify to the fact that the faith which has been handed down to us must be lived. It is not to be lived in segregated realities, but in the totality of who we are and what we do. How we choose to spend our time, our money, and the company that we keep must be reflective of this verse.

Do we believe in Jesus and the faith that has been handed down to us or do we see it as some social club that lacks merit? The early Church took these words to heart. We see this through the countless amount of martyrs who were willing to lay down their life for Christ. Martyrdom might not be something that will be required of us, but do we truly desire to live our life for Him or would we rather live it for something else?

As we are also told in the Epistle of Saint James, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” Let us set our sight upon this Heavenly Kingdom and strive to get there with God’s help. This is truly a serious reality that cannot be taken lightly because we must be “doers of the word and not hearers only.”

May the Blessed Mother intercede for us that we may live our life in such a manner. Saint Mary, pray for us!