Dear Friends in Christ
Forty days after His Resurrection, Jesus gathered the disciples together and bade them a final farewell; this is the moment of His Ascension into Heaven which we celebrate this weekend. It was a moment tinged with joy and sadness: joy because Jesus returns to His rightful place with God the Father in Heaven; and sadness because we no longer have His physical presence with us. However, Our Lord remains with us in the Blessed Eucharist, which is a real and abiding presence: in the Mass and in the Tabernacle, where He dwells continually; it is there that he awaits us, calling and welcoming us. In a Sermon for this feast the English convert and writer, Monsignor Ronald Knox, has some lines which I always find uplifting for this Day: Among all the mysteries of our Lord's life, this is the only one which makes you think how nice it was for our Lord, instead of thinking how nice it was for us. We rejoice, for his sake, that he has left this miserable world behind, to enjoy eternity; we rejoice, for our sakes, because in him humanity has stormed the citadels of heaven; because he, who once beckoned us to share in his sufferings, beckons us now to share in his glory.
Next weekend - Pentecost - is the birthday of the Holy Church. It is the traditional day for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation. Please pray for the group of young adults in our Parish Family who will be Confirmed during the 11.30am Mass next Sunday: for their Sponsors, godparents and families that, they may be faithful to what they promise and receive what is promised to them.
With every blessing.
Msgr Kevin Hale
Priest@LourdesLeigh.org ✚ 01702 478078
Homily available at LourdesLeigh.org