Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord

My dear friends in Christ,

We celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord as it replaces the Seventh Sunday of Easter this year. In this time of pandemic, so many are crying out with deep concerns of being “orphaned.” We feel that sense of loneliness that come with not being able to be around friends and being involved in social activities. If the Apostles were among us now, I wonder what they would be feeling. Would they be in a state of confusion, loss, transition, change? They were trying to hold on to what they had known, while at the same time realizing how drastically things had changed. Does this sound familiar? There’s a certain comfort in knowing that we have similar feelings. In this time of the global pandemic crisis, we’ve felt many things—overwhelmed, distanced, abandoned, and hungry to return to our “new normal.” We hope and pray that it will come soon. In this time between the Ascension and the second coming, one of our tasks is to recognize Christ all around us as we begin to ascend back to our Churches, offices, and social gatherings. As we do all of this, remember that Jesus is with us. Do not lose hope, for we are an Easter people, looking ahead to rising and rejoicing once again gathered as people of God, face to face.

I will now be a part of the Live Stream Mass from Jesus, the Good Shepherd Parish (Cohort #1) on Sunday at 10:00 AM. Please see information listed on the following page.

May God bless you all,

Father John