Letter from the Pastor
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May 22, 2022On page 3 are the names of the First Holy Communion Class of 2022. Our parish celebrated with the 75 children and their families over the past four Saturday mornings. It is one of my favorite days of the entire year.
We all remember our First Communion Day, perhaps it is because we got to dress up, the excitement and anxiety of the family getting ready and leaving the house on time, the party, the pictures, the gifts and cards. All of the very natural joys are important to the day; however, it is what occurs in the House of God that gives joy to the party and celebrations. There is nothing like First Holy Communion Day in a parish, the joy radiating from the children at receiving Our Lord for the first time or, the pride of the parents and the grandparents.
I pray that we all keep the joy of receiving the Eucharist, like that first time. May it never become so routine that we become indifferent or cavalier in receiving the greatest gift of the Lord.
We are so blessed with the true Faith where we are able to receive Our Lord, not in a symbolic way, rather in the Real Way every day if we make ourselves available to Him. He is always here for us. We can always stop by a Catholic Church and make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament. We do not have a Lord who once was here and is now a mere memory, as in a picture, movie or book. We believe in one Living God, who is physically present at each and every Mass. So, don’t deny the children their communion with God. Parents, you now have an even greater responsibility in bringing your children to Mass every Sunday, yes even during the summer! Just remember their joyful faces on that Saturday in May. Remember the words of the Lord, “Suffer the children unto Me, and do not hinder them.”
I wish to thank our second grade Catechists who did such a fine job this year, despite the obstacles of Covid: Mrs. Vozzolo, Mrs. Bergin, Mrs. Richardson and Mrs. Dowling. I know after the parents and grandparents, comes the pride of their teachers.
This Thursday is the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. It is a holy day of obligation, the fortieth day after Easter, and ten days later, the Solemnity of Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Easter.
As you know, there is a significance of the number of days found throughout the Bible and the Liturgy of the Church. Originally the early Church just celebrated the fifty days of Easter to Pentecost as a whole. It wasn’t until the fourth century that the fortieth day was marked by the Feast of the Ascension
Since ancient times the Church celebrated great feasts by giving them a whole octave (8) of days. The celebration is for a whole week and renewed on the eighth day. The seven days, completed by the eighth, symbolize the totality of time and its transcendence into eternity.
Easter is the feast of feasts; it lasts for seven times seven days, so the Feast of Pentecost is on the fiftieth day after Easter. These fifty days of joy are the answer to the forty days of Lenten penance.
The very first novena occurred in those days after the Ascension, waiting in prayer in the Upper Room for the Holy Spirit. The apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary were waiting for that fiftieth day. The days after the Ascension until Pentecost are a preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
At first glance, the Ascension would seem to be a sad day. Christ in His human body is leaving the world which He loved, for the last time. But we need to look at the prayers from the Mass. This is a joyful feast; it is the final leg of the Paschal Mystery: the Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension into heaven. It is not until Jesus ascends and returns to His Father that His act of Redemption is completed.
This feast also teaches us that each human life, body and soul, is valuable. Our Lord became incarnate, exactly for this purpose: to save our unique human lives. Our Lord retains His human qualities as the ascended Lord. He is the model for our future life and, in order that each of us in our individuality and personhood, will share in eternal life.
The Mass schedule for the Ascension is in the bulletin on page 4.
I wish to thank all who contributed to the Easter Collection. Your generous contribution amounted to $46,173.96.
