Our Lady Of Perpetual Help

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Reflection -   Week of May 12, 2024

The Lord Jesus, after He spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took His seat at the right hand of God.

Let us welcome them again with joy because we have been a part of the formation of these young gentlemen to serve the Lord Jesus in the ordained ministry. The ordained ministry is the best answer to the Gospel message we hear as we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes in me and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

     This Gospel episode is known as the great commissioning. The Lord Jesus was given a mission. He fulfilled that mission. He wanted to share that mission to His disciples and so the great commissioning in the Gospel. The great commissioning echoes until today. Thanks to those who have responded to be ordained. In the same manner, thanks to those who support those who are preparing themselves for ordination. Equally, thanks to those who support those who are already serving in the ordained ministry as well as those who are already retired and have dedicated their whole lives serving our faith communities in the name of the Lord. There is a blessing for those who dedicated and offered themselves for ordination, and there is a special reward for those who have given their support to the ordained.

     As we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord, our attention is trained to how St. Mark in the Gospel today succinctly describes this event: the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. 

     The short description of the event above, as recorded by St. Mark in his Gospel, fittingly establishes the divinity of Jesus. Fulton J. Sheen in his celebrated book “Life of Christ” has this meaningful explanation: “A coronation upon the earth, instead of the Ascension into heaven, would have confined men’s thoughts of Him on earth . . . the Ascension put all such doubts away by introducing His human nature into intimate and eternal communion with God.” The Ascension therefore is His exaltation and the greatest testament of His claim as the Son of God.

     So that we can appreciate with grandeur this event in the life of Christ Jesus, the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the importance of His Ascension: “Christ’s body was glorified at the moment of His Resurrection, as proved by the new and supernatural properties it subsequently and permanently enjoys. But during the forty days when he eats and drinks familiarly with His disciples and teaches them about the kingdom, His glory remains veiled under the appearance of ordinary humanity. Jesus’s final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of His humanity into divine glory, symbolized by the cloud and by heaven, where he is seated from that time forward at God’s right hand” (CCC, 659). In short, His Ascension was the visible event of His glorification. Nobody saw what actually happened in the Resurrection. The disciples encountered the risen Lord afterwards. With the Ascension, they were there to witness His glory.

     The Ascension of the Lord tells us that He is not completely gone but stays with us till the end of time. St. Mark in his Gospel today concludes by saying that the disciples went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs. As we continue to preach and fulfill His mission, His mission goes on with and in us. The Ascension, therefore, invites us to go beyond ourselves. It evokes a good relationship with Him and calls us to stewardship. Speaking of stewardship, let us be good stewards by preparing ourselves and help others prepare themselves in our common calling to serve the Lord and our faith communities in the name of our risen Lord Jesus.

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     Happy Mother’s Day. Let us find time to thank and pray for our respective mothers. Let us also thank and pray for all biological mothers, for our spiritual mothers and all those who serve as mothers to us and to our faith communities.

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     This year, I was given the opportunity to celebrate and pray over for my own mother on her 87th birthday at the beginning of the month of April. I returned to thank my mom after celebrating on April 25 the 32nd Anniversary of my Priestly Ordination. For the past twelve (12) years and counting, I thank you all for your loving support as I continue to serve in OLPH, our parish. 

Peace, Fr. Edmundo N. Barut, Jr.