Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • May 31, 2019 5 1260 Ocean Springs Road, Ocean Springs, MS 39564 Ph: 228-818-0650 For more information, contact Jody Ellis Stoddard, Executive Director or email her at gardensED@BlueHarborSL.com Web Address: www.gardensseniorliving.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheGardensSeniorLivingOceanSprings 9274 Hwy 49/Airport Gulfport, MS 39503 228-863-5525 1-800-880-2446 FAX: 228-863-9612 www.butchoustalet.com Thank you to St. Jude for prayers answered. KAW Thank you, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mother of Perpetual Help, St. Jude, and St. Anthony, for answered prayers. JJR Thanks to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and St. Jude, for prayers answered. LD In thanksgiving to St. Jude, St. Joseph, and St. Dymphna, for answered prayers. HCW It’s that time of year again, when much of our attention turns to breaking away from the routine. Imagining, planning, getting the car, the body, and the will tuned up to go somewhere. Winter puts us in survival mode, summer stirs our adventure juices. While new worlds will be opening for high school and college grads, for the rest of us vacation beckons. For a conversation starter ask someone, “Where are you going this summer?” Although the answer can come with different specifics you may recognize a common underlying stimulus -- most are looking forward to a life-enriching experience -- an improvement over their current situation. So, we come up with a plan and make it happen. While vacations are great and temporary plans are okay, the preface of today’s Mass offers something eternal. It reads in part, “Christ has passed beyond our sight, not to abandon us but to be our hope…where he has gone, we hope to follow.” Since this is clearly an improvement over our current situation we turn to today’s readings and reflect on how Jesus’ disciples understood and reacted to his Ascension. Jesus understood his life’s mission. He followed the Father’s plan and accomplished his purpose of conquering death and building a body of believers. For three years his disciples knew him as Lord, Master, Teacher and Provider. But one week after his triumphant entry into Jerusalem he was arrested, scourged and crucified like a common criminal. Three days later he rose from death and the sadness, fear, and confusion his disciples felt turned to joy, hope, confidence and strengthened faith. Pope Francis called the resurrection, “the pinnacle of our Christian faith.” For the next forty days he gave his disciples a crash course on the law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms to understand everything written about him (Luke 24:36-49). In today’s first reading he brings them together to hear his final (pre-Ascension) instructions and witness his final action in the flesh. Luke records Jesus’ words, “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). And when he said this he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. For a moment the disciples were frozen in time, staring at the sky almost in disbelief that Jesus would actually leave them with the job of building his church without him physically present. Yet he had already prepared them for this mission by giving them power and authority over all demons, sending them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:1-6). And despite the most severe persecutions the early church flourished. How did this happen? Although the apostles could not physically hold on to Jesus, they held on to his promises and yielded to the Holy Spirit’s leadings. Their faith and trust in the Lord fueled a life of joy and worship, and a passion to evangelize taking advantage of every opportunity and creating opportunities when necessary. Further, they understood that since Jesus had ascended to heaven, they needed to be Jesus for others on earth. The question now comes to us. Where are you going? How will you get there? Do your plans include following Jesus’ way? As baptized believers, nourished by word and sacrament and equipped with divine graces, we are called to take on the mission of loving the unlovable, visiting prisoners, comforting the sick, the dying and the lonely, forgiving without reservation or retribution, and proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Savior to everyone we meet. Like the early disciples, our share of eternity will not come without hardship and faith challenges, but it does come with certain promises and assurances. Each time a holy person is canonized (declared a saint) the Church affirms its belief in God’s miracle working power by attributing two miracles to their intercession. So, despite the failings of some of its human leaders the Church’s staying power proves it is not a human, but a divine institution, founded by Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit and built on the chair of Peter with further guarantees to overcome any attempts to take it down (Matthew 16:18-19). By celebrating the Ascension of the Lord, we too press through our obstacles of fear, doubt and unworthiness to answer the call to be Christ in all that we think, do and say. Yielding to Holy Spirit empowerment we too can experience the joy of touching someone’s life for the glory of God. As a major evangelization initiative some Dioceses (our own included) are adopting plans to help form intentional disciples -- one who, “makes a conscious commitment to follow Jesus in the midst of his Church as an obedient disciple and to reorder his or her life accordingly.” -- Forming Intentional Disciples – Sherry A. Weddell Will you allow the Lord to show you the joy of serving others as his hands, feet, heart and mouthpiece? Deacon Ralph Torrelli lives in Hattiesburg and is assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. Visit his web- site: www.homilypearls.com. 1st Reading: Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11 Responsorial Psalm: 47:2-3, 6-7, 8- 9 2nd Reading: Ephesians 1:17-23 Gospel: Luke 24:46-53 Ascension of the Lord Improvement plan Deacon Torrell i Sunday Scripture Commentaries