Archive for May, 2006
Lesson of the Ascension Touches the Core of our Faith
Thursday, May 25th, 2006
“The Catholic Miscellany”
By Jeffrey Kirby
As a church, we seem to realize and enjoy celebrating Easter. Perhaps all the customs of baskets and eggs and candy help us to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Even if some of the symbolism of these customs is forgotten, they still help us to know and express that Easter is a time for festivity and joy. It would be hard for us to imagine Easter without them.
But Easter is 50 days long. The Easter season begins to conclude with the Ascension of the Lord into heaven. Unfortunately, in our culture, we don’t seem to have any customs for the holy day. Even though the feast is now moved from a Thursday to a Sunday, it’s easy for it to pass without any particular notice or attention. This is a sad situation since the Ascension is such an intimate and important event in Christ’s earthly ministry.
After rising from the dead, Jesus spent 40 days with the community of disciples. The closeness of this time is shown in the Emmaus story. Jesus wanted to confirm the early church in the reality of his resurrection. After the appointed time, Jesus ascended to the Father.
When Christ ascended to heaven, he did not leave his human nature behind. He brought that nature, our nature, into heaven with him. The Son of God did not leave us orphans. He still has his human nature, and still bears the human wounds of his Passion in the heavenly kingdom. By taking human nature to heaven, Jesus Christ opened heaven for us. With a glorified human body and a human soul, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity sits at the right hand of the Father for all eternity. He is our mediator, and our only sure way home.
This is the absolutely essential lesson of the Ascension. It touches the core of our faith, our human dignity, and of our life after death. It’s one of our most elementary lessons, yet one that we sometimes forget.
Maybe we can start looking around for a spare chocolate bunny, or release some balloons, or host an Ascension party to mark this feast day. Or maybe we can just take a few minutes and thank the Lord for his eternal care and concern for us and our loved ones. Happy feast day!
Jeff Kirby is a seminarian studying in Rome. He is a member of St. Joseph Church in Columbia, S.C.
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Mother’s Day a Time to Say Thank You
Thursday, May 11th, 2006
“The Catholic Miscellany”
By Jeff Kirby
Mother’s Day is a great holiday. It brings all kinds of thoughts and affections to mind and heart. My mom recently visited me in the seminary. It was her first trip to Rome. In addition to wanting to see the popular churches and sites of the city, like St. Peter’s and the Trevi Fountain, she also wanted to see places dealing with my life: the seminary and university where I attend classes, places I go for coffee or with friends. Mom wanted to know where I hung out, who my friends were, what I ate, whether the food was nay good and what encompassed my life away from home. As we have all learned, one way or another, moms are like that, and only moms can get away with it. Moms are interesting creatures. Who can understand a mother’s love?
Even in the Gospels, we see Mary’s motherly love for Jesus. When he was lost for three days and Mary and Joseph found him in the temple, the twelve-year-old Jesus declared that he must be about his Father’s business. Mary didn’t seem to hear him. Jesus went back home to Nazareth with her that day, and she treasured the event in her heart. Later in Jesus’ life, when he was about thirty and attended a wedding in Cana and the wine ran out, Mary turned to Jesus for a solution. Jesus told her that his hour had not yet come and seemed hesitant to work a
miracle. Again, Mary didn’t seem to hear him. She turned and instructed the servants to do whatever Jesus told them. Mary loved her Son and helped his human nature to grow in wisdom and grace for his mission. Like all moms, Mary was an interesting creature. A little pushy, but with a lot of love, she was one-hundred-percent mother to Jesus Christ.
Mary held a special place in the mission of Jesus. From the crib to the Cross, from Pentecost to her Assumption, Mary knew a mother’s love. She stands as an encouragement to all mothers. She continues to love and aid in the work of her Son. Jesus’ love for her is an example to all people of the proper honor due to our own mothers and to the esteemed vocation of motherhood.
The observance of Mother’s Day is a time for children, however old or young, to show appreciation to the women who gave them life. It’s a holiday to show gratitude to the women, alive or in the afterlife, who will always be a unique part of their lives and who help give meaning and direction in this life. It is a time to remember what has been done for us and to simply say thank you.
Jeff Kirby, is a seminarian studying in Rome. He is a member of St. Joseph Church in Columbia, S.C.
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