Sixth Sunday of Easter

My Dear Parishioners,
 
We gather to celebrate the Lord’s Day on this Sixth Sunday of Easter. In the Gospel passage for today we once again hear a portion of the conversation the Lord Jesus had with the Apostles at the Last Supper. In this periscope the Lord tells them that He would soon be leaving them and returning to the Father. Jesus tells them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I.”
 
Where was Jesus going? He was returning to God the Father and to the place from which He had been prior to His conception in the womb of the Blessed and Ever Virgin Mary. I guess this was the place He called home, with the Father in Heaven. In today’s second lection from the Book of Revelation the seer and Apostle John sees “…the holy city Jerusalem…I saw no temple in the city for its temple is the Lord god almighty and the Lamb. The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the lamb.”
 
Heaven, the New Jerusalem is place were the faithful set their sights. This is our destination as we follow Jesus, the pioneer who has shown us the way to eternal life. For we know that we have not permanent dwelling here and are only passing through. As future citizens of the Heavenly Jerusalem we are preparing ourselves to enter the city which is above where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father. But in order to gain entrance we must be sure to possess the proper credentials, that is, a life lived in fidelity to the Gospel.
 
This week we celebrate a Holy Day of Obligation, the Ascension of Our Lord into Heaven. Holy Mass will be celebrated in Sacred Heart Church on Wednesday evening at 7 o’clock and Thursday afternoon at 12 o’clock. Holy Mass will be celebrated at St. Cecilia’s on Thursday morning at 8 o’clock and in the evening at 7 o’clock. This 40th day of Easter commemorates the Lord Jesus’ return to the Father and His entrance into the “holy city Jerusalem.”
 
God willing, I will be returning to the holy city of Rockaway on Friday after being in Europe on our parish trip since last week. I am so grateful to Father Marcin and Father Mateusz who have been taking such good care of you in my absence. Our two young priests work very hard and they’re the best!!
 
Christ is Risen!
Father Zig