In Australia, we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension this Sunday, but the actual Feast was on Thursday, which was forty days after the Resurrection. Jesus had been in the company of the Apostles during this time and according to St Paul appeared to more than five hundred witnesses in His risen state.
Before ascending He said:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; ….I am with you always, to the close of the age (Mt: 18-20).
Jesus gave the first Priests, the Apostles power to forgive sins and to bring about a spiritual rebirth in the people through Baptism. The mission of the Church is to continue the work of Christ, to teach divine truths and to make known the demands these truths impose and to sanctify people through administration of the sacraments. Although Jesus departed for Heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father, He remained on earth in the Blessed Sacrament as a prisoner of love and in order to eventually bring the Kingdom of the Divine Will upon the earth. In the Blessed Sacrament, there are as many Jesus’ as there are Consecrated Hosts. The flames of love devour Him in His sacramental life.
In Heaven, he has prepared a place for each one of us. As Christians we know that the end of our life on earth is the beginning of something more wonderful than we can ever imagine. It will be like an eternal holiday. Our life on earth is a preparation for the next life. It should be a life of work, love and service. For the atheist, the death of a family member or friend is the saddest event imaginable in life. But for us as believers it is a door to something incomparably better.
Today we blessed the Monument to Merciful Jesus in the ground of the Divine Mercy Shrine. It was fitting to have the blessing today, for it is not only the Ascension but is also the first day of the month of the Sacred Heart. Jesus made great promises to those who promote the Divine Mercy devotion and who pray the Chaplet of Mercy. This devotion is like a continuation of the Sacred Heart devotion. Some of the promises include:
· “The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death.” (Diary, 754)· “When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.” (Diary, 1541)· “. . . [When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Saviour.” (Diary, 1541)· “Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. . . . Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy.” (Diary, 687)· To those souls who honour and spread the worship of Divine Mercy “I Myself will defend as My own glory, during their lifetime, and especially at the hour of their death, those souls who will venerate My fathomless mercy.” (Diary, 1225)· “. . . All those souls who will glorify My mercy and spread its worship, encouraging others to trust in My mercy, will not experience terror at the hour of death. My mercy will shield them in that final battle.” (Diary, 1540)· “Souls who spread the honour of My mercy I shield through their entire lives as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the merciful Saviour. . . . Happy is the soul that during its lifetime immersed itself in the Fountain of Mercy, because justice will have no hold on it.” (Diary, 1075)
I encourage everyone to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy each day and to spread this devotion in your families, friends and community.
We are currently in the time of the Cenacle leading up to Pentecost Sunday. I encourage all of you to also pray the Novena provided in the Parish, for an increase on the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. We can imagine the Apostles gathered with Our Lady, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit in intense prayer awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus. Empowered by the Holy Spriit, the Apostles would be interiorly transformed and would fearlessly preach the Gospel to the world. Life is better with the Holy Spirit. A sure way to attract the Holy Spirit is to have a tender devotion to His Spouse, Our Heavenly Mother, through daily recitation of the Holy Rosary and consecration to Her Immaculate Heart. The Holy Spirit may also be described as a Heavenly Gardener within the Immaculate Heart who helps all the virtues to grow makes us holy. When we pray, it is important especially to ask for spiritual gifts. For Jesus said:
How much more will the Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him ….. (Luke 11:13).