From the Pastor's Desk - May 31, 2025

Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,

          Blessed Feast of the Ascension of our Lord! 40 days after his Resurrection, Christ ascended into heaven in the presence of his amazed disciples. The life of every Christian has an upward tilt to it. Our thoughts should tend towards the highest truths, and our hearts should tend towards the greatest loves. We feel “weighed down” by sin, and we sense that a “weight has been lifted off us” when we are forgiven.

           Some saints experienced the gift of levitation after receiving Communion or when in ecstatic prayer. St. Teresa of Avila even told her sisters to hold her down when she began to levitate. The holiness of these saints was such that they already participated while in this life in the grace of the Ascension. We participate in the grace of the Ascension when at Mass the priest exclaims, “Lift up your hearts.” The congregation responds, “We lift them up to the Lord.” Following that, we unite ourselves with the angels in singing God’s praises: “Holy, holy, holy Lord . . .” During the Eucharistic prayer, we enter into the life of heaven as the Risen Christ becomes present on the altar. At that moment we participate in the one unending liturgy of heaven where all of creation blesses, praises and adores God. The Eucharistic prayer finds its fulfillment as the priest lifts the chalice and paten to God and exclaims, “Through him, with him and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, forever and ever.” Everyone present at the Mass finds themselves present on that paten that the priest lifts up to God. The Ascension, then, is not only some exceptional moment in the life of Jesus, but the experience of every Christian who is filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit.

I look forward to seeing you at our trilingual Mass on Fr. Meyer Field at 12:00pm and our parish picnic following Mass. There will be plenty of food, music and games for all ages. The word on the street is that Fr. Joe has plans on taking first place in the inaugural half-mile race at 2:00pm.

In the Risen Christ,

Fr. Dave