Pastoral Message – May 12, 2024
Hey Y’all,
It’s Ascension Sunday! (This Feast was moved from Thursday to Sunday in the late 1990’s in the United States.) This is the day when we consider a few theological points…
Jesus is the supreme archetype of “Priest,” “Prophet” and “King”
- Jesus ascends bodily into heaven. Remember that the Old Testament prophets Enoch and Elijah were “taken up” to heaven. Elijah in a more dramatic fashion than Enoch. The big difference – Enoch and Elijah needed God’s power to be taken up. Jesus the Christ, ascended with His crucified, resurrected, glorified body under His own power.
- Jesus in His priestly role unites God and humanity, God and creation, God and his creatures! In the ultimate act of religious fulfillment Jesus leads fallen worshippers in praise, and sacrifice. Remember He is the Priest, the Altar, and the Lamb of God, all at the same time! As Priest he leads us in a veritable liturgical procession into God’s heavenly presence.
- Jesus is the kingliest of all Kings. By the most Divine right, by His birth right – fulfilling prophecy by being born of a Virgin, and by the only begottenness of primogeniture, Jesus confirmed his eternal reign by His Ascension. His individual sovereign state is Heaven. And as parens patriae (the kingly father of his nation’s people) Jesus is the King of heaven and all the Saints.
Putting all this highfalutin theology together and embracing these lofty concepts, we can say that Jesus took his place in the fullness of God’s Kingdom where he mounts his throne with shouts of joy, surrounded by choirs of angels and saints singing eternal, celestial hymns. But we can also,
relationally, reverently give God thanks for the grace that He bestowed on us, through his Son Jesus who is both our loving Savior, Healer, Benefactor and Friend. And finally we can even more simply say that Jesus took off and went home. He went home to His Father. He went home to his saints and angels. He went home to pray for us, inviting us to live in hope. He went home where, by his love, he is preparing a place for you and me and all for all his faithful beloved.
Grace and peace,
Fr. Reynold
