“As they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” Ac 1,9

Just like that. He was lifted up into Heaven, never to be seen again, at least not in his bodily form. Why do we celebrate the Ascension? Isn’t this a sad day, as opposed to something to be celebrated? At first sight, yes, this is a sad day. But Jesus himself, on the night before he died, explained to the disciples, and to us, the reason why this is a good day.

He gives us the reason in the gospel of John: “It is better that I leave,” he says to the disciples, “It is to your advantage, because if I don’t leave you won’t receive the Holy Spirit.” But after I’ve left, I will send him to you. Because of his presence in you, you will do the things that I have done. In fact you will do things greater than the things that I have done, because I am going to the Father, whereas you, here, living in the Holy Spirit, will be a great many. And you will achieve a great deal. You will carry on my life and my mission not just here in Israel, but in the whole world.

That changes everything, doesn’t it. And Jesus also added, even though you won’t see me again, as you do now, until I return on the last day, I promise you, I will be with you in other ways, always, until the end of the age. I will be with you in the ways I know you need for me to be with you. And at the same time, I will be at the Father’s right hand interceding, praying to the Father on your behalf. What better prayer of intercession can we hope for than that of Jesus?

So let’s relax, and celebrate Ascension, and next Sunday, Pentecost, because they go together. Pentecost happened because the Ascension happened. And let us thank God because he has chosen us to be the continued presence and ministry of Jesus to the world. He has chosen us to be, as we often sing at children’s masses, the hands and the heart, the feet and the voice, the heart and the mind of Jesus in our world.

May we remember always that we are nothing less than the presence of Jesus to the world. And let us pray that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will be up to the task.

Just a few things to share with you this week.

In 2020, we received a bequest that I feel that I haven’t sufficiently honoured. Marie Mercredi, a long-time parishioner, passed away in February, 2020, just short of her 98th birthday, leaving in her will a bequest to St. Mary’s parish of $100,000. Given our 40% drop in parish income in 2020, this Godsend made it possible for us to pay our archdiocesan assessment, amounting to $160,000, without having to drain our bank accounts. At her request, Marie’s funeral was celebrated at the cathedral of St. Joseph in Fort Smith, NWT, her home-town, and she was buried in the cemetery of St. Isidore, in Fort Smith. So if you’re ever up in Fort Smith, pay her a visit, and why not consider the possibility of a bequest to the parish in your will!

In case you haven’t noticed it on our website, there is an online 50/50 raffle going on, the proceeds of which will go to our building fund. It began on April 12th and will run until June 23rd, with a Draw on June 25th. Tickets are 2 for $15, 6 for $30, and 15 for $60. Winner takes half of the jackpot, which is currently standing at $5445. I know for sure that the site where you can buy tickets is available on the parish website, and I believe it is also accessible on our Instagram and Facebook pages. 

More on “All Were Filled”. I have received the final numbers. From the start of this project in late June, until our last delivery on May 7th, we delivered a total of 1790 boxes of frozen foods – that’s 75,180 servings – in no fewer than 10 parishes. 30% of the deliveries went to residents of our parish territory. In our parish alone, we helped feed 414 individuals belonging to 116 households. A gargantuan achievement. Thanks again to Sr. Maria Serra and her team at the archdiocese, and here at St. Mary’s, thanks to Lorna, Richard, and those who helped them out. It really troubles me that some of the people to whom we delivered food still need our help, but for now, the funding has dried up, and our financial situation, together with the impossibility of soliciting special funding for this ministry, makes it impossible for us to go on. Perhaps, when we are back together again, this is a ministry we can resurrect…

Just one more week before Dr. Bonnie Henry’s next conference. There is room for hope…

Keep safe, God bless, and enjoy the beautiful weather. 

Fr. Guy