Opening Prayer:

Father in Heaven,
our minds were prepared for the coming of your kingdom
when you took Christ beyond our sight
so that we might seek him in his glory.
May we follow where he has led
and find our hope in his glory,
for he is Lord for ever.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Catechism Quote of the Week:

He Ascended into Heaven and is Seated at the Right hand of the Father

CCC 659: “”So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.” Christ’s body was glorified at the moment of his Resurrection, as proved by the new and supernatural properties it subsequently and permanently enjoys. But during the forty days when he eats and drinks familiarly with his disciples and teaches them about the kingdom, his glory remains veiled under the appearance of ordinary humanity. Jesus’ final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory, symbolized by the cloud and by heaven, where he is seated from that time forward at God’s right hand. Only in a wholly exceptional and unique way would Jesus show himself to Paul “as to one untimely born”, in a last apparition that established him as an apostle.”

CCC 660: “The veiled character of the glory of the Risen One during this time is intimated in his mysterious words to Mary Magdalene: “I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” This indicates a difference in manifestation between the glory of the risen Christ and that of the Christ exalted to the Father’s right hand, a transition marked by the historical and transcendent event of the Ascension.”

CCC 661: “This final stage stays closely linked to the first, that is, to his descent from heaven in the Incarnation. Only the one who “came from the Father” can return to the Father: Christ Jesus. “No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man.” Left to its own natural powers humanity does not have access to the “Father’s house”, to God’s life and happiness. Only Christ can open to man such access that we, his members, might have confidence that we too shall go where he, our Head and our Source, has preceded us.”

CCC 662: “”and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” The lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and announces his lifting up by his Ascension into heaven, and indeed begins it. Jesus Christ, the one priest of the new and eternal Covenant, “entered, not into a sanctuary made by human hands, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” There Christ permanently exercises his priesthood, for he “always lives to make intercession” for “those who draw near to God through him”. As “high priest of the good things to come” he is the center and the principal actor of the liturgy that honors the Father in heaven.”

CCC 663: “Henceforth Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father: “By ‘the Father’s right hand’ we understand the glory and honor of divinity, where he who exists as Son of God before all ages, indeed as God, of one being with the Father, is seated bodily after he became incarnate and his flesh was glorified.””

CCC 664: “Being seated at the Father’s right hand signifies the inauguration of the Messiah’s kingdom, the fulfilment of the prophet Daniel’s vision concerning the Son of man: “To him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” After this event the apostles became witnesses of the “kingdom [that] will have no end.””

From Thence he will Come Again to Judge the Living and the Dead

CCC 668: “’Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.” Christ’s Ascension into heaven signifies his participation, in his humanity, in God’s power and authority. Jesus Christ is Lord: he possesses all power in heaven and on earth. He is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion”, for the Father “has put all things under his feet.” Christ is Lord of the cosmos and of history. In him human history and indeed all creation are “set forth” and transcendently fulfilled.”

CCC 669: “As Lord, Christ is also head of the Church, which is his Body. Taken up to heaven and glorified after he had thus fully accomplished his mission, Christ dwells on earth in his Church. the redemption is the source of the authority that Christ, by virtue of the Holy Spirit, exercises over the Church. “The kingdom of Christ (is) already present in mystery”, “on earth, the seed and the beginning of the kingdom.’”

CCC 670: “Since the Ascension God’s plan has entered into its fulfilment. We are already at “the last hour.” “Already the final age of the world is with us, and the renewal of the world is irrevocably under way; it is even now anticipated in a certain real way, for the Church on earth is endowed already with a sanctity that is real but imperfect.” Christ’s kingdom already manifests its presence through the miraculous signs that attend its proclamation by the Church. until all things are subjected to him.”

CCC 671: “Though already present in his Church, Christ’s reign is nevertheless yet to be fulfilled “with power and great glory” by the King’s return to earth. This reign is still under attack by the evil powers, even though they have been defeated definitively by Christ’s Passover. Until everything is subject to him, “until there be realized new heavens and a new earth in which justice dwells, the pilgrim Church, in her sacraments and institutions, which belong to this present age, carries the mark of this world which will pass, and she herself takes her place among the creatures which groan and travail yet and await the revelation of the sons of God.” That is why Christians pray, above all in the Eucharist, to hasten Christ’s return by saying to him: Maranatha! “Our Lord, come!””

CCC 672: “Before his Ascension Christ affirmed that the hour had not yet come for the glorious establishment of the messianic kingdom awaited by Israel which, according to the prophets, was to bring all men the definitive order of justice, love and peace. According to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of witness, but also a time still marked by “distress” and the trial of evil which does not spare the Church and ushers in the struggles of the last days. It is a time of waiting and watching.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Number 659-664; 668-672.

This month, we are raising funds for the annual Catholic Services Appeal (CSA). To date, St. Anne is at 1% towards our Goal of $22,555; St. Raphael is at 8.5% towards our goal of $7,633; St. Catherine – $0; St. Gabriel – $0. The CSA is an opportunity to unite with all Catholics in the diocese to share our blessings and show our care for one another. It provides the opportunity to act together and support programs and services no single individual or parish could offer by itself. Your gift is very important. Every gift, regardless of the size, is vital to the success of the CSA. Would you consider helping us reach our parish goal and supporting the CSA today? Learn more and give online at DioceseofGaylord.org/CSA23.

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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We want to thank Fr. John William for his many years of generous priestly ministry in the Diocese of Gaylord. As you know, Fr. John will be returning to his home diocese of Maiduguri in Nigeria. His priestly assignment in the Diocese of Gaylord will come to an end on May 21st. Please join me in showing Fr. John our love and prayerful support in these days. From May 22nd until June 30th, Bishop Walsh has asked me to be temporary administrator of St. Anne, St. Catherine, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael parishes. During that time, the day-to-day operations of the parishes will continue. However, daily Masses, adoration, and confessions during the week will be canceled. Saturday evening and Sunday morning Masses will continue as scheduled with me and Fr. Michael Lingaur filling in from All Saints Parish in Alpena. On some weekends a few other priests will assist us during our previously scheduled vacation time. For any pastoral emergency or Anointing of the Sick, please call All Saints Parish at 989.354.3019 and press #3 to leave a message for me and Fr. Michael. In the coming weeks, the Diocese of Gaylord will announce new priestly assignments including a new pastor for the Parishes of the Resurrection. Please keep me, Fr. John, Fr. Michael, and your new pastor in your prayers during this time of transition.

God bless,

Fr. Tyler Bischoff

Regional Vicar – East Vicariate