May 17, 2026 - Ascension of the Lord/Seventh Sunday of Easter

[00:00:07] Welcome. [00:00:08] Today is the seventh Sunday of Easter, May 17th. [00:00:13] Today is the Ascension of the Lord. [00:00:26] As Pentecost nears, the church prepares for the close of the 50 day Easter season, a time set aside to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, his ascension to the Father, and the sending of the Holy Spirit. [00:00:43] Throughout these weeks we've seen white and gold vestments worn at Mass. [00:00:48] The alleluia has returned to our prayers. [00:00:52] The Paschal candle burns as a sign of Christ, the light of the world. [00:00:57] And we hear about the appearances of the risen Lord to his disciples. [00:01:02] Eastertide is a traditional time of year for baptisms, first communions and confirmations, all pointing to new life in Christ. [00:01:13] The Easter season concludes with Pentecost. [00:01:16] You'll notice that the Paschal candle returned to its place near the baptismal font. [00:01:21] Investments will change to green for ordinary time. [00:01:26] The solemn Easter dismissal. Go in peace. Alleluia, Alleluia. And our reply, thanks be to God. Alleluia, Alleluia. Will also end, and the dismissal will return to its usual forms. [00:01:48] There were witnesses to the Ascension. [00:01:50] Let's reflect on that in today's homily. [00:01:55] Eleven apostles went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had summoned them. [00:02:01] Among the 11 were Matthew and John. [00:02:04] Interestingly, neither Matthew nor John provide an account of a visible ascension in the Gospels. [00:02:13] After the resurrection, Jesus appeared visibly to his disciples. [00:02:19] It's not as though Jesus settled in with them for days at a time. [00:02:23] These were sporadic manifestations which the disciples were privileged to receive. [00:02:31] These appearances came to an end, as is dramatized by a visible ascension of Jesus rising to the sky and no longer returning to the disciples. In this way, this is his last appearance when he takes leave of his followers in visible form. [00:02:50] It's this image that usually comes to mind when I hear that word ascension. [00:02:56] The ascension of Jesus in his humanity is a sign of things to come for all of us and for all creation. [00:03:04] Because Christ has brought part of this earth to God. [00:03:10] It is the beginning of what is to come, a cause for hope in a world that too often is gloomy about its own future. [00:03:27] Spend some quiet time with the Lord.