Video Gallery

Seventh Sunday of Easter/The Ascension of the Lord

Go to Video Gallery Added Jun 03, 2019 •

Copy this URL:
Embed code:	<iframe class="edlio-embed-player" type="text/html" width="640" height="360" src="//www.allsaintschurch.com/apps/embed/?v=219114" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Change dimensions

Go HD

Fr. Chad VanHoose June 2, 2019

Show Transcript

on Wednesday I'll leave All Saints and I wanted to leave in style so I'm going to get on a plane Wednesday afternoon and fly to France of course while I'm there the Women's World Cup will be going on but we're not going to watch soccer the French Open will also be happening while we're there but we're not going to watch any it'll also be the 75th anniversary of the Normandy invasion from World War II while we're there but that's ultimately not the reason for the trip either the reason for the trip is a family pilgrim I'll be going with some members of my family to travel to different places in France now this is the second time I've been to France the first time being two and a half years ago right before I was ordained a priest I was in southern France for just two days and a town called ours ARS this was significant for me right before I was ordained a priest and so at the end of this Gammage will also be going to ours this time it'll be a few weeks before I named the pastor at my own Parish in Mahtomedi these are significant trips to ours because as you may know St John Vianney who is the patron saint of all priests Minister denars for some forty years so this is a significant pilgrimage for me as I take possession of my own Paris has a pastor in just over a month one of my favorite Saint John Vianney stories is from the first day that he came to ours it was 200 years ago in the year 1818 St John Vianney was traveling through the countryside ours is about 17 miles from a larger city of Lyon the Archdiocese there and so he was traveling is Kasich and his hat pulling a cart behind him with his personal belongings I'm glad I don't have to carry all my personal belongings behind me on foot in a cart to Mahtomedi a John Vianney did is traveling to this new Paris assignment and he got lost a bit on the way he wasn't exactly sure how to get to the new assignment but providentially he meets a young boy named Antoine so he asks the little boy can you show me the way to ours so the little boy recognizes him probably as the new priest in town and says sure I'll take you there even though Antoine knew that this would make I'll be a little late for supper so he takes them he takes the Saint John Vianney to ours but just before they get there they arrive on a little Hill overlooking the town and Antoine poinsettia dance there it is John Vianney says it's so small he gets on his knees and he prays he looks into that Village it may have low like Lakeville 140 years ago a Country Village a lot of farms only 200 inhabitants and a little church right at the center of the city he looks at it he looks at the houses any praise then he gets up and Antoine takes them into the city right at the steps of the church John Vianney places his hand on Antoine shoulder and says you have show show me the way to ours I will show you the way to heaven and there's a beautiful statue of this encounter at the hill looking into ours that hill where John Vianney looked into the Lee and prayed the statue is of John Vianney with his hand on the little boy shoulder and his other hand pointing into the sky if there was ever a fitting day for a priest to say bye to a parish I think it would have to be Ascension the feast day that we celebrate today the feast day that we remember Christ's departure from this Earth had walked on the earth for 33 years he had been with his clothes collaborators the apostles his disciples for those three years and now he ascends into heaven to go to the right hand father and it's really a mission accomplished typeface that we celebrate today Jesus administered he had suffered and died but this wasn't the end of his mission then he rose from the dead he formed the church yet this was not the end of his mission 40 days after his resurrection he ascends into a he goes where we are meant to go opening the gates for the church and this is the accomplishment of his mission on Earth to open heaven to all those who would believe in him and the priest shares in this mission in a particular way of showing people the way to heaven just like John's funny just like all of the priests of the church throughout history Jesus prepares the way we hear it in the letter to the Hebrews today he goes first cry did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands but Heaven itself that he might now appear before God on our behalf and then the author in a few verses Slater goes on through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary by the New and Living Way he opened for us Jesus isn't distant from us because he ascended into heaven Jesus is actually closer to us because he went away because he departed in a certain sense Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI makes this point in the second volume of Jesus of Nazareth he writes the departing Jesus does not make his way to some distance car or some Cosmic location he doesn't go in a galaxy far far away Jesus was taken up into God's very being entering into communion of power and life with the Living God into God's dominion over all space Jesus has not gone away Now and Forever by God's Own power he is present with us and for us participating in God's powerful presence in the world cheese is present to us and with us because he went away because he ascended into heaven at the right hand of the father he's present to us not just those in the first century you know he was only able to see so many people when he walked on the Earth because he ascended in glory ascended into that very being God into communion with him we in 21st century America and 19th century France and every time and place now we have access to Jesus and access to the father through him and he's present to us in many ways he's present to us in the sacraments of the church through the Eucharist is very flesh and blood in holy communion he's present to us in the Holy Spirit that's been poured into our hearts through the sacrament of baptism and he's present in a particular way through the are priests through Vianney do father Wilson threw me an unworthy servant do all of the priests who served here at All Saints and an every Parish throughout the mm history of the church Jesus is present St John Vianney said about the priesthood that the priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus that Jesus is presence and his love continues to extend to the church and a real in a present way through his priests and through his priest he continues his mission of showing the way to heaven of showing the way to communion with God and when we have communion with Jesus we also enjoy communion with all of those who had communion with him as well all of the priests who have served here and said goodbye all of our loved ones who are distant from us living and deceased those who are in communion with God are also in communion with us so brothers and sisters as I leave you my final message hear this in communion with Jesus and if you stay in communion with Jesus I'll see you in the Eucharist and I'll see you again in heaven

Listed in LITURGY

Video Gallery

Seventh Sunday of Easter/The Ascension of the Lord

Popular Videos