Newsletter The Ascension of the Lord (Year A) Sunday 17th May 2026

Newsletter The Ascension of the Lord (Year A) 17th May, 2026.pdf

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Gospel Reflection

Today’s feast – the Ascension reminds us of our eternal destiny – and our greatest goal; heaven. In today’s second reading St Paul says: “May God enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope His call holds out for you, what rich glories He has promised the saints will inherit.” Some saints and mystics have seen heaven, they have been given a vision of heaven. Some have been transported to and from heaven. St Catherine of Sienna, for example, after being given a vision of heaven, said the slightest thought of heaven gave her, and I quote: “indescribable joy.” They say the joy of heaven exceeds all the joys of this world put together. They find living in this world unbearable because while they are on the earth, they are deprived the joy of heaven. These people are willing to make any sacrifice in order to go to heaven. What is heaven? God and the soul are in union. Perfect fulfilment! Yet continually experiencing more, because God’s love is always more. Our Lord, in the Bible, taught us that it is not easy to go straight to heaven: “Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who go in by it” (Mt 7:13). If anyone has un-forgiveness, anger, jealously and the like we may not go straight to heaven because sins or vices cannot exist in heaven. We may first need to be purged of these vices or sins. If we don’t do that in life, we may need to do it in the next – in purgatory. However, Our Lord loves everyone infinitely, so He wants all of us to go to heaven straight after death. He doesn’t want anyone to experience purgatory. Marino Restripo was a well-known movie actor from Columbia, South America. He was kidnapped until his family paid a ransom. In captivity he has an after-death experience. His soul left his body but returned some time later. In that time, God showed him his sins like a film or movie. At the same time Marino was aware of God’s love. Marino said that God loved him with “all” of his Divine Heart. As an actor, Marino had not lived a good life. However, no matter how bad Marino’s sins were, he knew that God loved him with all of His Love, unconditionally. Marino said to offend God, knowing that He is all Love, gave him a pain so great, that if he were alive, he would have died of that pain. He said the pain was unbearable. After that death experience, Marino said he was determined not to sin again, and he pleaded with his captors not to kill him before he had gone to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He didn’t want any sins on his soul when he faced God again at judgment. He didn’t want to experience that pain again. It was too painful. The Ascension of Our Lord is a foretaste of our ascension from this life of the flesh to a life of eternal fulfilment – to a life of eternal union with God. When we understand the Ascension of Our Lord – the promises that God is offering each one of us – then we understand why all over the world, not only men but women, young boys and gentle girls, fought for the faith even to the shedding of their blood. We understand why we would not be dismayed or fearful by persecution, torture, prison and martyrdom. Through the Ascension of Our Lord, we understand why people have overcome every cross for the love of God and neighbour, and also why we have the faith to cast out devils, heal sickness and raise the death.