May 19-20, 2012
Acts 1:1-11 Ephesians 4:1-13 Mark 16:15-20
The Ascension of the Lord – HAVEN Confirmation – Ministry Fair Weekend
Beginnings and endings, departures and arrivals, these weeks are filled with them! Approaching the culmination of the Easter Season we once again take leave of the physical presence of Jesus (much like we did on Good Friday) as we celebrate Ascension. While the promise of abundant Pentecost blessings will quickly follow next weekend…nonetheless, having to say goodbye is always wrenching and difficult.
Scripture, concerned mostly with conveying the GOSPEL of Jesus of Nazareth being the Son of God, does not linger on the emotive events occurring within those who associated closely with Jesus. Even on Good Friday, knowing that his Mother, Mary, was witnessing all that was occurring, we never truly hear of must have been her intense anguish and sense of loss. The early disciples surely must have been on a roller-coaster of emotions: Jesus dies on Good Friday and they mourn and are bereft – Jesus rises on Sunday and they were confused and overjoyed – Jesus says goodbye and leaves them as he ascends to The Father. And so, on this Ascension weekend we celebrate a mixture of departure and continuance: our HAVEN youth being Confirmed and getting on about living their Catholic-Christian lives, juxtaposed with our Ministry Fair which speaks of the ongoing vibrancy of our Corpus Christi Catholic-Christian Community.
Outside of these Grand Hall walls graduations are occurring that speak of endings…which are the precursors of fresh beginnings. Pentecost draws near with it’s promised outpouring of spiritual gifts, overlapping our commemoration of those who have died in service to our Nation on Memorial Day. What might your joys and sorrows be; like some sort of sweet and sour experience, they are frequently closely connected? The same tear glands supply the moisture for tears of happiness and tears of sadness. In the midst of these unfolding beginnings and endings it is sometimes wise and prudent to keep our eyes fixed on the one thing that remains unchanging, the cross of Jesus…for wherever the cross is, grace is abundant.
Thank you for joining with our Corpus Christi Community on this glorious Spring weekend. Congratulations to our CONFIRMED HAVEN YOUTH: Erin Herndon, Kathleen Donahue, Jason Kerins, Nicholas Morrison,, Sierra Mackey, Michael Arcemont, Alyssa Cathcart, Nick Blackmore,, Julia Padilla, Riley Lindheimer, Devon Kleinhammes,, Molly Elkins, Christina Santala, Annemarie Kibbe, Stephanie Dominque, Victoria Yacap, Erika Stablow, Gabriela Soto, Jennifer Frerk, Patrick Antonius, Meghan Payne, Anthony Vasquez, Danielle Graham, Alyssa Denton, Taylor Castro, Danielle Discala, Jessica Tiber, Joseph Andreini, Ryan Aguirre, Curtis Copin, Ryan Garner, Donovan Dragon, Ryan Denton, Eric Perez, Michael Balcewicz., we are so very proud of YOU! On this Ascension weekend we are also hosting our annual Ministry Fair; every one of our ministries, outreaches and organizations has a booth staffed by members ready to explain what they do and invite you to help THE BODY of CHRIST remain strong and vibrant by becoming a part of our ministerial life. Next weekend, the flames of Pentecost will be leaping within our Easter Garden…but the sobering presence of all those who have died in our ongoing conflict in the Middle East will again be made present for our honoring of their sacrifice. In addition, BOOTSTRAPS will be offering barbecued pork sandwiches along with containers of frozen barbecued pulled pork and containers of FKB chili for your Memorial Day picnics. (Come hungry!) As May progress and the Easter Season prepares to close, as Pentecost draws near and transitions surround us, remember, you are loved. FKB
