Homily: Thursday of the 6th Week of Easter - Grief becoming joy

40 days ago, we celebrated the Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus on Easter Sunday.  And 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus ascended to the right hand of his Father in heaven.  Traditionally, the Feast of the Ascension, a holy day of obligation, was celebrated today.  It still is in several dioceses throughout the world.
In the rest of the dioceses of the United States, the celebration of the Ascension has been transferred to the following Sunday.  It is still a holy day of obligation because every Sunday is a holy day of obligation.
As you’ve no doubt noticed, the readings in the final weeks of the Easter season, while still emphasizing the Resurrection of the Lord, have begun to focus on the two important glorious events of Jesus’ Ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

We may not be celebrating the Ascension today, but we have three extra days to prepare for it.

 “You will grieve, but your grief will become joy”.  Grief may have come at the loss of Jesus’ visible presence, but the Lord’s Ascension means that Jesus has not gone far away from us. Now, thanks to the fact he is with the Father, he is close to each one of us forever.  Each one of us may address him with the knowledge of his closeness.

We get into trouble when we forget that fact—big trouble when we live as if he were not close.  Our greatness sadnesses come when we are not conscious of how close God is to us.  So it important for us to habitually call to mind his closeness, to draw near to him through faith, to express our love for him often throughout the day, so that in those moments of trial, we can remember how near he truly is. When we know his closeness, our grief becomes joy.

Tomorrow is nine days until Pentecost.  And we would do well to begin a Pentecost novena, to dispose ourselves to that great gift of the Holy Spirit, that all of our grief may be turned into joy for the glory of God and salvation of souls.