One of the great American films is the sports drama starring Sylvester Stallone as a small time club fighter who gets a shot at the world heavyweight boxing championship. Of course, I’m talking about the film Rocky. It’s the classic rags to riches American dream story. Rocky starts out boxing in these seedy, sleazy clubs; he’s constantly mocked and told he’s nothing but a “bum” even by his trainer Mickey.
But then he gets a chance. The Heavyweight champion of the world Apollo Creed chooses Rocky as his opponent in an upcoming title fight. Here is Rocky’s chance to prove that he’s not worthless. With encouragement from his girlfriend, Adrian, and Rocky trains and trains for the big boxing match.
Rocky is a classic example of the American Dream. The poor, mocked, and ridiculed can achieve a better, richer, happier life, through hard work, personal sacrifice, dedication, and perseverance. Through physical training we can become great athletes; through intellectual study we can become great scientists, through practice we can become great artists.
In the Christian life, too, becoming saints, becoming the people God made us to be requires hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance. Yet, on this Feast of the Ascension we reflect upon a very humbling lesson.
40 days after his resurrection from the dead, before the eyes of his closest followers, Jesus Christ ascended body and soul in heaven. Where he has gone, we hope to go. For though the Christian life requires much effort on our part, we do not enter heaven simply by our own efforts. No amount of physical or intellectual training, no amount of good deeds gains us entrance into heaven.
It is only through the merits of Jesus Christ, that sinful man has any hope of heaven. Not even Mary, Holiest of women, conceived without sin, could ascend the steps of heaven on her own.
Pope Francis reflected on this truth of our faith when he said, Christ opened the path to us. He is like a roped guide climbing a mountain who, on reaching the summit, pulls us up to him and leads us to God. There’s only so high we can climb on our own. We need God to help us cross the infinite gap between earth and heaven.
One of the famous scenes in the movie Rocky, is during his training, Rocky sprints up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of art. The first time I visited Philadelphia, myself and a group of seminarians sprinted up those steps as well. Not an impossible task.
The path to heaven, however, is different. It is impassable for man, the mountain road too steep; we need Christ, if we are to have any hope of reaching our heavenly homeland.
The Feast of the Ascension is so essential, because it reminds us of our complete and utter dependence upon Jesus Christ for heavenly life. Without him we can do nothing. May we be free from all that keeps us from faithfulness, all that keeps us from obeying his teachings and loving Him with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength.
Speaking of Holy Obedience: In the bulletin this week is a copy of a letter written by the Bishops of Ohio. As you know, since the lockdown last year, the Bishops suspended the obligation to attend Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation, due to concerns for public health.
Coinciding with CDC recommendations and the lifting of social distancing policies by the governor, the Bishops are reinstituting the Obligation to attend Mass beginning the first weekend in June—the Feast of Corpus Christi. Why have they done this? As leaders and teachers of our faith, the Bishops recognize and teach the indispensable value of attending Mass and receiving the Eucharist. Fully, actively, consciously participating at Holy Mass is an essential dimension of Catholicism. Just as there is a vast difference between earth and heaven, there is a vast difference between watching Mass on television or the internet and participating at Mass and receiving the Lord’s Body and Blood.
So just to clarify, there was no sin committed in refraining from attending Mass in the last year, but beginning June 6, it becomes a matter of holy obedience to attend Mass. God speaks to us and directs our faith-lives through our Bishops. Missing Mass becomes once again a very serious matter, requiring sacramental reconciliation if we skip Mass before we can have access to the other Sacraments.
I ask you, dear parishioners, to disseminate this information to the members of your family and friends who haven’t been coming to Mass since the beginning of the pandemic or before. This is a good time for us to remind Catholics who only go to Church once a year or so, that we must attend Mass—our souls depend upon it. “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature,” says the Lord in the Gospel today. We must help the fallen away to return to Mass because, likely, no one else will. For again, we cannot achieve heaven on our own: we need Him. It is here that the Lord is encountered as the mountain guide--giving strength to the weak, teaching us in our ignorance, inspiring us with His Word to persevere in this strenuous effort, feeding us with his body and blood--without which, we do not have life within us.
It is fitting that the obligation to attend Mass will begin on June 6, which is the Feast of the Body and Blood. In celebration, and to honor the place the Eucharist has in our Ecclesial life, we will have a Eucharistic procession around the Church immediately following the 11am Mass that day. The following week, June 13, we will have a parish picnic, here on the church grounds, a nice way to reconnect with each other
A return to Mass, a love for the Eucharist, and cheerful social gatherings will bring great blessings to our parish, and a assist us in fulfilling our Mission of spreading the gospel of Christ in our corner of the world, Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life…for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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