Come Again? or Ascension Thursday

Today is one of those lovely days in the Church where you are not sure what the liturgy is going to have in store for you:

Are we celebrating the Ascension?

Our Lady of Fatima?

Or Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter?

Didn't anyone ever tell the Church about triple-booking? Ms. Manners would surely frown on that etiquette!

I kid. But it can be a little confusing- which feast usurps the others? And can a feast really be usurped?

Well, Ascension Thursday is the fortieth day after Easter Sunday and the day Jesus ascended into heaven (after Resurrecting and coming back to reveal Himself to His disciples one last time). I believe it used to be a Holy Day of Obligation. But some feasts (which Ascension Thursday is one of these) have become "movable feasts" and they are celebrated on Sunday, perhaps so that more people can participate.

But the Archdiocese did not consult with me when they decided to invoke this movable feast thing. Humph. How am I supposed to do a novena between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost if we celebrate them a week apart? ;)

So I'm celebrating the Ascension today, in my little heart of hearts, and I will gladly celebrate again with the Church on Sunday!

Today is also the anniversary of our Lady of Fatima. It just so happened that this year, May 13th is a Thursday, which also just so happens to be the 40th day after Easter...I know, I know. I can't even remember which night American Idol is on, HOW are we supposed to keep up with all of this?

Pretty sure the Holy Spirit and Mary understand this. Mary gets the whole month of May, actually, but today is the anniversary (93rd, actually) of her appearance to three children on a hill in Portugal.

The Mass I went to this morning chose to recognize the anniversary and Father mentioned the event in his homily. Poor guy couldn't remember the boy's name, only the two girls' (it's Francisco. Girls=Jacinta and Lucia)

I love how Mary chooses children often to reveal her secrets to. I really do. It makes sense. Children have an innocence and trust. They somehow comprehend mysteries because they do not have the jadedness and doubt of adulthood. She also often chooses the poor. These kids were shepherd children.

**(Side note, but along the lines of Marian apparitions and miracles) My friend whom I mentioned recently who went to Lourdes (where the young Bernadette had an apparition of Mary) has received her Lourdes' miracle!!! A birthmother chose my friend and her husband to adopt her son!! It has been such a tough, but beautiful journey for them and I am overjoyed and in awe of God's timing and work in their lives**

Back to today's Mass, I mentioned Father recognized the Anniversary of Fatima at Mass, but we used the readings for the regular sixth Thursday in Easter. I almost laughed out loud at the Gospel today. Here's why:

It's another scene of Jesus kind of giving his apostles the run around. You just feel bad for the poor guys:

"Jesus said to his disciples: 'A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me.”

Um, excuse me, Jesus. Huh? What? Come again? A little while we will see you and then in a little while we won't but then...WHA?!

So not surprisingly, the disciples are all like: "What does this mean?"

And then Jesus kind of does his Jedi-Jesus mindtrick and says:

"Are you discussing with one another what I said, ‘A little while and you will not see me,
and again a little while and you will see me’?"

(How. Does. He. Do. It?!)

He then follows with: "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”

Um, okay. Still not totally clear. But it seems to end up okay. I guess we'll take it?

Jesus is funny sometimes.

But He totally has come through for my friend, G, and I am excited for all the ways the Holy Spirit is moving these days...even if it leaves me asking, "come again?"

'Cause after all... He said He would ;) And I'm banking on it. Come, Holy Spirit!

Peace,
Julia