Dear Parishioners of Mary Immaculate and Saint Rose,
This weekend we commemorate the Ascension of Jesus into heaven.  Like the apostles, we stand there open-mouthed before the mystery of the resurrected Jesus ascending to the right hand of the Father.  Just when we were getting used to the idea of Jesus being with us, He is taken from us again.
All of this is part of the unfolding joy of the fullness of the Heavenly Kingdom. We have for forty days celebrated the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  This is not a restoration to this life as was the raising of Lazarus.  This is a Resurrection.  Jesus has been raised, but He is glorified. Even people who knew Him well, do not at first recognize him.
Jesus, through His sacrifice on the Cross, not only opened the gates of heaven for Himself, He opened them for all of us. We will all rise from the dead.  All of us will have a resurrected body. And today Jesus ascends into heaven to prepare a place for us.  It is not only Jesus who will enter heaven: all of us will.
So if all of us want to be in the Heavenly Kingdom, what will that be like? It is interesting to listen to what people think heaven will be like. Many of them say it will be like a giant family reunion, a place where we will be reunited with all of our loved ones.  I think this is true on some level, but in heaven, everyone will be our loved ones! I also hear people say that heaven is where they will continue to do all their favorite things.  So there will be horseback riding, roller coasters, golf, and even Nascar racing. The Scriptures refer often to the heavenly banquet.  Also the choirs of angels singing God’s praises before His heavenly throne.
Sometimes people put everything they like into heaven, but they fail to mention being in the presence of God. We forget that heaven is all about God and not all about us!  This just continues to reveal the selfishness of our fallen nature. All the beautiful things that we so love and enjoy on this earth are shadows of the joy of heaven.  We see the beauty of art, music, and nature.  We have favorite activities, food, and possessions.  And we love our family and friends.  All of these somehow in a small way reflect the unfathomable joy of heaven.
So today as we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus in to heaven, we rejoice that He has gone to prepare a place for us.  We pray that we may be found worthy to enter the fullness of the Heavenly Kingdom.                                             Msgr. Cox