CELEBRATE SUNDAY
WITH ST. MARY'S
THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD
We are in the age of atonement.
THE ASCENSION
Every Fall, the Jewish faith celebrates the most solemn feast of the year at Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement. Though this feast has evolved since the destruction of the Temple, it was established by God in the book of Leviticus to be the one day of the year when the Jews could have their sins wiped away through the actions of the High Priest. The High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies only one day per year, on this day of atonement, to offer an intimate sacrifice to God in His intimate dwelling place. The crowds of faithful would anxiously await his return from this inner room so that they could be assured that their offerings were accepted by the Almighty, and that their sins were atoned for. For us Christians, our High Priest has ascended to the Holy Dwelling of God, and now we anxiously await his return as a sign that we are worthy of joining ourselves to our Almighty God.
READ THIS SUNDAY'S MESSAGE
On this Solemnity of the Ascension, we mark the end of Christ’s teaching mission post-Resurrection; everything we needed to know about him and his identity was ultimately revealed to us in his public ministry, in his passion and death, and in his resurrection. However, in his infinite love for his followers and in an effort to strengthen them for the mission that lay ahead of them, he continued to reveal himself over the course of these forty days, sharing delicate yet crucial signs of his desire for the Church. In these forty days, he showed his glorified wounds, he opened up the typology of the Scriptures, he offered his peace, he elevated Peter, and in his last action, he gave his solemn blessing to the Apostles to be his messengers. All of this occurred in the context of Spring, a time of year connected to renewal and life; contrasted with the season of Fall, Christ’s Resurrection at this time of year creates a dichotomy from the preparation of lean times ahead that is implied in the Fall season. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement in Judaism, is a reminder of the sinfulness of God’s chosen people. Yet on this most holy day of the Jews, redemption is repeatedly given through the offering of the High Priest and through the releasing of the scapegoat into the wilderness. The most holy day for Christians, Easter Sunday, is merely a vision of what every single human being who lives for Christ can look forward to; however, the Ascension reminds us that Christ must go to the dwelling of his Father first, and that he will return when the time is ready.
We are in the age of atonement. Like the Jews outside of the Temple on Yom Kippur, we are anticipating that the High Priest of God’s Heavenly Kingdom has gone into the intimate dwelling of the Lord to show the sacrifice that was offered for our sins. Like those Jews, we offer our personal sins to be imparted on the scapegoat, so that we may start anew in the eyes of God. Interestingly, the High Priest did not wear his normal priestly vestments upon entering the Holy of Holies; he instead wore a simple garment made of pure white linen, stained with the blood of the sacrifices offered. When he emerged from the Holy of Holies, the people knew their atonement was accepted, and many of them also donned white vestments for themselves as they went off to celebrate a feast in celebration and preparation for a new year filled with hope in their purity. In our baptism, we have been given our white garment. In our anticipation for the return of our High Priest, we must continue to atone for our sins, and when he emerges from the same place to where he ascended, we will know for sure that the age of atonement has passed and that we are now ready to live in the purity of his perfect sacrifice.
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