Sunday : May 28th 2006

The Ascension of the Lord.

Fr. Teddy.

The solemn feast of the Ascension directs our attention to the Risen Lord taking his rightful place in glory. It also calls us, as disciples of Jesus, to take up the missionary task of going into the whole world proclaiming the Good News. Now, how do we proclaim the Good News? Or, even, what is the Good News? One thing is certain; the Parish must be involved in this. And the Parish is none other than we, the people.

As you know, we have been thinking and talking about this for the past twelve months or so especially in the context of the publication of the Report of the Diocesan Pastoral Group, Pilgrim Steps. Last Monday night the outgoing Parish Council formally dissolved itself. So, at this point I want to say a sincere word of thanks to that group of people. They served the Parish faithfully and well, some of them for at least ten years. I want to thank each and every one of them, including those who held various offices on the Council during that time.

Come the Autumn, I would hope that we would have a new group ( hopefully, comprising some of those who have already served as well), who would be willing to go into training in order to form a new Parish Pastoral Council for this Parish of Kilmurry, for a three-year period, to June 2009. We would hope that this new body would have a more pastoral focus in order to be better able to identify and respond to the real pastoral needs of this Parish.
If I've learned anything in the past year myself from being in the Parish, it is that time is a big issue for people. People are so busy now. Therefore advance planning and advance notice are essential if people are to commit to something. For that reason, I outline here now what's involved in the Training and thereafter, on a monthly basis:

Introductory Night - Tues. Sept. 12th, 8.00 to 9.30 p.m.

Group Formation Day - Sat. Sept.23rd, 10.30a.m. to 3.30 p.m.

Church as People of God - Tues. Oct. 3rd., 8.00 to 9.30 p.m.

Call of Baptism - Tues. Oct. 10th,
8.00 to 9.30 p.m.

The Giftedness of our Parish - Tues. Oct. 17th, 8.00 to 9.30 p.m.

Planning Day - Sat. Oct. 21st,
10.00 to 4.00 p.m.

First Meeting of New Parish Pastoral Council - Tues. Nov. 7th., 8.30 p.m.

I look forward to working together with you, the people of this Parish, in devising ways and means of handing on the faith, the Good News of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to our children and our children's children.

The future tense - but hope-filled
Ascension Day doesn't get as much press as Christmas, Easter and even Pentecost, despite it's move in Ireland from the traditional 40th day after Easter (last Thursday) to the Sunday. It's a day, a story that can make us uncomfortable for the questions it raises. Essentially it states; 'Well, that was nice, now where do we go from here?' Ascension Day tells us that if we're looking for Jesus, we need a new way of seeing, a new way of following, which we have come to call faith. Faith is not having a position or policy on things, it's about moving forwards. In the fifth century, St Augustine wrote this about Ascension Day: 'You ascended from before our eyes. We turned back grieving, only to find you in our hearts.' In other words, if we're looking for Jesus, our
faith tells us his presence will be discovered in the community that follows him, that gathers at that table. Yes, that same parish community we find fault with, the one full of hypocrites, where there are absurd little meetings, decisions and outer and inner skirmishes. Not perfect by any means, but perfecting all in his love.
This day says that the story of Jesus is not about the past but about the future. Without the Ascension, Jesus would join others among the greatest of history. But our living well in the tensions of today, means that the story of Jesus becomes a story about the future, yours and mine. A future bright and secure.
Ref: Intercom.