17 May 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Ascension Sunday

Introduction: Today, we hear Jesus tell his apostles that they are to go out to the ends of the earth to be witnesses of his Gospel message. In ascending to heaven, it becomes possible for Christ to be with the Church always and everywhere, rather than in just one place and time. As a Church, we continue our celebration of the risen Christ during this joyful Easter season.

Lord Jesus, you are the eternal Son of the Father: Lord, have mercy. 

Christ Jesus, your presence fills the universe: Christ, have mercy. 

Lord Jesus, you guide us home with you into bright glory: Lord, have mercy.

PRIEST: We now present our prayers for our needs and the needs of the world to the God the Father who sent us his son, our Lord Jesus Christ:

1. For God’s pilgrim people throughout the world. We pray for a willingness to follow the path of love and mercy that God has set before us. We pray to the Lord.

2. For people who feel alone or abandoned. May we reach out to help our neighbors lost among violence, depression and neglect. We pray to the Lord. 

3. For those who have served our country and whom we remember on the Memorial Day weekend, For those who lost their lives in defending our country, and for the families who survived them and mourned them, for courage and strength as they celebrate them, let us pray to the Lord.

4. For an affirmation and awareness of the dignity of all human life, especially during this time of pandemic, for an attitude and response of care and solidarity with those who have been affected by the coronavirus and those who are at risk, let us pray to the Lord.

5. For safety for those who are traveling. That the Lord watch over us in all our summer activities. We pray to the Lord. 

6. For all who are grieving or suffering in different ways during this Easter Season. May Christ Jesus offer hope and encouragement through the struggles of our journey. May we face loss with tenderness. We pray to the Lord. 

7. For our graduates from high school and college. May the Lord continue to bless them and guide them on their journey. We pray to the Lord. 

8. For peace throughout the world, especially in the Middle East and Ukraine. For safety for the men and women in the military. We pray to the Lord. 

9. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. We pray to the Lord. 

PRIEST: God of all, we believe that we shall see the good things that you have in store for us in the land of the living. Hear the sound of our call, have mercy on us and answer us, through your son Jesus Christ, our risen Lord forever and ever. AMEN.

17 May 2026 - bulletin reflection - The Ascension of the Lord

In a few Dioceses in the United States, the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated on Thursday, May 14 this year. However, we in the Diocese of Jackson and in most Dioceses in our country, we celebrate the Ascension this weekend, right before our celebration of Pentecost next weekend. As it is the month of May and the end of the school year, we send our prayers and blessings to all our students who are graduating and finishing up their exams for the semester. We celebrate with our students who are graduating from high school this semester. We will have out traditional Pentecost meal at Holy Savior next weekend after the Sunday Mass. We wish everyone blessings and joy as we near the end of the Easter season. Father Lincoln. 

17 March 2026 - homily for the Ascension of the Lord - Acts 1:1-11 - Matthew 28:16-20

We are coming near to the end of the 50-day celebration of our risen Lord during the Easter season. We celebrate the culmination of the Easter message with our Lord’s ascension into heaven this weekend and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost next weekend. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul wrote: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God; think of what is above, not of what is on earth” (Col 3:1-2). In that statement, Paul makes a contrast between heaven and earth, between God and man, and between body and spirit. Our reading from Acts today shows Jesus in conversation with the apostles when he is physically lifted up into the sky and enveloped in a cloud as he ascends to the heavens. But I don’t think that the focus of our celebration of the ascension this weekend should be on his physical ascension into heaven, but rather on how humanity is connected to God through Jesus, through his presence with God the Father at his right hand, where he intercedes for us. Through the paschal mystery that we celebrate throughout the Easter season, we become a new creation in Christ. 

The Cistercian monk Bernard of Clairvaux spoke of three comings of Christ. Christ came at his birth in Nazareth. He will come again at the end of time. And he comes into our midst and into our hearts each day on our journey of faith. Christ ascended into the heavens, but he is still with us in spirit. Our humanity is fulfilled in God. We must remember what Jesus proclaimed to us at the end of Matthew’s Gospel: “I am with you always, until the end of time” (Matt 28:20).

I was recently reading an article about a letter that Pope John Paul II wrote to his priests during holy week in the year 2005. He had the tradition of writing to the priests each year at holy week during his pontificate. His main points could be seen as pertaining to all Christians, not just priests. First, he mentioned that we should see the Eucharist as a formula for life. In the words of the consecration, the priest, in the person of Christ, prays: “”Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body, which will be given up for you.” The priest makes present on the altar the sacrifice that Jesus made at calvary. Just as the Church draws life from the Eucharist, just as the priest draws life from Eucharist, each Christian should see his life of discipleship flowing from the Eucharist. 

Next, Pope John Paul II mentioned gratitude. In the Eucharist, Jesus gives thanks to the Father for us and with us. All of us as disciples of Christ must work to cultivate a constant sense of gratitude in our lives. We are to give thanks for the gift of our faith and the many opportunities God gives us to live out our faith. Out of gratitude, we are to be of service to God and to our neighbor. We all have our crosses in life, for sure, and sometimes those crosses can seem overwhelming. A sense of gratitude will help us see our blessings even in our darkest moments. 

A life of obedience is a third point made by John Paul II.  As the pope called his priests to obey out of love, to sacrifice a legitimate freedom when the bishop asks him to do so, all of us as disciples of Christ are to strive to live out God’s laws and commandments in our daily lives. The faith ideal of obedience to God goes against the norms of our secular world, as many in society want the freedom to do what they want to do. But our faith calls us to a different standard. 

As we will conclude our joyful Easter season next weekend, may we continue to celebrate the resurrection and paschal mystery of our Lord Jesus Christ. As Jesus ascends to God the Father, may our minds and hearts ascend to the truth of God which is always dwelling with us. By living the reality of the Eucharist in our lives each day, by having a heart of gratitude and obedience, may the mystery of Christ be born in our hearts each day. 

Prayers of the faithful for Friday of the 6th week of Easter - 15 May 2026

Lord Jesus - you are the word of God. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us the love of the Father. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to faith.  

Priest: With humble hearts, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. That God will strengthen the spirits of the Catholic faithful our Diocese, helping us form supportive relationships and guiding us in our ministries. 

2. That husbands and wives may appreciate the gift that they are to one another and strengthen the partnership of life that they’ve formed together.   

3. For peace in communities experiencing terrorism, violence, conflict, or war. They we may work to mend brokenness and practice justice. For peace especially in Ukraine and the Middle East. 

4. For all who are unemployed. For those looking for new employment.

5. For our students may feel God’s presence with them at the end of the school year and during the upcoming summer months. 

6. For our first responders. For the men and women in the military. For our veterans.  May they feel the love and support of those whom they serve.  

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. 

Priest: We present our prayers through the risen Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN. 

Prayers of the faithful for Thursday of the 6th week of Easter - 14 May 2026

Lord Jesus - you are the word of God. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us the love of the Father. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to a life of discipleship.  

Priest: With humble hearts, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. For the parishes of the Diocese of Jackson. That God will strenghten our parishes and their ministries. 

2. For couples preparing for marriage. For all married couples. That the Lord will bless them in the sacrament of holy matrimony. 

3. That those who have experienced abuse find healing in God and renew their vision for a future filled with God’s promises. 

4. That all Christians may receive the gifts of the Spirit. May we all generously participate in the mission which Christ entrusted to the Church.

5. That our students may feel God’s presence with them during the upcoming months of summer vacation. 

6. For healing in body, mind, and spirit for the afflicted. 

7. For the prayers we hold in our hearts. We unite our prayers today with St Matthias and with all the apostles. 

Priest: We present our prayers through the risen Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN. 

14 May 2026 - homily for the feast of St Matthias - homily for Thursday of the 6th week of Easter - Acts 1:15-17, 20-26

In our reading today from Acts today, we heart how Matthias was chosen to replace Judas in the group of apostles. He was chosen before the descent of the Holy Spirit, but the choice of Matthias was not made by the risen Christ, but by the other eleven apostles. Tradition passes down that the apostles were sent to different parts of the world to spread the Good News. James went to Spain, Thomas went to India, and Matthias went to Ethiopia where he died as a martyr. Just as pilgrims believe that James' remains are laid to rest in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, it is believed that the remains of Matthias are located at the Abbey of St Matthias in Trier, Germany, having been brought there by Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine. Just as the remains of St James were rediscovered by a hermit in the 9th century in Spain, the remains of St Matthias were rediscovered there in the 13th century, at which time the abbey became a popular place of pilgrimage.  

Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have challenged us as modern believers to undertake a new evangelization in the world. We have heard this term “new evangelization” very often. Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis saw this new evangelization as an attempt to evangelize our own corner of the world, especially those of us who live in the traditionally Christian countries were our faith is often under attack and where a lot of people have left the faith or have become inactive. Pope Francis saw all Christians called to this new evangelization. St Matthias and the other apostles are great examples of evangelization for us. St Matthias faced many unknowns and many challenges as he preached the Gospel throughout the world.  We also are faced with challenges as we bring the Gospel to others. May we be inspired to live in the spirit of the Early Church and to energetically witness to our world.

13 May 2026 - Homily for Wednesday of the 6th week of Easter - Our Lady of Fatima - Acts 17:15, 22-18:1

One way to look at missionary work would be to take the attitude of bringing God to the people of a foreign land for the very first time very.  However, presently in the Catholic Church, missionaries are taught that people have God present to them and working in their lives in many ways even before they formally adopt Christianity as their faith.  Many times, they may be unaware of the different ways God is at work in their lives. 

In our first reading in the Acts of the Apostles, we hear of Paul preaching to the people of Athens. It's astounding to hear about Paul's travels throughout the ancient Mediterranean world, but it's even more noteworthy to hear how Paul speaks not only to those who are highly educated in philosophy, but also how he can relate so well to the common people, the city dwellers, the rural residents, and the slaves alike, helping to bring so many diverse people together in the Way of Jesus. In today's reading, Paul makes use of a shrine “to an unknown god” to introduce the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ to the Athenians, telling them that they unknowingly have worshipped the God who made heaven and earth, the God who gives life and breath and all of creation.  He is the God that the poets and the philosophers of the world have in common. 

 Today, as we hear about the zeal and energy of Paul and the disciples of Christ in the Early Church, we celebrate Mary in a special way in the feast of our Lady of Fatima.  On this day in 1917, Mary appeared to 3 shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. The children, aged 7 to 10, were named Jacinta, Francisco, and Lucia. Mary appeared to them once a month from May through October of that year. She asked them to pray the rosary for world peace, for an end to WWI, for sinners, and for the conversion of Russia. This message of the conversion of Russia has made news during the current war between Russia and Ukraine. The feast of Our Lady of Fatima was approved by the local bishop in Portugal in 1930 to mark the date of the first appearance to these children. The feast has been at part of our Church's worldwide calendar since 2002.  The main message of Fatima is for us to constantly pray.  

I have grown in my devotion to Our Lady of Fatima as we have practiced the first Saturday devotions of Our Lady of Fatima for several years now at Holy Savior, a big commitment for us in our busy schedules, but a commitment I am glad we have made. I also have loved the two visits I have had to Fatima as well. 

Our Mother Mary has appeared to the faithful in different forms throughout history.  Each time, she has brought converts to the faith through her message of peace, healing, and love. Mary brings the faithful closer to her son.  We celebrate Our Lady of Fatima in a special way today. Together with Mary, we pray for our families and for peace in the world.