What is Ascension Day? Ascension Day is the Christian celebration of Jesus rising into Heaven after He had spent 40 days on Earth after the Resurrection. Ascension Day is celebrated forty days after Easter Sunday on Ascension Thursday. This date is also ten days before the celebration of the Pentecost. History The Christian belief is that after Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday, He rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. Jesus then walked the Earth among His followers for forty days, continually teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven. The fortieth day, Jesus was eating, drinking and speaking among His followers. At this time, Jesus had “commanded” His disciples “that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard (saith he) by my mouth.” After all was spoken to His followers, Acts 1:9 states “And when he had said these things, while they looked on, he was raised up: and a cloud received him out of their sight.” According to the New Testament, the event of the Ascension occurred on Mount Olivet (Mount of Olives). The reading of Acts 1:12 states “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount that is called Olivet, which is nigh Jerusalem, within a Sabbath day’s journey.” Another mention of the Ascension occurs in the Gospel of St. Luke 24:50-51. The verses state “And he led them out as far as Bethania: and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. And it came to pass, whilst he blessed them he departed from them, and was carried up to heaven.” St. Mark also mentions the Ascension of Jesus in Chapter 16:19 stating “And the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God.” In The Lost Books of the Bible, there is a mention of the Ascension by Jesus himself. Located in The Epistles of Jesus Christ and Abgarus King of Edessa, Jesus responds to the King, via Ananias the footman, to the King’s request of a healing visitation. “But after my ascension, I will send one of my disciples, who will cure your disease, and give life to you, and all that are with you.” King David wrote a prophecy of the Ascension in The Book of Psalms 67:19. King David stated: “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive; thou hast received gifts in men.” This Psalm is located in Psalms 68:18 of the New King James version of the Bible. Unfortunately, there are not detailed mentions of the Ascension in the Holy Bible. One theory is based on how the apostles were dealing with all these events. There was a whirlwind of events occurring in a short amount of time. Jesus came to teach and He also performed miracles; He died; He rose from the dead; and then He reappeared on Earth for forty days. The fortieth day, he ascended into Heaven as the apostles watched. Ten days later, some of the followers were visited by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and were able to speak many languages. There was so much activity taking place including the death of their friend and mentor that perhaps they did not want to write very much regarding the Ascension. Another theory arises from the importance of the Ascension itself. Perhaps the Ascension was not to be an important event recorded in the Bible. Jesus ascending into Heaven was not His purpose on this Earth. His purpose was to tell the world about the Kingdom of Heaven, to show all people the way to the Kingdom of Heaven, and to save all souls who follow God. Therefore, the Ascension was not an event the apostles thought to be important. Perhaps the writing about the Ascension was discussed by Jesus with His apostles before He left this Earth.

Many popular devotional practices involve veneration of the saints. The saints have a special place in the Body of Christ, which includes both the living and the dead. Through Christ we on earth remain in communion both with the saints in heaven and with the dead who are still in Purgatory. We can pray for those in Purgatory and ask the saints to pray for us. Through their prayers of intercession, the saints in heaven play an integral role in the life of the Church on earth. "For after they have been received into their heavenly home and are present to the Lord, through Him and with Him and in Him they do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, showing forth the merits which they won on earth through the one Mediator between God and man." The saints, the members of the Church who have arrived at perfect union with Christ, join their wills to the will of God in praying for those in the Church who are still on their pilgrimage of faith. Besides what the saints can do for us by their prayers, the very practice of venerating the saints does great good for those who are devoted to the saints. By practicing love of the saints we strengthen the unity of the entire Body of Christ in the Spirit. This in turn brings us all closer to Christ. "For just as Christian communion among wayfarers brings us closer to Christ, so our companionship with the saints joins us to Christ, from Whom as from its Fountain and Head issues every grace and the very life of the people of God." Love of the saints necessarily includes and leads to love of Christ and to love of the Holy Trinity. "For every genuine testimony of love shown by us to those in heaven, by its very nature tends toward and terminates in Christ who is the 'crown of all saints,' and through Him, in God Who is wonderful in his saints and is magnified in them." —From Popular Devotional Practices Beatification & Canonization The process of declaring one a saint in the Catholic Church is called canonization. The canonization process is a canonical (Church law) procedure by which the Church through the Pope solemnly declares a Catholic to be united with God in heaven, an intercessory to God on behalf of the living, and worthy of public and universal veneration. A cause of canonization examines a person’s life and death to determine if they were either martyred or lived a virtuous life. Every cause of canonization has two phases: the diocesan and Roman phase. The diocese responsible for opening a cause is the diocese in which the person died/was martyred. The diocese, religious order, association or lay person(s) requesting (petitioning) for the cause asks the diocesan bishop, through a person known as the postulator to open an investigation into the martyrdom or life of the person. The diocesan bishop investigates how the person lived a heroic virtuous life, exemplifying the virtues of faith, hope and love through the calling of witnesses and the theological examination of the candidates’ writings. If the cause is based on martyrdom, the diocesan bishop investigates the circumstances surrounding the alleged martyrdom, which is also done through the calling of witnesses to the martyrdom and the examination of the candidates’ life. Once the diocesan investigation is complete, the documentation (evidence) that has been collected is sent to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints and the Roman phase begins. The first step in the Roman phase is the examination of the diocesan documentation. If the congregation’s theologians find the documentation convincing, it is sent for review by the cardinal and bishop members of the congregation. If they also find the documentation favorable, it is sent to the pope. With the pope’s approval a decree is issued stating that the person lived a virtuous life thereby conferring the title “Venerable”on the person. The next step in the process is being named “Blessed.” For beatification, a miracle must be attributed to the Venerable. The miracle is verified through an examination by a team of medical experts and theologians. The three traditional standards for judging the authenticity of a miracle are: complete – meaning a total healing of the disease, it is not enough for the person to “just” feel better; instantaneous – meaning the healing occurred all at once and not over the course of several days or months; and durable – meaning the person remains permanently free from the illness that afflicted them. Once the miracle has been verified, the pope issues a decree declaring the miracle and the person receives the title of “Blessed.” The pope can dispense, though he does not always do so, from the requirement of a miracle for the beatification of a martyr. A second miracle must be attributed to the Blessed in order for him or her to be canonized a saint. A proven miracle is required, even for martyrs, for canonization. The verification of the second miracle follows the same procedure as the first. Once the person is declared a saint, he or she is worthy of universal veneration by the Church. There are many steps to be named a saint in the Church and the canonization process is lengthy and detailed. This process ensures that the role models held up as witnesses to Christ and the Gospel as worthy of our emulation.

The Rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at heart a Christocentric prayer. In the sobriety of its elements, it has all the depth of the Gospel message in its entirety, of which it can be said to be a compendium. It is an echo of the prayer of Mary, her perennial Magnificat for the work of the redemptive Incarnation which began in her virginal womb. With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love. Through the Rosary the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer. —From On the Most Holy Rosary. . . (Rosarium Virginis Mariae)

There are as many and varied methods of meditation as there are spiritual masters. Christians owe it to themselves to develop the desire to meditate regularly, lest they come to resemble the three first kinds of soil in the parable of the sower. But a method is only a guide; the important thing is to advance, with the Holy Spirit, along the one way of prayer: Christ Jesus. Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. . . . Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 2707-2708 What is lectio divina? Spiritual reading of Sacred Scripture, especially the Gospels, is an important form of meditation. This spiritual reading is traditionally called lectio divina or divine reading. Lectio divina is prayer over the Scriptures. The first element of this type of prayer is reading (lectio): you take a short passage from the Bible, preferably a Gospel passage and read it carefully, perhaps three or more times. Let it really soak-in. The second element is meditation (meditatio). By using your imagination enter into the Biblical scene in order to "see" the setting, the people, and the unfolding action. It is through this meditation that you encounter the text and discover its meaning for your life. The next element is prayer (oratio) or your personal response to the text: asking for graces, offering praise or thanksgiving, seeking healing or forgiveness. In this prayerful engagement with the text, you open yourself up to the possibility of contemplation. Contemplation (contemplatio) is a gaze turned toward Christ and the things of God. By God's action of grace, you may be raised above meditation to a state of seeing or experiencing the text as mystery and reality. In contemplation, you come into an experiential contact with the One behind and beyond the text.

The Importance of Eucharistic Adoration Pope Francis leads Benediction outside the Basilica of St. Mary Major at the conclusion of the Corpus Christi procession in Rome May 30. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)The importance of Eucharistic Adoration is shown in the fact that the Church has a ritual that regulates it: the Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction. This is an extension of the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament which occurs in every Mass: "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb." Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament flows from the sacrifice of the Mass and serves to deepen our hunger for Communion with Christ and the rest of the Church. The Rite concludes with the ordained minister blessing the faithful with the Blessed Sacrament. Some important prayers that are used during this rite include the Anima Christi (en español) and the Tantum Ergo. Holy Hours Holy hours are the Roman Catholic devotional tradition of spending an hour in Eucharistic Adoration in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. The bishops have created a variety of holy hours that focus our prayer to Jesus Christ on peace, life, vocations, and other topics that are at the heart of the life of the Church and the world.

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Q: Stations Of The Cross

The Stations of the Cross began as the practice of pious pilgrims to Jerusalem who would retrace the final journey of Jesus Christ to Calvary. Later, for the many who wanted to pass along the same route, but could not make the trip to Jerusalem, a practice developed that eventually took the form of the fourteen stations currently found in almost every church. Similarly, the 150 Hail Marys that were recited for the rosary were an adaptation of the medieval monastic practice of reciting the 150 psalms in the Psalter. Audio Stations of the Cross