The Ascension

After Jesus Christ breathed upon His Apostles and filled them with the Holy Ghost they were finally able to grasp the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ, who was truly born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, truly suffered and died, had actually truly risen from the dead as well! The cross had given scandal to them and their faith in the resurrection was weak, but now they firmly believed in the risen Christ!

The Apostles experienced great joy at the Ascension because they realized they too would share in the glorified humanity they were witnessing in Christ Jesus. We too should feel the same joy. We too will share in these same gifts!

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

The Holiness of the Church

Consecration means that a person or thing (e.g., a building, chalice, vestments, etc.) is withdrawn from profane use and is dedicated to the service of God; the object thereby becomes sacred and is to be treated with reverence and respect. The Church is holy by consecration because it is set apart by God to live in union with Him and to serve Him. An individual person becomes a member of God’s holy people through Baptism by which a person is consecrated to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Through this same rite the person assumes the obligation to live a holy life worthy of the consecration he has received by God’s grace.

The Church is ontologically holy because of its life-giving union with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and the life of grace that flows from that union. Jesus Christ alludes to this union in the Gospel when he explains clearly that He came forth from the Father and that He now leaves this world to go back to the Father.

It is because of this union of love that Christ assures us we can ask anything of the Father in Christ’s name and it will be given to us! Let us pray with confidence! Let us pray with faith!

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

How to Achieve Christian Unity

All Christians should be encouraged to have a strong desire for Christian unity, to pray constantly, and to foster a spirit of Christian love for brothers of every Church. As Catholics, we must absolutely have an accurate knowledge of Catholic Doctrine when we speak with our separated brethren for the purpose of promoting Christian unity.

We should seek every opportunity to show hospitality and Christian love to separated Christians and we should welcome opportunities to work with them in bearing witness to our common Christian fatih. Christian unity can be best achieved if all Christian Churches strive to renew themselves according to Christ's will.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching

Salvation in the Catholic Church

Jesus Christ speaks very clearly when He says in the Gospel that the Holy Ghost will teach all the truth. If one wishes to be fully incorporated into the Church of Christ one must embrace the entire system of the Catholic Church:

They are fully incorporated into the society of the Church who, possessing the Spirit of Christ, accept her entire system and all the means of salvation given her, and through union with her visible structure are joined to Christ, who rules her through the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops. This joining is effected by the bonds of professed faith, of the sacraments, of ecclesiastical government, and of communion. (LG 14b-366)

To be fully incorporated into the Church one must be united to it by all of the bonds, interior and exterior. The interior bonds of the Holy Ghost include sanctifying grace, faith, hope and love. The exterior bonds include the same professed faith, sacraments, government, and communion.

Pray for Christian unity.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching