JMJT! Praise be Jesus Christ! Now and Forever!
Dear Carmelite Brothers and Sisters-
Greetings on this special day dedicated to the Ascension of Our Lord, when He took His place at the right hand of Our Heavenly Father in heaven!
When I think of this special Solemnity, I think of three things:
1. Jesus' place in Heaven as our mediator before Our Eternal Father;
2. The ascent of Our prayers that reach the throne of Our Triune God;
3. The coming of the Holy Spirit, which was the beautiful gift that was released to us soon thereafter.
We know that Jesus was the Eternal High Priest who expiated for humanity's sins for all time, and stands as the eternal bridge between all of God's Children and Our Father. The Ascension is the culmination of all that He accomplished on earth through His life, death, and Resurrection. The whole image of kingship is strongly associated with this role for me. St. Teresa of Avila frequently referred to Jesus as King or 'His Majesty' and described prayer as coming closer to the King of kings who resides in the center of one's soul.
Instead of being afraid to approach our King, we must learn to trust Him in all things, remembering that He promises that "All that you ask of the Father in My Name, He will grant you," and Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you."
Furthermore, we must remember that the Queen (Our Beloved Lady) has immediate access to the King. Through Her motherly intercession, she can procure our deepest needs, both spiritual and temporal, as she did at the wedding feast of Cana as long as it is in accordance with God's Divine Will.
As Discalced Carmelites, we know that we have been called to this contemplative order to be in union with Our Lord and the whole of humanity in prayer. When we pray, we should ask that our prayers ascend to the throne of Our Lord as a pleasing , pure fragrance of love and humility. St. John of the Cross set forth the means of attaining pure union with God, in his spiritual classic the Ascent of Mt. Carmel. In it, he describes how as one slowly ascends the mountain of prayer towards union with Our Triune God, one must face an array of purifications that eventually pulverise one's passions, will and desires to the point of embracing the 'nada' or nothing. Only at the point where one can truly say with conviction and heartfelt understanding, 'God is everything and I am nothing,' can our prayers be in complete accordance with His Will, our hearts beating as one with Our Lord Jesus, who showed us the way to the Father for He is the way, the truth, and the life.
With that, I will leave you on this beautiful day with a follow up on Pentecost as we get closer.
If you want to read more on the Ascension, I found the following post to be quite helpful:
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3535638489758946818
Blessings and Peace of Our Lord Jesus,
Candida Kirkpatrick, ocds
