Take Christ to World as Zealous Witnesses Today – May 14 – Homily – Fr Elias

In his homily on the Ascension, Fr. Elias celebrates this holy day of obligation on its traditional Thursday, linking it to Old Testament feasts like Passover and the harvest festival fulfilled in Christ's death, Ascension, and Pentecost's birth of the Church to gather souls. He stresses that the Ascension completes Jesus' saving work, showing heaven as our true home and urging us to prioritize the supernatural over worldly concerns. Holy days mid-week remind us to live our faith every day, not just Sundays, countering modern secular attitudes seen even in places like Japan. We must be in the world but not of it, evangelizing boldly as baptized missionaries, teaching the full deposit of faith, and transforming society with Catholic principles, just as Jesus commanded.

CCC 659 – Christ's Ascension to glory – http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/659.htm

CCC 1067 – Paschal Mystery fulfillment – http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/1067.htm
CCC 2181 – Sunday and holy days – http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2181.htm
CCC 849 – Missionary commission to all – http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/849.htm
USCCB Acts 1:9 – Jesus ascends visibly – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/1?9
USCCB Mark 16:19 – Lord taken to heaven – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/16?19
Catholic Encyclopedia – Ascension history theology – http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01767a.htm
USCCB – Ascension feast observance – https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year-and-calendar/ascension-of-the-lord

00:00 - Introduction and Opening Prayer
00:50 - The Significance of the Ascension
01:31 - Fulfilling the Old Testament Feasts
02:15 - The Meaning of the Paschal Mysteries
03:03 - Sanctifying the Temporal World
04:26 - Lessons from Evangelization in Japan
06:33 - Being in the World but Not of the World
08:21 - The Mission to Baptize and Teach
09:31 - Conclusion and Final Blessing