May 14, 2023
Sixth Sunday of Easter
by Fr. Boniface Endorf, O.P
Dear St. Joseph Parish Family,
Happy Mothers’ Day! Let us make sure to be good to our mothers today. God gave us our mothers to love us in the unique way only a mother can; today let us give them thanks for that love.
This week we celebrate Ascension Thursday, when Christ ascended to His Father in heaven. It falls 40 days after Easter, the span of time that the resurrected Christ stayed with His apostles and disciples before ascending to heaven. Nine days after Ascension we celebrate Pentecost, when Christ sent the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and His Church. Those nine days are the origin of novenas, i.e: prayers for nine consecutive days, because the first novena was a prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit during the nine days between Ascension and Pentecost.
Most dioceses in the US move Ascension Thursday to the following Sunday, but in New York we’re lucky to have it on the day the Ascension took place. It is a Holy Day of Obligation, so we’ll have a Vigil Mass the day before, Wednesday at 7pm, the normal 12:10pm daily Mass that Thursday, and an evening Mass at 7pm on Ascension Thursday.
God Bless,
Fr. Boniface
Mass Tidbit:
At the end of the preface there is usually mention of the various choirs of angels. Often prefaces mention the praise of ‘thrones’ or ‘powers’ or ‘cherubim and seraphim,’ as well as ‘angels’ and ‘archangels.’ These words reference specific choirs of angels. Traditionally, theologians have held that there are nine choirs of angels, or types of angels. They have different roles. Below is a quote from Peter Kreeft’s book “Angels and Demons” (reformatted to make it a list):
“The first three levels see and adore God directly:
[1] the seraphim, the highest choir, comprehend God with maximum clarity, and therefore their love flames the hottest. (“Seraphim” means “the burning ones.”) Lucifer (“Light-bearer”) was once one of them. That’s why he’s still very powerful and dangerous.
[2] The cherubim contemplate God too, but less in himself than in his providence…(“Cherubim” means “fullness of wisdom.”)
[3] The thrones contemplate God’s power and judgments. (Thrones symbolize judicial, juridical power.)
The next three choirs fulfill God’s providential plans for the universe, like middle management personnel:
[4] The dominations or “dominions” (…”authority”), command the lesser angels below them.
[5] The virtues receive their orders from the dominations and “run” the universe, so to speak, especially the heavenly bodies. (“Virtue” used to mean power, might, or energy.)
[6] The powers serve the virtues by fighting against evil influences that oppose the virtues’ providential plan.
The last three choirs directly order human affairs:
[7] The principalities care for earthly principalities, that is, cities and nations and kingdoms.
[8]The archangels (such as Gabriel) carry God’s important messages to man.
[9]Ordinary angels are the “guardian angels,” one for each individual.”
