05/22/2026
PASTORAL REFLECTION FOR THE OCTAVE DAY OF THE ASCENSION.
As we were praying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy before tonight's Mass of the Octave Day of the Ascension, I was reminded of three reels that I had seen in the last two days. In the first a pastor smugly declared, "Jesus never claimed to be God." In the second another pastor proudly stated that, "in this church you will never hear about sin." In the third still another pastor proudly declared that he did not believe that Jesus died because of our sins, and proceeded to make light of God's Old Testament system of sacrifices for sin (the very system, by the way, which prefigured the ultimate and complete Sacrifice of Our Lord on the Cross for the sins of the world!). He went on to joke that he had even been labeled a "heretic" at least four times in the past week. He should have listened.
All three pastors are horribly, horribly wrong and are gravely deceived. And, even worse, they are deceiving those under their care. It is not the Word of God they proclaim, for if it were they could never believe, let alone proclaim, what they do. No, these are the words and ideas of the great deceiver and liar himself, Satan. Behind every one of those pastors' statements in those reels, one could not but hear the Deceiver's dark and foul question posed to our first parents in the Garden of Eden, "Did God really say?!?"
In our Sunday morning adult Bible study we are currently studying 2 Peter and Jude. In these Epistles God seeks to warn His Church against false teachers and the true dangers they pose to believers and their faith. Knowing the Word of God is our defense against the assaults and attacks of the enemy.
As I prayed the Divine Mercy and meditated upon the crucifix hanging beside the pulpit (pictured here, a symbol that at St. Martin's we preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified), and considered what these pastors were saying to the people of God, I was reminded again of how much Christ and His love is still spurned, rejected, and unappreciated---even by those who claim to know Him and name His Name. It was a sad realization, indeed.
At the same time I saw those beloved outstretched arms nailed to the Cross, reaching out and still desiring to embrace and welcome back even those who yet reject Him, His purpose, and His mission to save the lost and deceived.
Our Lord has ascended to the right hand of the Father where He now intercedes for His Church. We take comfort from the fact that the teachings and positions of those pastors listed above, and so many others who continue to reject the Word of God, will never prevail against Him, His truth, or His Church. And we pray that Our Lord's great love shown to them and to the world from the Cross will ultimately move them to repentance and back to the Truth, back to Him.
As we continue as a community to pray the Novena to the Holy Spirit in preparation for the Day of Pentecost, pray for these lost and deceived souls. Pray that the love of the Lord and His Holy Spirit of Truth will open their eyes and their hearts and lead them back to the truth. And pray for the people under their charge, that they may not be scattered and lead astray. Remember, it is only because of the Holy Spirit that we know and are kept in the true Faith. It is not our own doing, but a work of His Holy Spirit and His grace. May we be humble, grace-filled and loving, but always firm in the faith of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
V/. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion
R/. HAVE MERCY ON US AND ON THE WHOLE WORLD
