Ascension NYA Catholic United Financial

03/03/2022

06/27/2021

Father, help me remember that sometimes you calm the storm and sometimes you calm the child. Whichever you send this day, help me to receive it with childlike wonder and awe. Amen 🙏🙏

06/23/2021

An enchanting evening of elegance, sisterhood, faith, & joy in a local vineyard featuring fabulous food paired with remarkable wine!

05/04/2021

A̳ l̳a̳d̳y̳ w̳e̳n̳t̳ t̳o̳ t̳h̳e̳ P̳a̳s̳t̳o̳r̳ a̳n̳d̳ s̳a̳i̳d̳👱🏼‍♀️ .̳.̳.̳
I̳ w̳o̳n̳'̳t̳ b̳e̳ a̳t̳t̳e̳n̳d̳i̳n̳g̳ C̳h̳u̳r̳c̳h̳ a̳n̳y̳m̳o̳r̳e̳.̳.̳
H̳e̳ s̳a̳i̳d̳,̳ m̳a̳y̳ I̳ a̳s̳k̳ w̳h̳y̳?̳?̳
S̳h̳e̳ s̳a̳i̳d̳,̳ I̳ s̳e̳e̳ p̳e̳o̳p̳l̳e̳ o̳n̳ t̳h̳e̳i̳r̳ c̳e̳l̳l̳ p̳h̳o̳n̳e̳s̳ d̳u̳r̳i̳n̳g̳ t̳h̳e̳ s̳e̳r̳v̳i̳c̳e̳,̳ s̳o̳m̳e̳ a̳r̳e̳ g̳o̳s̳s̳i̳p̳i̳n̳g̳,̳ s̳o̳m̳e̳ j̳u̳s̳t̳ a̳i̳n̳'̳t̳ l̳i̳v̳i̳n̳g̳ r̳i̳g̳h̳t̳,̳ t̳h̳e̳y̳ a̳r̳e̳ a̳l̳l̳ j̳u̳s̳t̳ h̳y̳p̳o̳c̳r̳i̳t̳e̳s̳.̳.̳.̳.
T̳h̳e̳ P̳a̳s̳t̳o̳r̳ g̳o̳t̳ s̳i̳l̳e̳n̳t̳,̳ a̳n̳d̳ h̳e̳ s̳a̳i̳d̳,̳ O̳K̳.̳.̳.̳ B̳u̳t̳ c̳a̳n̳ I̳ a̳s̳k̳ y̳o̳u̳ t̳o̳ d̳o̳ s̳o̳m̳e̳t̳h̳i̳n̳g̳ f̳o̳r̳ m̳e̳ b̳e̳f̳o̳r̳e̳ y̳o̳u̳ m̳a̳k̳e̳ y̳o̳u̳r̳ f̳i̳n̳a̳l̳ d̳e̳c̳i̳s̳i̳o̳n̳?̳
S̳h̳e̳ s̳a̳i̳d̳,̳ w̳h̳a̳t̳'̳s̳ t̳h̳a̳t̳?̳......
H̳e̳ s̳a̳i̳d̳,̳ t̳a̳k̳e̳ a̳ g̳l̳a̳s̳s̳ o̳f̳ w̳a̳t̳e̳r̳ a̳n̳d̳ w̳a̳l̳k̳ a̳r̳o̳u̳n̳d̳ t̳h̳e̳ C̳h̳u̳r̳c̳h̳ 2⃣̳ t̳i̳m̳e̳s̳ a̳n̳d̳ d̳o̳n̳'̳t̳ l̳e̳t̳ a̳n̳y̳ w̳a̳t̳e̳r̳ f̳a̳l̳l̳ o̳u̳t̳ t̳h̳e̳ g̳l̳a̳s̳s̳.̳
S̳h̳e̳ s̳a̳i̳d̳,̳ y̳e̳s̳ I̳ c̳a̳n̳ d̳o̳ t̳h̳a̳t̳!̳
S̳h̳e̳ c̳a̳m̳e̳ b̳a̳c̳k̳ a̳n̳d̳ s̳a̳i̳d̳ i̳t̳'̳s̳ d̳o̳n̳e̳.̳
H̳e̳ a̳s̳k̳e̳d̳ h̳e̳r̳ 3⃣̳ q̳u̳e̳s̳t̳i̳o̳n̳s̳:̳
1⃣̳.̳ D̳i̳d̳ y̳o̳u̳ s̳e̳e̳ a̳n̳y̳b̳o̳d̳y̳ o̳n̳ t̳h̳e̳i̳r̳ p̳h̳o̳n̳e̳?̳
2⃣̳.̳ D̳i̳d̳ y̳o̳u̳ s̳e̳e̳ a̳n̳y̳b̳o̳d̳y̳ g̳o̳s̳s̳i̳p̳i̳n̳g̳?̳
3⃣̳.̳ W̳a̳s̳ a̳n̳y̳b̳o̳d̳y̳ l̳i̳v̳i̳n̳g̳ w̳r̳o̳n̳g̳?̳
S̳h̳e̳ s̳a̳i̳d̳,̳ I̳ d̳i̳d̳n̳'̳t̳ s̳e̳e̳ a̳n̳y̳t̳h̳i̳n̳g̳ b̳e̳c̳a̳u̳s̳e̳ I̳ w̳a̳s̳ s̳o̳ f̳o̳c̳u̳s̳e̳d̳ o̳n̳ t̳h̳i̳s̳ g̳l̳a̳s̳s̳,̳ s̳o̳ t̳h̳e̳ w̳a̳t̳e̳r̳ w̳o̳u̳l̳d̳n̳'̳t̳ f̳a̳l̳l̳.̳
H̳e̳ t̳o̳l̳d̳ h̳e̳r̳,̳ w̳h̳e̳n̳ y̳o̳u̳ c̳o̳m̳e̳ t̳o̳ C̳h̳u̳r̳c̳h̳ ,̳ y̳o̳u̳ s̳h̳o̳u̳l̳d̳ b̳e̳ j̳u̳s̳t̳ t̳h̳a̳t̳ f̳o̳c̳u̳s̳e̳d̳ o̳n̳ G̳o̳d̳ ,̳ s̳o̳ t̳h̳a̳t̳ Y̳O̳U̳ d̳o̳n̳'̳t̳ f̳a̳l̳l̳.̳
T̳H̳A̳T̳'̳S̳ W̳H̳Y̳ J̳E̳S̳U̳S̳ S̳A̳I̳D̳ "̳F̳O̳L̳L̳O̳W̳ M̳E̳,̳"̳!̳!̳!̳
H̳e̳ d̳i̳d̳ n̳o̳t̳ s̳a̳y̳ f̳o̳l̳l̳o̳w̳ C̳h̳r̳i̳s̳t̳i̳a̳n̳s̳.̳
D̳o̳n̳'̳t̳ l̳e̳t̳ y̳o̳u̳r̳ r̳e̳l̳a̳t̳i̳o̳n̳s̳h̳i̳p̳ w̳i̳t̳h̳ G̳o̳d̳ b̳e̳ d̳e̳t̳e̳r̳m̳i̳n̳e̳d̳ b̳y̳ h̳o̳w̳ o̳t̳h̳e̳r̳s̳ r̳e̳l̳a̳t̳e̳ w̳i̳t̳h̳ G̳o̳d̳.̳ L̳e̳t̳ i̳t̳ b̳e̳ d̳e̳t̳e̳r̳m̳i̳n̳e̳d̳ b̳y̳ h̳o̳w̳ f̳o̳c̳u̳s̳e̳d̳ y̳o̳u̳ a̳r̳e̳ w̳i̳t̳h̳ G̳o̳d̳.̳

04/04/2021

Easter isn't a spiritual event that happened just once, long ago; we don't say "Christ has risen" but "Christ is risen," because He rose, body and soul, and is still alive and with us today. That is the true meaning of Easter.
Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen!

04/03/2021

1. What happened on the first Holy Saturday?

Here on earth, Jesus' disciples mourned his death and, since it was a sabbath day, they rested.

Luke notes that the women returned home "and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment" (Luke 23:56).

At the tomb, the guards that had been stationed there kept watch over the place to make sure that the disciples did not steal Jesus' body.

Meanwhile . . .


2. What happened to Jesus while he was dead?

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

633 Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, “hell” - Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek - because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God.

Such is the case for all the dead, whether evil or righteous, while they await the Redeemer: which does not mean that their lot is identical, as Jesus shows through the parable of the poor man Lazarus who was received into “Abraham's bosom”:

“It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Saviour in Abraham's bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell.”

Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him.

634 “The gospel was preached even to the dead.” The descent into hell brings the Gospel message of salvation to complete fulfillment.

This is the last phase of Jesus' messianic mission, a phase which is condensed in time but vast in its real significance: the spread of Christ's redemptive work to all men of all times and all places, for all who are saved have been made sharers in the redemption.

03/27/2021

Ultimately, in the battle against lies and violence, truth and love have no other weapon than the witness of suffering.
– Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI