MEDITATION Sunday, June 2, 2019

The Ascension of the Lord

See Worship Book 851

They . . . returned to Jerusalem with great joy. (Luke 24:52)

“Parting is such sweet sorrow,” as Juliet said to Romeo. Isn’t this the way many farewells go? Whether you’re sending a child off to make their way in the world or leaving a grandparent after a visit, saying good-bye can be bittersweet. The sweetness lies in your love for them; the bitterness, in leaving them. Surprisingly, Jesus’ apostles do not weep at his ascension. Quite the opposite, Luke tells us that they returned to Jerusalem—the very place where Jesus was executed—“with great joy” (24:52). Such a display of exuberance can make the apostles appear unrelatable, almost superhuman. What about their deep human connection with Jesus? Didn’t they feel sad that after overcoming death, the greatest separation there is, Jesus decided to leave them anyway? Of course they were sad. But more than anything else, they were filled with joy. They were confident that they would one day follow where Jesus had gone, and then they would be reunited forever. So their hope of seeing him again made their sorrow sweet. This is the key to our joy as well. By faith, we know that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in heaven. But it can still feel as if he has just moved on and left us on our own. One way to counter that sense of aloneness is to imagine Jesus in heaven right now. Think about how he has opened heaven to you, a place you could never reach on your own. Imagine him standing with his Father, your Father. Picture him preparing a place just for you. See the smile on his face as he thinks about opening the doors to your new home and welcoming you in. Jesus has ascended to heaven and longs for all God’s children to join him. Until then, he never stops interceding for you and pouring out a constant stream of grace. All so that we can one day taste the sweetness of heaven.

“All praise to you, Jesus, for opening heaven for me!” Reprinted with permission from The Word Among Us

ENTRANCE HYMN 471 Hail the day that sees him rise

RESPONSORIAL PSALM 851 God mounts his throne to shouts of joy, to shouts, to shouts of joy.

POSTCOMMUNION HYMN 469 A hymn of glory let us sing!

CHORAL MUSIC AT THE 11:00 AM MASS

O clap your hands Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the Lord most high is terrible. He is a great King over all the earth. God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God; sing praises. Sing praises to our King; sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth. Sing ye praises with understanding. God reigneth over the heathen. God sitteth upon the throne of His holiness. Sing praises unto our King. Sing praises. — verses from Psalm 47.

Communion Psallite Domino Graduale Romanum, Mode I These signs will accompany those who believe: they will cast out demons, and when they lay their hands upon the sick, these will recover, alleluia. — Psalm 67:33,34.

Antiphon Sub tuum præsidium Mode VII Under thy protection we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our needs, but from all dangers deliver us always, Virgin Glorious and Blessed.

— Oldest extant Hymn to the Blessed Virgin; circa 250 A.D.

Tantum ergo (G-flat, WoO) Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) Down in adoration falling, Lo! the sacred Host we hail, Lo! o'er ancient forms departing Newer rites of grace prevail; Faith for all defects supplying, Where the feeble senses fail. To the Everlasting Father, And the Son Who reigns on high With the Holy Ghost proceeding Forth from Each eternally, Be salvation, honour, blessing, Might, and endless majesty.

— Metrical translation by Edward Casawall (1814-1878)

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday, June 3 Acts 19:1-8; Psalm 68:2-7; John 16:29-33 Tuesday, June 4 Acts 20:17-27; Psalm 68:10-11,20-21; John 17:1-11

Wednesday, June 5 Acts 20:28-38; Psalm 68:29-30,33-35,35-36; John 17:11-19 Thursday, June 6 Acts 22-30,23:6-11; Psalm 16:1-2,5,7-11; John 17:20-26 Friday, June 7 Acts 25:13-21; Psalm 103:1-2,11-12,19-20; John 21:15-19

Saturday, June 8 Acts 28:16-20,30-31; Psalm 11:4,5,7; John 21:20-25 Sunday, Sunday June 9 Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104:1,24,29-31,34; First Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13; John 20:19-23

Please pray for our parishioners and friends of St. Louis Church who are sick: Mark Joseph Acesor, Christy, Ginny Collins, Monty Denniston, Estrella DeVeyra, Daniel Dutrieuille, Barb Arland-Frye, Greg Ennis, William F. Faulkner, Anne Hallgren, Margaret Ann Hennen, Robert J. Kunik, Jerry L’Allier, Ruth Murray, Tom Nutter, Elzbieta Pawlowska, Herb Pilhofer, Joan Schmitt and Evelyn Virnig. FEATURED ON THE COVER: Laying the Cornerstone – 110 years ago this week. “Ground was being cleared, foundations dug.

Preparations were being made for the new Church of St. Louis. The time for the laying of the cornerstone arrived and for this ceremony the pastor sent out invitation cards, done up in elegant English style print: ‘The Marist Fathers of St. Paul respectfully request the honor of your presence on the occasion of the laying the cornerstone of the Church of St. Louis, corner Tenth and Cedar Streets, St. Paul, Minn., Sunday, June sixth, nineteen hundred and nine at three o'clock. His Grace, Monsigneur Ireland, Archbishop of St. Paul will officiate and deliver the sermon. Rev. P. Rulquin, S.M. Pastor of Church of St. Louis.’” excerpt from ‘The Three Corners of God’ by Fr. John Emerick, S.M., 1986.

RING OUT, O BELLS… DATE REQUEST FOR INTENTION REQUESTED BY June 5 Shari and Bruce Douglas Happy Anniversary Nancy and Bruce Lindberg June 7 Doug and Julie Lindner Happy Anniversary Nancy and Bruce Lindberg June 8 Dick Schmitz Happy Birthday Nancy and Bruce Lindberg June 9 †Phyllis Ann Eckman Anniversary of Death (June 10) From Fritz

OPEN BELL DATES: The following dates are still open in June and July for anyone wishing to have the bells rung in memory or in honor of a loved one: June 14th, 19th-24th, 26th, 28th-30th. July 1st, 3rd-4th, 9th, 19th, 23rd-28th, 30th-31st. Please, call the rectory during office hours to make arrangements.

MASS INTENTIONS

Monday, June 3 St. Charles Lwanga and Companions 6:45 †Ben Franczok 12:10 Florence Fienhage Tuesday, June 4 Immaculate Heart of Mary 6:45 Renate Mross 12:10 †Bettye Pullman Wednesday, June 5 St. Boniface 6:45 †Jack Whaley 12:10 Eric and Tara Neumann Thursday, June 6 St. Norbert, St. Marcellin Champagnat 6:45 Father Michael Schmitz 12:10 Brian Krech Friday, June 7 6:45 †Charles Hall 12:10 Pat and Barbie Hess Saturday, June 8 6:45 Bob and Amy Tibesar 5:00 Karuna Kirkland Sunday, June 9 Pentecost Sunday 7:00 Living and Deceased Parishioners and Friends of St. Louis Church 9:15 †Mr. Jen Toft 11:00 †Elizabeth Mulkern 12:30 Anniversary Intention

Are You Interested In Becoming A Parishioner? We welcome all new parishioners into our parish family. To register, please call the parish office at 651-224-3379.

Men’s Eucharistic Procession Saturday, June 22, 4:30 – 9 p.m., Maternity of Mary Church, St. Paul. Men are invited to attend the Eucharistic Procession. The evening includes Corpus Christi Mass, Men’s Procession and barbecue at Como Park. Cost is FREE ($20 suggested donation). Questions? Contact Enzo Randazzo at randazzov@archspm.org or 651-291-4483. Gifted and Thriving: Raising the Gifted Child in Today’s Catholic Family 6:30 – 8p.m.; Wednesday, June 19 at St. Ambrose, 4125 Woodbury Dr., Woodbury. Parents with a gifted child or children are tasked with raising the “whole child” positioning him or her to thrive across their lifespan. Considerations in each material, intellectual, spiritual, physical, character and virtuous development can seem daunting. As a parent, how do you navigate this growth? Dr. Janette Boazman, a specialist in the needs of gifted learners with 30 years of experience in Catholic education, will answer this question in a Catholic Schools Center of Excellence hosted event. There is no cost for the session. No registration required. cscoe-mn.org. Catholic Single Adults Club Membership is open to single Catholics, 21 years of age or older, who are free to marry in the Catholic Church. We also see those who have two or more years of post-secondary education. Admittance to CSAC is contingent upon the completion of a membership application and payment of our annual dues of $30. To read more about the Catholic Single Adults Club or to join, go to: www.caci.org/cac/tccac.html. Sidewalk Counseling Training -Inspired by the movie “Unplanned?” 7-9 p.m., Thursday, June 6 at East Immanuel Church, 1173 Payne Ave., St. Paul. If you can hand someone a brochure, you can help save a life! Nearly every day in the Twin Cities, an average of 34 babies are scheduled to be killed in the area’s three abortion centers. Attend this free seminar and learn how to save these babies by peacefully reaching out in love to those entering abortion centers. Prayer supporters are also needed and are welcome to attend. Open to Christians of all denominations. Presented by Pro-Life Action Ministries. To register, contact debra.braun@plam.org or call 651-797-6364. More information at www.plam.org/events. Foundation For The Future Collection Thank you to parishioners and friends alike who contributed to our 4th Sunday of the Month Restoration Collection this past weekend. The donations totaled $2,634.63 as follows:

PARISH CALENDAR Monday, June 3 Anointing of the Sick- After All Masses Wednesday, June 5 Eucharistic Exposition 11:00 – 12:00pm Wednesday, June 5 St. Louis Shawl Knitters 1:00pm Sunday, June 9 Coffee and Doughnuts (After All Sunday Masses)

Parking We are blessed at St. Louis to have an abundance of parking for our weekend Masses at the Anderson Building Ramp right across the street from our church. The entrance to the ramp is on Minnesota Street. Check it out. Prayer Requests If you or someone you know is in need of prayers, please call or email the parish office and we will add their names to our ongoing parishioners and friends list of intentions: markmstlouis@comcast.net or call 651-224-3379.

Wedding Banns

First Announcement ELIZABETH DELISLE & MATTHEW HARMAN

Second Announcement

JESSICA ULRICH & DAN CHOUINARD

5pm $415.00; 7am $442.50: 9:15am $502.00; 11:00am $320.86; 12:30pm $187.27; $755.00 from automatic contributions and $12.00 received directly at the parish office.