 Oh, good evening everybody, happy birthday. You're all looking at me like, what is he talking about? You didn't know it, but you guys, I look out there, you're over 2,000 years old. Right, it's the birthday of the church. Turn to somebody next to you and say happy birthday. Yeah, there's a global celebration going on. Not only a global celebration, a cosmic one, a heavenly one, because today the heavens are rejoicing at what Jesus Christ has done in obedience to his Father, in winning salvation for those who bear the image of the Father. We celebrate tonight the culmination of Jesus' great work, you ready to celebrate it? All right, so I've got two, you might be wondering why I have two of these, because it's gonna be a super long talk, okay? The outline has to go all the way across. I asked for a third, but they thought it might be too intimidating, but you're ready for that, aren't ya? All right, okay, praise the Lord. Somebody's talking to me over there. By the way, hello everybody online, welcome. I wanna say hi to Dave's mom too, I haven't seen it in a long time. You're looking good tonight, good to see ya. Let me tell you where I'd like to start. I wanna start with the ascension. How many of you celebrated the ascension this last week? Yes, yes, yes, yes, so beautiful. And the realization, and just take a little bit of time to kind of set aside our hopes and concerns, our personal hopes and concerns for the night. The Lord has you on his agenda tonight, so you can set it aside, you don't have to worry. He's got a plan for you tonight and for me. But the Holy Spirit wants you and I, wants to help you and me to be able to perceive, to discern, to experience, and to grasp the beauty and the majesty of Jesus Christ, the Lord. Because today we wanna kind of celebrate with the Holy Spirit, because this is the Holy Spirit special day, but when you celebrate with the Holy Spirit, what the Holy Spirit wants to do is he wants to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ. And he wants to communicate to us as we see the beloved Son and understand what he's done for us and why he's done it. He then wants to communicate to us the love of the Father. You ready for both of those? All right, I'm gonna start first with some things, some jewels from the Catechism. And you'll have to help me out tonight. So the Catechism describes the unfolding of God's plan and what we wanna celebrate tonight. Paragraph 670 of the Catechism. Since the ascension, God's plan has entered into its fulfillment. We are already in the last hour. Already the final age of the world is with us. Christ's kingdom already manifests itself, its presence through the miracles and signs and wonders that come through the proclamation of the church. So turn to somebody next to you and say we're in the last hour. Yes, we're living between, tell them we're living between the two comings of Christ. This is the age of the church. Pretty good, this is the age of the? This is the age of the? Yes, pretty good, pretty good. Paragraph 665, I'm gonna tell you if you might wanna write these down. Christ's ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus's humanity into God's heavenly domain. Well, that was really powerful. Let me read it again. Christ's ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus's humanity into God's heavenly domain. Think about that for a minute. Jesus became one of us so that he could make it possible for a race of people that bore the image of God that was created for God's glory, but fell from God's glory and became alienated from God, cut off from our destiny and to inherit a future without hope and God sent forth his only son for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, his beloved son. He sent his son into the world to take on human flesh so that through walking through the earth in human flesh, bearing our lady's flesh, the blood of our lady running through his veins, becoming one of us, heaven and earth came together in Jesus and he walked the earth, brothers and sisters and he gave to God what belongs to God, what no one else had ever done. He gave to God what belongs to God. What did he do? He fulfilled the first commandment. He loved God with all his heart, all his soul, all his mind and all his strength. One of us, the second Adam from the earth in God's creation finally gave to God what belongs to God. From a heart, from a human heart. God the Father was loved on this earth from a human heart the way he deserved to be loved. And then Jesus proved his love and showed us something that's so important and precious for us to be able to grasp about our own life. He revealed to us what love is and this is what the world right now is really mixed up about. There's a lot of talk about love, isn't there? It's like love is love, right? Everybody's trying to define love. Everybody's trying to express love and it's already been defined and it's already been expressed by the perfect man who walked on our behalf and he loved perfectly and Philippians two the great, him to his glory says this. He emptied himself taking the form of his servant becoming like you and me. Right? He humbled himself and became obedient unto death even death on the cross. He defined love. He said, if you love me keep my commandments. He said in my father's economy in all the heavens all the angels the whole cosmos obeys his commands except those creatures that are in this little tiny blue planet floating around among 200 billion galaxies these little people who march around like they know everything like they're in charge of everything they bear his image. The cosmos was made for his glory. It was made as a gift for us but all we can think about is our little world and our little self importance. We're totally preoccupied with ourselves. Our gaze has fallen and while the heavens declare the glory of God while the angels are absolutely at this moment just singing and the saints are glorifying on this night celebrating the victory of Jesus and his kingship and his exaltation in glory. They're all celebrating it and on the earth we're watching TV. You know what I mean? Or we're fighting or we're arguing. The most important thing going on in the planet tonight is that God's people, weak and broken people like you and me we're celebrating by the mercy of God. We know even in our broken sinfulness we know what he has done and we have the privilege to stop and to acknowledge the glory and majesty of Jesus the father's beloved son who now sits at his right hand he's reigning in glory and when he died on a cross and he gave to God what belongs to God John 14 chapter 14 verse 30 there's maybe one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible Jesus is talking to the apostles and he says that intimate last supper discourse he's speaking to them and he said I won't be with you much longer and they're looking, what do you mean? He said because the devil's coming after me just like he's come after everybody else probably more intensely toward the Lord but every human being that he enslaved and Jesus said but the devil's coming after me but don't worry about it here's what I want you to know my friends what's going to happen this is my I'm describing what he's saying there this is my translation of it he said to the apostles in that moment the devil's not in control he's the God of this world and I'm about to bring down his kingdom forever and here's how I'm going to do it I'm not going to do it by calling down all the angels that I could all I would need was Michael to come and to flicker my finger and he could handle the whole thing but no my father has a different plan and I love my father and here's what Jesus said his exact words here's what I want you brothers to know he said I'm going to do what I'm going to do because I want the whole world to know I love the father that's what he's saying right there and he's telling us I'm on this cross freely because my I do all that the father commands me to do he said and in that I show everyone for all eternity that I love the father and what is it that conquers this brings down the kingdom of the enemy what is it that saves the human race it's the love of God in the burning heart of Jesus Christ first and foremost for his father and he's telling us and he told us this is the first and the greatest thing to love God with all your heart all your soul all your mind and all your strength and finally there was a human being a human person who did it the God man and Philippians two says therefore say with me therefore God has highly exalted him and given him the name that is above every other name in heaven and on earth and under the earth he's been exalted brothers and sisters and that's what we're celebrating in part tonight when Jesus went home to the could you imagine we hardly think about it when he rose from the dead we talk about the resurrection a lot obviously you know Christianity is the resurrection for the dead but it's one movement back to the father Jesus took on human flesh and destroyed everything that separates us from God like becoming one of us giving to God what belongs to God so the second Adam Jesus could go home with human flesh so when he ascended to the right hand of God the father and he came back home and the gates were lifted and all the angels were waiting they were absolutely stunned he came back in human flesh and he was glorified at the right hand of the father he sat on a throne and he's sitting on the throne today and guess what because he's there in his glorified flesh you have a future and I have a future he began the new creation that's it nobody else could do that Buddha couldn't do that Muhammad can't do that Bill Gates can't do that Elon Musk can't even do that nobody but Jesus Christ can do that because in his flesh brothers and sisters do you understand the destiny of human flesh was headed for eternal condemnation we had no hope in this world and he entered the world and he took this race of people that were alienated from God had become God's enemy and lived without hope and he took on our sinful flesh and he died on our behalf and he gave to God on Peter Herbeck's behalf what God deserved from Peter Herbeck but Peter couldn't do it because he's fallen but Jesus loves Peter so much he grabbed his arms around me he identified himself with me and his love is united to my weak love and he takes me right into the presence of God the Father is that amazing? He's filled with glory Father tonight Father we're gonna yield our hearts tonight to begin with to the movement of the spirit the Lord and giver of life who comes the Catechism tells us based on scripture to manifest Jesus in his Lordship to us because we see in him and if we let the Holy Spirit do if we just lift our eyes brother and sister it's a little bit from our own anxieties and our own concerns and our own fears and we let the Holy Spirit lift our hearts and animate our spirits and allow us to see the beauty and majesty of Jesus Christ it sets us free you know why? Because we see our future we see our destiny do you believe me? Okay there's four people here who do we're getting there this is a tough crowd Father this is a tough crowd I need some more notes do you need some more notes up here? No. Yeah. There's a great psalm Psalm 145 it extols the greatness of God right? It begins this way I will extol you my God and my King and I will bless your name forever every day I will bless you and praise your name forever it goes on to say I will recount your wonderful deeds and the splendor of your majesty your wondrous works upon them I will meditate it goes on to say and he said I will speak of your glory and I will bless your name and I will declare your victory says the Lord. Now this is I think a very helpful little plan for us in these difficult times when everybody's arguing and fighting I think there's a lot of negative talk out there and it's kind of like a heavy blanket and it affects us doesn't it? It affects your mind here's what the Holy Spirit wants to help you with and this is why you're the light of the world and the whole church if the church follows our lady in this I'm gonna show you what she does cause she did this very thing you meditate on what he has done for us you chew on it you ask the Holy Spirit to show you and then when you begin to see it with your mouth you say Lord I bless you I bless you for your victory I bless you for your salvation I bless you for your glory I bless you for your promises say it with me I bless you I bless you Lord and then you declare with your tongue to someone else the goodness of God listen to our lady we sang about it my soul she went to her cousin and she looked into her cousin's eyes imagine doing think of a cousin all right imagine you doing this going to your cousin and saying oh she says hi and you look at her and you go my soul magnifies the Lord she'll look at you like you're nuts right my soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior magnifying is acknowledging celebrating discerning you know rejoicing in so she's magnifying the Lord right so she says I magnify the Lord and my spirit rejoices in me because he's regarded me he's thought about me and then she says the mighty one has done great things for me he's done great things for me and holy is his name and so today brothers tonight we can say yes father we magnify your beautiful son and he wants us to do that but what he wants the Holy Spirit to help us with tonight is you take the next step with Mary and you're not just looking up but you're saying part of it is I'm not only wondering at God the wonder of God but he's done great things for me and I'm a wonder you know what just like Mary he has come to live in me you are a wonder turn to somebody next you and say you're a wonder tough crowd tough crowd doesn't even believe it you don't even believe it you don't even believe it Lord help their unbelief Lord help their unbelief Lord come Holy Spirit okay you need some homework then this is remedial where's the clock all right I got an hour left good sounds good okay I'm gonna help you now to understand why you should get up every single day and you should say to yourself the Almighty has done great things for me yeah my bank accounts tough yeah I got an achy back everything isn't working right but I'm gonna magnify the Lord I'm gonna get into God's storyline for my life I'm gonna do a narrative that comes from the mouth of my God that's what I'm gonna do and that's how I'm gonna live I'm not gonna live in a fallen I'm not gonna walk around in a fallen world and repeat all the lies and the anger and the division and the separation and the darkness and the depression and discouragement you can do that all you want the devil will stand here and he'll talk to you God your king Jesus Christ your Lord has a question for you tonight do you wanna stop living that way and do you wanna talk his narrative for your life do you wanna sing his praises every day do you wanna declare the victory that he's given to you that's what the world needs from the church that's what the world needs from the church I'm even talking all the church arguments and the church divisions this guy, these guys don't like that Cardinal don't like that way to celebrate and the devil loves it when we do that all day long and our self-importance just as long as you don't pay attention to what God has done for you and what he's done in you and who you are because when you do you come alive the devil can't touch you you become a solution to the problem and you help bring down his kingdom that's a fact that's a fact that is a fact we walk around discouraged like slaves and self-pity and all the negative energy of the world why do we do that cause we don't know the Lord they're all shaking I don't know why but I do it I don't know what are you, nuts? I don't know but I do it every day you know alright let's do it real we're going to do a little bit of I'm going to help you with God's Word God's Word will help you okay 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13 the apostles always begin their letters with telling us what God has done for us before they call us to do what God wants us to do with our lives do you get it? alright putting first things first I'm bound to give thanks to God always for you brethren beloved by God turn to somebody next to you and say you're the beloved come on look him in the eye okay wow you guys really like this part wow wow yeah now now turn to somebody next to you and say I'm the beloved yeah yeah you're preaching now the men love this don't you guys I do this at men's conferences and I say brothers look deeply into your eyes alright each other's eyes and say you're the beloved they love it yeah alright the beloved number one number two why are you the beloved because God chose you say I am chosen I am beloved I am chosen now tell someone next to you I am chosen look the other way and say you're chosen preach the Word of God church let it come out of your mouth alright alright say what God says watch what happens in a family and a marriage and friendships when you say what God says and you live according to his truth and his power it'll change your relationships it'll change the atmosphere of your home miracles will happen I can tell you I grew up in an alcoholic home where we had lots of shame and pain and the rest of it and by God's mercy we got we got a hold of this by some crazy charismatic farmer who prayed over my sister and gave her a word of knowledge and it went through my family like a current of grace like Pope Francis said weak and broken people Germans on top of it right stubborn Germans okay you're beloved and chosen we're not even through the first sentence yet okay you're chosen from the beginning to be saved say I am saved I am saved turn to somebody next to you and tell them you're saved okay okay we hardly knew each other five minutes ago now I know you're beloved I know you're chosen and you're saved but you're saved the Catholic way not once saved always saved you're saved right you have been saved you are being saved you will be saved right and then Paul we're not even at the end of the first sentence yet Paul goes on to say how were you saved by sanctification 25 cent word brother is okay what's sanctification to be set apart for God right turn to somebody next to you and say I'm sanctified come on say it again I'm sanctified yeah and I'm saved and I'm chosen and I'm beloved that's who we are all right and he sanctified you for belief in the truth no did he say my truth did he save me from my truth to design my own self and my own reality no he is the truth okay you were set apart by God to live the truth Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life amen amen okay and now that's the end of the sentence and then he goes on to say in the second sentence to this he called you through our gospel how were you called to being beloved chosen saved and sanctified through the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ the glad tidings we've been talking about this is why the church is called this way the church is the only light of the world this is exactly what all of humanity needs that's why it's so despairing and so discouraged and so lost and instead of having burning compassion and love for the troubled craziness in the world we get angry every night because we watch four hours of news right and we just get one after another after another and you go to bed with a headache right and you're angry and you hate another politician right and you just want bad things to happen to people they're stealing my country they're doing this that I hate those people come on tell the truth there's a priest here there's a priest here because why we're so fallen and we just talk like it and we just go back we're just like I mean it's like my dad's old alcoholism he just kept going back to it you just keep going back to the same time oh honey the world oh my God what happened to the world click to show in the church too oh my God oh right I mean that's really where we are turn off the tube except for EWTN choices we face okay now you were given all this and the good news for this is the this is the nugget so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ say to somebody I'm going to glory say it again I'm going to glory I'm going to glory because Jesus Christ has saved me through his death on the cross through the shedding of his blood and the rising from the dead and his ascension into glory and the outpouring of the spirit and he gave it to me in baptism and I was born again turn to somebody next to you and say I'm born again you are born again you're the you're the new creation who acts like you're dead I mean literally friends the key for us it's not it's not complicated it's just hard because we're weak and broken people filled with self-love and filled with you know this that and the other thing but greater is he that's in you than he that's in the world it's true it's true friends we're living at a an epic time in human history there are things happening now that has never that have never happened in human history we could be in the end times Father Father I'm not saying we are I'm just saying we don't know but if this isn't the end times this is an incredible dress rehearsal because the fundamentals are under massive assault what is a human what is the family what is marriage when does human life begin right there's a war going on over abortion still in our country and the men and women who want to abort it's easy for us to hate them but don't ever hate them because they're in darkness because the devil is the king of this world and he's been sacrificing human beings from the beginning he's bloodthirsty I know that's a depressing thing to say he's wicked and he's evil and he hurts all of us and we God looks at all of us everybody with mercy with tenderness with forgiveness Jesus knows who we are he knows how deeply I've sinned I broke a lot of the biggest commandments friends not yesterday but it happened at one time in my life you know serious sin but I'm not boasting in it but God's mercy comes to forgive us to heal us all of us that's why he shed his blood he's not surprised at what we've done I mean a good priest once told me when I was having a hard time spitting out a hard sin you know in confession never happened to you I always look for a blind foreigner when I go in I gotta be honest and it was a serious one he looked at me and he said, Peter here's one thing he was behind a curtain and he even understood who I was wait a minute how'd you know I had a plastic nose and glasses on and everything and it didn't nothing worked and he said, Peter one thing you'll never hear from Jesus is Peter I can't believe you did that you're the only one who's still surprised he has come to seek and save the lost welcome to the human race he does not come to condemn anyone right but he comes to save us that's why he did all that and it's for everyone there's not one person here not one we're listening who's committed an unforgivable sin who can't be forgiven who isn't radically passionately loved by God no one's disqualified no one's set no one the destiny Jesus won for all is for you you are destined to share in the eternal glory of God I don't care what you did if you've confessed your sin he throws it in the sea of forgetfulness and he puts a sign, Father John Bertolucci used to say with a sign on the seashore that says no fishing and the devil always wants us to pick it pick it back up pick it back up see what you did see what you did and brothers and sisters I mean it's happened to me a lot in my life and if I didn't know the word of God this is the offensive weapon this is where I say no no no no that's a lie that's a lie and I speak it I'm forgiven God has forgiven me I'm the beloved son of God and then something in me is like no you have to agree we get into the devil's narrative and we agree with him yeah I'm not very good yeah and then shame sets in and all that kind of garbage you guys or gosh if there's some sins in me like oh man if someone knew if anybody knew some of what I've done I just can't so I remain isolated I remain alone I just remain there cause that's all a lie it's a total lie friends and God wants us to be able to look at one another through the mercy in his eyes mercy to mercy tenorness to tenorness forgiveness to forgiveness so people can open up their hearts and they're not afraid of being rejected or hated whatever you know what I mean okay I am beloved I am chosen I am saved I am sanctified I am going to glory let's stand up and thank the Lord let's stand up and thank the Lord yeah okay let's praise the Lord you guys let's thank him like King David let's be like King David let's just take off our clothes and let's run around like a bunch of crazy people no no no no no let's just stand let's praise the Lord as Bob's coming up let's praise the Lord let's thank the Lord he's exalted the Lord is exalted he's the king thank you father thank you thank you thank you thank you bless you be God