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email clients. */
/* Beware: It can remove the padding / margin and add a background
color to the compose a reply window. */
html,
body {
Margin: 0 !important;
padding: 0 !important;
height: 100% !important;
width: 100% !important;
text-align: center;
}

/* What it does: Stops email clients resizing small text. */
* {
-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;
-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;
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/* What is does: Centers email on Android 4.4 */
div[style*="margin: 16px 0"] {
margin:0 !important;
}

/* What it does: Stops Outlook from adding extra spacing to tables.
*/
table,
td {
mso-table-lspace: 0pt !important;
mso-table-rspace: 0pt !important;
}

/* What it does: Fixes webkit padding issue. Fix for Yahoo mail table
alignment bug. Applies table-layout to the first 2 tables then removes
for anything nested deeper. */
table {
border-spacing: 0 !important;
border-collapse: collapse !important;
table-layout: fixed !important;
Margin: 0 auto !important;
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table table table {
table-layout: auto;
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/* What it does: Uses a better rendering method when resizing images
in IE. */
img {
-ms-interpolation-mode:bicubic;
}

/* What it does: Overrides styles added when Yahoo's auto-senses a
link. */
.yshortcuts a {
border-bottom: none !important;
}

/* What it does: A work-around for iOS meddling in triggered links.
*/
.mobile-link footer a,
a[x-apple-data-detectors] {
color:inherit !important;
text-decoration: underline !important;
}
-->

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/* What it does: Hover styles for buttons */
.button-td,
.button-a {
transition: all 100ms ease-in;
}
.button-td:hover,
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background: #555555 !important;
border-color: #555555 !important;
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/* Media Queries */
@media screen and (max-width: 600px) {

.email-container {
width: 100% !important;
}

/* What it does: Forces elements to resize to the full width of their
container. Useful for resizing images beyond their max-width. */
.fluid,
.fluid-centered {
max-width: 100% !important;
height: auto !important;
Margin-left: auto !important;
Margin-right: auto !important;
}
/* And center justify these ones. */
.fluid-centered {
Margin-left: auto !important;
Margin-right: auto !important;
}

/* What it does: Forces table cells into full-width rows. */
.stack-column,
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display: block !important;
width: 100% !important;
max-width: 100% !important;
direction: ltr !important;
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text-align: center !important;
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/* What it does: Generic utility class for centering. Useful for
images, buttons, and nested tables. */
.center-on-narrow {
text-align: center !important;
display: block !important;
Margin-left: auto !important;
Margin-right: auto !important;
float: none !important;
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display: inline-block !important;
}

}

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background-color: #fff;
width: 100%;
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
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p{
line-height:20px;
}

h1, h2, h3, h4, h5{
color:#7A9534;
}

.signup a {font-family: Roboto Condensed, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;
color: #4F4293; padding-bottom:0px; padding-top: 15px;
font-weight:600; margin-bottom: 0px; text-decoration: none}
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Catholic Charities USA


The Ascension of the Lord

 

Readings of the Day 
[link removed]

 

 

"Behold, I am with you always..." Jesus promises at
the end of today's Gospel.  It's a promise I've
clung to throughout this pandemic, but it's also easy for me to
identify with the apostles who did as "ordered" and
"worshiped" in the midst of doubts.

"How is it that we can find safe ways to distribute groceries
and toiletries, but not the Eucharist?" I wrote to our bishop
after 43 days without public Masses in our diocese.  Jesus does
"fill all things in every way," but a deep sadness has
come over me since public Masses were suspended. Yet when a dear
friend arranged for me to receive the Eucharist at her parish in a
neighboring county, I donned my new Easter dress and received the Body
of Our Lord with great joy and thanksgiving.  Immediately I
experienced a return of energy and peace that for 60 years I have
taken for granted as my "normal."

I am old enough to know the difference between joy and happiness. Joy
is born of pain and suffering.  One of my other reflections
during the pandemic has been how painful it must have been for Jesus
to leave the Father for 33+ years, and how heart-wrenching it must
have been for the Father to let go of His Son. Yet the Holy Spirit
sustained that relationship through all the trials, accusations,
torture, death and resurrection. Today's responsorial psalm
proclaims well what the Ascension must have been for the Holy Trinity:
"God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for
the Lord."

Jesus sends the same Advocate/Comforter to sustain our relationship
with God. So, as we learn to work in new ways or to cope with illness,
unemployment and financial insecurity, as we struggle to sustain our
agencies, causes and clients, I repeat St. Paul's blessing:

"May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,

give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of
Him.

May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,

 that you may know what is the hope that belongs to His call,

what are the riches of glory in His inheritance among the holy ones,

and what is the surpassing greatness of His power for us who
believe."

 

Finally, may you prepare yourself for Holy Eucharist as soon as God
makes Himself available to you in His time and in your place. 
Don't be surprised if you feel like shouting with joy or blaring
a trumpet.  Your heart and soul is also His throne!

 

Gwen Hall is a licensed clinical social worker who has been employed
for 30 years as the lone counselor/staff person for Catholic Charities
of the Diocese of Lexington's Prestonsburg Office. The COVID-19
pandemic has forced Gwen to research and train in telemental health
and now allows her to offer online counseling services to all 50
counties of her mostly rural, mission diocese through a
HIPAA-compliant and secure platform.

 




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