[Where the Ascension was celebrated on Thursday see Seventh Sunday of Easter]
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“The Ascension”
by Gebhard Fugel, 1893-1894 |
Readings for the Feast of the Ascension [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Acts 1:1-11
In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with the them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for "the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
When they had gathered together they asked him,
"Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
He answered them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth."
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, "Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven."
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Commentary on Acts 1:1-11
These are the introductory comments of St. Luke, as he begins the Acts of the Apostles. Like any well written story, he connects the events that have just taken place in his first volume, the Gospel of Luke, with what will follow.
Using the interval of days, Luke links the resurrection, Christ’s glorification, and his ascension with the appearance of the Holy Spirit – the paschal mystery. Christ’s departure marks the end of his direct involvement with the Apostles, except for his appearance to Paul on the road to Damascus. The passage concludes with a unique description of the actual event of Jesus being taken into heaven.
CCC: Acts 1:1-2 512; Acts 1:3 659; Acts 1:6-7 672; Acts 1:7 474, 673; Acts 1:8 672, 730, 735, 857, 1287; Acts 1:9 659, 697; Acts 1:10-11 333; Acts 1:11 665
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
R. (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
Psalm 47 is a hymn of praise celebrating God’s enthronement and kingship over the people. The imagery in the second strophe (v. 6) strongly suggests the movement of the Ark of the Covenant being processed and installed as part of this celebration. The song concludes with a proclamation of the universal claim of God – King of all the earth.
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Reading II: Ephesians 1:17-23
Brothers and sisters:
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,
in accord with the exercise of his great might,
which he worked in Christ,
raising him from the dead
and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
and every name that is named
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
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Commentary on Eph 1:17-23
The selection provided is part of St. Paul’s introductory comments to the Ephesians. His focus in this passage underlines the enlightenment flowing from the Holy Spirit. The final sentences provide an understanding of the power assumed by the Lord as he ascends to the Father.
The prayer for enlightenment promotes the idea that only through an understanding of God’s great sacrifice can the hope offered by the Savior be realized. The Apostle emphasizes the power and majesty of Jesus, placing his sacrifice in perspective: “he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things.” How much love was shown to God’s creation by offering up one whose state is so exalted? St. Paul’s concluding verse also introduces his concept of the Church as the living body of Christ, a theme that he developed in earlier letters to other congregations (cf. Romans 12: 4f; 1 Corinthians 12:12ff).
CCC: Eph 1:16-23 2632; Eph 1:18 158; Eph 1:19-22 272, 648; Eph 1:20-22 668; Eph 1:22-23 830; Eph 1:22 669, 753, 2045
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Or: Ephesians 4:1-13
Brothers and sisters,
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the calling
you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace:
one body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your calling;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
But grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Therefore, it says:
"He ascended on high and took prisoners captive;
he gave gifts to men."
What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended
into the lower regions of the earth?
The one who descended is also the one who ascended
far above all the heavens,
that he might fill all things.
And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature to manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ.
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Commentary on Eph 4:1-13
St. Paul issues his plea for unity in this passage. He defines unity, through his analogy and example, as more than just sharing a belief in Christ. Unity is exemplified by the gifts (and grace) given by Christ. The apostle uses a quote from an older form of Psalm 68:18-19 (the psalm itself depicts Yahweh leading Israel to salvation, St. Paul sees in this image Jesus' entry to the new Jerusalem) to describe how Jesus (metaphorically capturing the spirits of the faithful) brought gifts to each person. The reference “he also descended” likely refers to Christ’s incarnation rather than to his descent following his crucifixion.
St. Paul continues his discourse enumerating the leadership gifts given to “building up the Body of Christ,” bringing the fledgling Church to maturity. In maturity, the apostle tells the Ephesians, they will resist those who teach falsely and become more unified in the love they share.
CCC: Eph 4-6 1454; Eph 4-5 1971; Eph 4:2 2219; Eph 4:3-5 866; Eph 4:3 814; Eph 4:4-6 172, 249, 2790; Eph 4:7 913; Eph 4:8-10 661; Eph 4:9-10 611, 2795; Eph 4:9 633, 635; Eph 4:10 668; Eph 4:11-16 794; Eph 4:11-13 669; Eph 4:11 1575; Eph 4:13 674, 695, 2045
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Or: Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13
Brothers and sisters,
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the calling
you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace:
one body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your calling;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature to manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ.
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Commentary on Eph 4:1-7, 11-13
St. Paul enjoins the church at Ephesus to holiness and unity as part of his instructions on what it means to live the Christian life. Through one baptism (“the call you have received”) we are united in Christ and through Christ to God the Father. While humility is not in the Greek lists as a virtue, the evangelist raises self-effacing service of others to this status (see also 1 Corinthians 13:4, Galatians 5:22, and Colossians 3:12).
He goes on speaking of the unity of different parts of the living body of Christ, the Church, saying that different gifts were given (similar lists are found at Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:1-31). He begins the list of gifts with those of spiritual leadership; apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These have been called to service to others.
CCC: Eph 4-6 1454; Eph 4-5 1971; Eph 4:2 2219; Eph 4:3-5 866; Eph 4:3 814; Eph 4:4-6 172, 249, 2790; Eph 4:7 913; Eph 4:11-16 794; Eph 4:11-13 669; Eph 4:11 1575; Eph 4:13 674, 695, 2045
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Gospel: Mark 16:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Go into the whole world
and proclaim the gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,
was taken up into heaven
and took his seat at the right hand of God.
But they went forth and preached everywhere,
while the Lord worked with them
and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.
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Commentary on Mk 16:15-20
The verse just prior to this passage, which is the ending of St. Mark’s Gospel, indicates that the disciples are still not sure what has happened (typical of the image we have of the disciples in St. Mark's Gospel). Jesus comes to them at table, rebuking them for their unbelief. That sets the stage for this commissioning address by the Lord. Once again the disciples, now Apostles, are sent into the world with God’s blessing. This action is important because it supports the universal mission of the Twelve. In response to the Lord's instructions the Apostles went into the world, accompanied by the Holy Spirit ("while the Lord worked with them"). They demonstrated the truth that is Christ risen.
CCC: Mk 16:15-16 977, 1223; Mk 16:15 888; Mk 16:16 161, 183, 1253, 1256, 1257; Mk 16:17-18 670, 1507; Mk 16:17 434, 1673; Mk 16:18 699; Mk 16:19 659, 659; Mk 16:20 2, 156, 670
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Reflection:
According to St. Luke’s comments in the introduction to the Acts of the Apostles, we have now celebrated the first forty days of the Easter season in which the Lord made appearances to the disciples. He reassured them and brought them to final understanding of the events that had transpired and the role they were to play going forward.
With this event, the Lord takes his leave of them, not to be seen again in the flesh and only by St. Paul explicitly. From this point forward the apostles (we call them that from this time forward because the have moved from the role of pupil to that of teacher) are tasked with taking the Word and the Way to the people of the world without Jesus' presence. Well, that’s not exactly true, is it? They are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, the third of the three Persons in One God to guide and sustain them. But that is next week’s story.
For us the Feast of the Ascension has an important inference, a lesson, if you will, about our own call and role. Since we constantly look for signs that the Lord has called us to do something definite or that he has some plan for us, this event helps us understand where we are to seek that guidance.
We know that the Lord has taken his leave of this earth until he comes again. We see that, with his closest friends, he has told them that they are to take the Word and the Way to the whole world. They must have been daunted by that enormous task, but they accepted what he asked of them. With incredibly little support and not inconsiderable resistance they started doing what he asked them. They literally took it one step at a time. What the Lord’s Ascension said to them was that the baton had been passed. The Lord had ended one chapter in the salvation of the world and started another. The new model is the one where we ask for guidance and the Holy Spirit delivers it. It is, in effect, our rite of passage. From today we stand on our own. It is a proud day for the Lord.
Pax
[1] Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture used is “The Ascension” by Gebhard Fugel, 1893-1894.[3] S.S. Commemoratio[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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