Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
Lectionary: 58
Lectionary: 58
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 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.”
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 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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary
with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly
from the foundation of the world.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that men and women die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus
we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary
by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,
that is, his flesh,
and since we have Aa great priest over the house of God, “
let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,
with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed in pure water.
Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,
for he who made the promise is trustworthy.
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary
with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly
from the foundation of the world.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that men and women die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus
we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary
by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,
that is, his flesh,
and since we have Aa great priest over the house of God, “
let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,
with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed in pure water.
Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,
for he who made the promise is trustworthy.
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;
I am with you always, until the end of the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;
I am with you always, until the end of the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them
and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage
and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and they were continually in the temple praising God.
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them
and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage
and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and they were continually in the temple praising God.
Solemnity of the Ascension – Cycle C
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
Introduction
The revelation we celebrate on this day is that the direct experience of God revealed to men and women in Jesus of Nazareth continues to be experienced when the Body of Christ, the Church, gathers in witness, love and mission. Jesus brought power and hope to people. As He talked, healed, and loved them, they felt the direct presence of God. To be in the company of Jesus was to be in the company of God. Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection. Those appearances were more than their seeing a vision or acknowledging that death could not destroy the Lord. In His appearances Jesus told His disciples that the faithful would continue to experience His presence even though they could no longer see Him. The Holy Spirit would make them aware and sensitive to that presence in the Eucharist. They would feel the same healing power freeing them from their enslavement to sin and guilt. Their vision of life would be enlarged as they grew in their covenant relationship with God.
To say “My life has significance because I am a child of God called to carry out His will in my life” is to make a statement that opens one’s life to new power and possibilities. Experiencing Jesus the Christ, in other words, was not to cease with the death of Jesus or with the last of His resurrection appearances. The experience would continue among the faithful. The power and presence of Christ are eternal experiences, not limited to time and space. The presence of Christ is as much our experience as it was the experience of the disciples. Christ “reigns” eternally with God, the creative power who calls us into being. As we say in the Creed “...He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.”
1st Reading - Acts 1:1-11
Acts has been called “The Gospel of Luke, Volume 2” in that it takes over from where St. Luke stopped when writing his gospel with the ascension forming the hinge point. St. Luke, an educated man, a physician by profession, was meticulous and orderly. He sets out in Acts, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to prove the truth of the Apostles’ teaching and show how rapidly that teaching spread. It recounts the Church’s expansion which, particularly among the Gentiles, was marked by miracles; thus bearing out what our Lord had foretold: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Today’s reading, which documents Jesus’ ascension, records Jesus’ last words to His disciples which include this foretelling of the expansion of His Church.
1:1 In the first book,
The Gospel of Luke
Theophilus,
Who Theophilus is, is unknown although both Luke’s gospel and this book are addressed to him.
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught 2 until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered,
Greek: paschein - usually translated as “passion,” is translated here as “suffered.” It refers to Jesus’ integral passion-death experience.
appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
Forty in Hebrew numerology is a number representing transition/change. Forty years is a generation; the flood was 40 days and 40 nights; Moses was on the mountain for 40 days; the Hebrews wandered in the desert for 40 years; Jesus was tempted for 40 days.
4 While meeting with 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;
Luke 24:49 “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
5 for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.”
This refers back to John’s statement in Luke 3:16 (or Matthew 3:11) “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I... He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” This precisely demonstrates the prophecy’s fulfillment and makes John the Baptist the herald of the Church as well as of the Messiah.
6 When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
This question is of present concern to Luke’s community. What is being stressed as the disciple’s mistaken hope is not a “worldly, nationalistic” kingdom as much as a hope of an immediate parousia, to which the outpouring of the Spirit was to lead.
7 He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.
It is the preoccupation of an impending parousia that Jesus corrects, not the idea of Israel’s restoration (see also Mark 13:32; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3).
8 But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you,
The Spirit is the substitute for the parousia. The Spirit is the principle of continued Christian existence in a new era of sacred history, the era of the Church and mission.
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jerusalem is the geographic center of sacred history and the influence of the Church will spread in three geographical stages: Jerusalem; Judea and Samaria; the ends of the earth.
9 When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
A visible departure
10 While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
Luke does everything in twos. This brings to mind the finding of the empty tomb in Luke 24:4 and the transfiguration in Luke 9:30; especially the empty tomb where they ask “why do you look for the living among the dead?”
11 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.”
The ascension is a prefiguration of the parousia.
2nd Reading - Ephesians 1:17-23
Toward the end of his second missionary journey (in the year A.D. 52) Saint Paul stayed for a while in Ephesus (Acts 18:19ff), one of the great cities of Asia Minor, where he preached and founded the church to which this letter is addressed. Shortly after this, a distinguished personality, Apollos, appeared in Ephesus; he received instruction from Aquila and his wife Priscilla, two disciples of Paul (Acts 18:24-26) and he, in turn, prepared the ground for Paul’s preaching on his third missionary journey (54-56). Paul’s visit was not without incident (Acts 19-20): he was forced to leave the city because of an uproar caused by Demetrius the silversmith. Paul did not forget the Ephesians, however, and, from Rome, he wrote them this letter. Paul’s main purpose in writing seems to be to explore the great mystery of the redemption, of which Christ Himself is the cornerstone, the foundation of the entire spiritual building into whom all Christians should be built. What we hear described in today’s reading is Jesus’ position in heaven after the ascension.
17 [May] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
The phrase “Father of glory” occurs only here in the New Testament, but Acts 7:2 calls Him “God of glory” and 1 Corinthians 2:8 says “Lord of glory.”
give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.
Not knowledge merely of God’s plan, but knowledge “of Him”, an experience of God’s great love for men in Christ that would be visibly shown in a true brotherhood of men.
“It is this God of the incarnate man who is the Father of glory, wisdom and truth, who gives the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to those who believe in His Son so that they may become wise and contemplate the glory of the Lord with unveiled face (2 Corinthians 3:18). When this wisdom and revelation have made them wise and opened to them the mysteries that were hidden, it follows at once that they have the eyes of their heart enlightened.” [Saint Jerome (A.D. 386), Commentaries on the Epistle to the Ephesians, 1,1,15].
18 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 one
The members of His Church. Not only the Church on earth (Church Militant) but in purgatory (Church Suffering) and in heaven as well (Church Triumphant).
19 and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe,
God’s mighty power overcomes humanly impossible obstacles.
in accord with the exercise of his great might, 20 which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
The raising and seating are one continuous action.
21 far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
Angelic beings who were thought to control the world and who were created through the wisdom of God.
“He says not merely ‘above’ but ‘far above.’ For God is higher than the powers on high. So He led Him up there, the very one who shared our lowly humanity. He led Him from the lowest depth to the highest sovereignty, beyond which there is no higher honor. ‘Above every authority,’ he says: not merely compared with this or that. ... What gnats are compared with humans, so is the whole creation compared with God.” [Saint John Chrysostom (between A.D. 392-397), Homilies on the Epistle to the Ephesians, 3,1,20-23].
and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.
No present or future force or power can block God’s work.
22 And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
The Church is the body, Christ is the head.
“Oh, how high He has raised the Church! For, as He were lifting it by some stage machine, He has led it up to a great height and installed it on that throne. For where the head is, there is the body also.” [Saint John Chrysostom (between A.D. 392-397), Homilies on the Epistle to the Ephesians, 3,1,20-23].
Alternate 2nd Reading - Hebrews 9:24-28, 10:19-23
It is most probable that the Hebrews to whom this epistle is addressed were Christians of Jewish background who were very familiar with both the Greek language and with the culture of the Hebrews, particularly the ceremonies of Mosaic worship. This has caused many commentators to suggest that possibly these “Hebrews” were converts from priestly service.
The main purpose of this epistle is to show the superiority of Christianity over the Old Covenant, the Mosaic worship. To do this, the epistle focuses on Jesus’ priesthood and sacrifice and how they are superior to those of the Levitical priesthood. The reading which we hear today focuses on the Blood of Christ and His once-for-all sacrifice on the altar of the Cross.
9:24 For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
The tabernacle made by Moses and the Temple erected by Solomon were both copies of the Temple in heaven (Exodus 25:9).
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Romans 8:34
25 Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own; 26 if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world.
If Jesus’ sacrifice had not been definitive and final, but had demanded constant repetition as did the annually repeated sacrifices on the Day of Atonement, he would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. The sacred author here rejects any notion of a repeated sacrifice of Jesus, but not the eternal continuance of His one sacrifice, a continuance we see in Revelation 5:6.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
The coming of the Messiah brought about the end of the present age and the inauguration of the “age to come.”
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
The sacred author points out that the heavenly sanctuary has always existed, but the heavenly sacrifice, which is now eternally present in the heavenly sanctuary, entered into the eternal order at a determined point in time. It was Jesus’ sacrifice on the altar of the cross which opened heaven so that all could approach God and obtain forgiveness for their sins.
27 Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment, 28 so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.
These verses look at three basic truths of Christian belief about the last things:
1) the unchanging covenant curse of death;
2) the fact that there is a judgment immediately after death; and 3) the second coming of Christ in glory.
The second coming of Christ will not be for the purpose of redeeming men from sin but to bring salvation, that is, glory, to those who placed their hope in Him. Christ will come into the world for a second time but not as Redeemer, for His sacrifice on the altar of the cross has already accomplished this once for all; rather, he will come as Judge of all. His coming is “appointed” and is as necessary as death and judgment. The three basic truths of Christian belief are closely interconnected. Immediately after death everyone will be judged on the conduct of his or her life (see 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10). We eagerly await His coming because our purpose in living this life is to be with Him in the next one.
10:19 Therefore, brothers, since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary 20 by the new and living way
Literally “the recently sacrificed and living way.” This is a figurative expression indicating that Christ is the way, and that this way has been recently opened, has been sacrificed and is alive.
he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh,
Not only the veil in the Temple, but the barrier erected by God to prevent entry into the garden (heaven) after the sin of Adam. It was through His flesh, His sacrifice, that the gates of heaven were opened.
21 and since we have “a great priest over the house of God,”
The “house of God” is the Christian community (see Hebrews 3:6).
22 let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.
The sprinkling of the heart and the washing of the body are references to the purity which is brought about through Christian baptism. The Christian should stay true to the faith he received and professed at baptism, and maintain the purity which it brings.
23 Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy.
This “confession” would be the baptismal acknowledgment of Jesus as Son of God.
Gospel - Luke 24:46-53
Like was said in the introduction to our first reading, Luke and Acts form two continuous volumes of the history of the Church. The ascension, which we celebrate on this day, forms the hinge point between the two volumes. In our first reading, we heard the beginning of the Book of Acts where the ascension is recounted and here in our Gospel reading we hear the end of the Gospel of Luke where this same ascension is described.
46 And he [Jesus] said to them [His disciples], “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day 47 and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations,
How is it possible for the Messiah to preach to all nations? He will do it through His Church. Jesus is Messiah in a real and total sense because God’s salvation goes to the ends of the earth through Him.
beginning from Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is the center of Judaism because it contains the Temple; since Jesus fulfills the Law and the prophets, it becomes the geographic center from which Christianity spreads.
48 You are witnesses of these things.
In order for a fact to be attested to in court, two or more witnesses are required. Jesus always has witnesses when he approaches a life and death (including eternal life) situation. Here, this statement is addressed to more than just the eleven. Luke 24:9 says “when they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to all the others” and Luke 24:33 says “there they found the eleven and those with them, assembled together.”
49 And (behold) I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
The Holy Spirit
but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” 50 Then he led them (out) as far as Bethany,
The Mount of Olives is near Bethany. Acts 1:12 infers that this is where the ascension took place.
raised his hands, and blessed them.
This is the only place in Saint Luke’s gospel where Jesus blesses people. There seems to be a conscious allusion to Sirach 50:20-24. Is there a significance like the blessing Abraham received from the priest-king Melchizadek (Shem)? I think so.
51 As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. 52 They did him homage
This is the first and only time Luke says that the disciples worship Jesus. Compare this with the first reading: this reading ends with worship; Acts shows that they must leave the posture of worship and travel with the Good News.
and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and they were continually in the temple praising God.
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that passage.
Introduction
The revelation we celebrate on this day is that the direct experience of God revealed to men and women in Jesus of Nazareth continues to be experienced when the Body of Christ, the Church, gathers in witness, love and mission. Jesus brought power and hope to people. As He talked, healed, and loved them, they felt the direct presence of God. To be in the company of Jesus was to be in the company of God. Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection. Those appearances were more than their seeing a vision or acknowledging that death could not destroy the Lord. In His appearances Jesus told His disciples that the faithful would continue to experience His presence even though they could no longer see Him. The Holy Spirit would make them aware and sensitive to that presence in the Eucharist. They would feel the same healing power freeing them from their enslavement to sin and guilt. Their vision of life would be enlarged as they grew in their covenant relationship with God.
To say “My life has significance because I am a child of God called to carry out His will in my life” is to make a statement that opens one’s life to new power and possibilities. Experiencing Jesus the Christ, in other words, was not to cease with the death of Jesus or with the last of His resurrection appearances. The experience would continue among the faithful. The power and presence of Christ are eternal experiences, not limited to time and space. The presence of Christ is as much our experience as it was the experience of the disciples. Christ “reigns” eternally with God, the creative power who calls us into being. As we say in the Creed “...He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.”
1st Reading - Acts 1:1-11
Acts has been called “The Gospel of Luke, Volume 2” in that it takes over from where St. Luke stopped when writing his gospel with the ascension forming the hinge point. St. Luke, an educated man, a physician by profession, was meticulous and orderly. He sets out in Acts, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to prove the truth of the Apostles’ teaching and show how rapidly that teaching spread. It recounts the Church’s expansion which, particularly among the Gentiles, was marked by miracles; thus bearing out what our Lord had foretold: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Today’s reading, which documents Jesus’ ascension, records Jesus’ last words to His disciples which include this foretelling of the expansion of His Church.
1:1 In the first book,
The Gospel of Luke
Theophilus,
Who Theophilus is, is unknown although both Luke’s gospel and this book are addressed to him.
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught 2 until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered,
Greek: paschein - usually translated as “passion,” is translated here as “suffered.” It refers to Jesus’ integral passion-death experience.
appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
Forty in Hebrew numerology is a number representing transition/change. Forty years is a generation; the flood was 40 days and 40 nights; Moses was on the mountain for 40 days; the Hebrews wandered in the desert for 40 years; Jesus was tempted for 40 days.
4 While meeting with 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;
Luke 24:49 “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
5 for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.”
This refers back to John’s statement in Luke 3:16 (or Matthew 3:11) “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I... He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” This precisely demonstrates the prophecy’s fulfillment and makes John the Baptist the herald of the Church as well as of the Messiah.
6 When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
This question is of present concern to Luke’s community. What is being stressed as the disciple’s mistaken hope is not a “worldly, nationalistic” kingdom as much as a hope of an immediate parousia, to which the outpouring of the Spirit was to lead.
7 He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.
It is the preoccupation of an impending parousia that Jesus corrects, not the idea of Israel’s restoration (see also Mark 13:32; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3).
8 But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you,
The Spirit is the substitute for the parousia. The Spirit is the principle of continued Christian existence in a new era of sacred history, the era of the Church and mission.
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jerusalem is the geographic center of sacred history and the influence of the Church will spread in three geographical stages: Jerusalem; Judea and Samaria; the ends of the earth.
9 When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
A visible departure
10 While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
Luke does everything in twos. This brings to mind the finding of the empty tomb in Luke 24:4 and the transfiguration in Luke 9:30; especially the empty tomb where they ask “why do you look for the living among the dead?”
11 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.”
The ascension is a prefiguration of the parousia.
2nd Reading - Ephesians 1:17-23
Toward the end of his second missionary journey (in the year A.D. 52) Saint Paul stayed for a while in Ephesus (Acts 18:19ff), one of the great cities of Asia Minor, where he preached and founded the church to which this letter is addressed. Shortly after this, a distinguished personality, Apollos, appeared in Ephesus; he received instruction from Aquila and his wife Priscilla, two disciples of Paul (Acts 18:24-26) and he, in turn, prepared the ground for Paul’s preaching on his third missionary journey (54-56). Paul’s visit was not without incident (Acts 19-20): he was forced to leave the city because of an uproar caused by Demetrius the silversmith. Paul did not forget the Ephesians, however, and, from Rome, he wrote them this letter. Paul’s main purpose in writing seems to be to explore the great mystery of the redemption, of which Christ Himself is the cornerstone, the foundation of the entire spiritual building into whom all Christians should be built. What we hear described in today’s reading is Jesus’ position in heaven after the ascension.
17 [May] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
The phrase “Father of glory” occurs only here in the New Testament, but Acts 7:2 calls Him “God of glory” and 1 Corinthians 2:8 says “Lord of glory.”
give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.
Not knowledge merely of God’s plan, but knowledge “of Him”, an experience of God’s great love for men in Christ that would be visibly shown in a true brotherhood of men.
“It is this God of the incarnate man who is the Father of glory, wisdom and truth, who gives the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to those who believe in His Son so that they may become wise and contemplate the glory of the Lord with unveiled face (2 Corinthians 3:18). When this wisdom and revelation have made them wise and opened to them the mysteries that were hidden, it follows at once that they have the eyes of their heart enlightened.” [Saint Jerome (A.D. 386), Commentaries on the Epistle to the Ephesians, 1,1,15].
18 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 one
The members of His Church. Not only the Church on earth (Church Militant) but in purgatory (Church Suffering) and in heaven as well (Church Triumphant).
19 and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe,
God’s mighty power overcomes humanly impossible obstacles.
in accord with the exercise of his great might, 20 which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
The raising and seating are one continuous action.
21 far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
Angelic beings who were thought to control the world and who were created through the wisdom of God.
“He says not merely ‘above’ but ‘far above.’ For God is higher than the powers on high. So He led Him up there, the very one who shared our lowly humanity. He led Him from the lowest depth to the highest sovereignty, beyond which there is no higher honor. ‘Above every authority,’ he says: not merely compared with this or that. ... What gnats are compared with humans, so is the whole creation compared with God.” [Saint John Chrysostom (between A.D. 392-397), Homilies on the Epistle to the Ephesians, 3,1,20-23].
and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.
No present or future force or power can block God’s work.
22 And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
The Church is the body, Christ is the head.
“Oh, how high He has raised the Church! For, as He were lifting it by some stage machine, He has led it up to a great height and installed it on that throne. For where the head is, there is the body also.” [Saint John Chrysostom (between A.D. 392-397), Homilies on the Epistle to the Ephesians, 3,1,20-23].
Alternate 2nd Reading - Hebrews 9:24-28, 10:19-23
It is most probable that the Hebrews to whom this epistle is addressed were Christians of Jewish background who were very familiar with both the Greek language and with the culture of the Hebrews, particularly the ceremonies of Mosaic worship. This has caused many commentators to suggest that possibly these “Hebrews” were converts from priestly service.
The main purpose of this epistle is to show the superiority of Christianity over the Old Covenant, the Mosaic worship. To do this, the epistle focuses on Jesus’ priesthood and sacrifice and how they are superior to those of the Levitical priesthood. The reading which we hear today focuses on the Blood of Christ and His once-for-all sacrifice on the altar of the Cross.
9:24 For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
The tabernacle made by Moses and the Temple erected by Solomon were both copies of the Temple in heaven (Exodus 25:9).
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Romans 8:34
25 Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own; 26 if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world.
If Jesus’ sacrifice had not been definitive and final, but had demanded constant repetition as did the annually repeated sacrifices on the Day of Atonement, he would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. The sacred author here rejects any notion of a repeated sacrifice of Jesus, but not the eternal continuance of His one sacrifice, a continuance we see in Revelation 5:6.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
The coming of the Messiah brought about the end of the present age and the inauguration of the “age to come.”
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
The sacred author points out that the heavenly sanctuary has always existed, but the heavenly sacrifice, which is now eternally present in the heavenly sanctuary, entered into the eternal order at a determined point in time. It was Jesus’ sacrifice on the altar of the cross which opened heaven so that all could approach God and obtain forgiveness for their sins.
27 Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment, 28 so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.
These verses look at three basic truths of Christian belief about the last things:
1) the unchanging covenant curse of death;
2) the fact that there is a judgment immediately after death; and 3) the second coming of Christ in glory.
The second coming of Christ will not be for the purpose of redeeming men from sin but to bring salvation, that is, glory, to those who placed their hope in Him. Christ will come into the world for a second time but not as Redeemer, for His sacrifice on the altar of the cross has already accomplished this once for all; rather, he will come as Judge of all. His coming is “appointed” and is as necessary as death and judgment. The three basic truths of Christian belief are closely interconnected. Immediately after death everyone will be judged on the conduct of his or her life (see 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10). We eagerly await His coming because our purpose in living this life is to be with Him in the next one.
10:19 Therefore, brothers, since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary 20 by the new and living way
Literally “the recently sacrificed and living way.” This is a figurative expression indicating that Christ is the way, and that this way has been recently opened, has been sacrificed and is alive.
he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh,
Not only the veil in the Temple, but the barrier erected by God to prevent entry into the garden (heaven) after the sin of Adam. It was through His flesh, His sacrifice, that the gates of heaven were opened.
21 and since we have “a great priest over the house of God,”
The “house of God” is the Christian community (see Hebrews 3:6).
22 let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.
The sprinkling of the heart and the washing of the body are references to the purity which is brought about through Christian baptism. The Christian should stay true to the faith he received and professed at baptism, and maintain the purity which it brings.
23 Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy.
This “confession” would be the baptismal acknowledgment of Jesus as Son of God.
Gospel - Luke 24:46-53
Like was said in the introduction to our first reading, Luke and Acts form two continuous volumes of the history of the Church. The ascension, which we celebrate on this day, forms the hinge point between the two volumes. In our first reading, we heard the beginning of the Book of Acts where the ascension is recounted and here in our Gospel reading we hear the end of the Gospel of Luke where this same ascension is described.
46 And he [Jesus] said to them [His disciples], “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day 47 and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations,
How is it possible for the Messiah to preach to all nations? He will do it through His Church. Jesus is Messiah in a real and total sense because God’s salvation goes to the ends of the earth through Him.
beginning from Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is the center of Judaism because it contains the Temple; since Jesus fulfills the Law and the prophets, it becomes the geographic center from which Christianity spreads.
48 You are witnesses of these things.
In order for a fact to be attested to in court, two or more witnesses are required. Jesus always has witnesses when he approaches a life and death (including eternal life) situation. Here, this statement is addressed to more than just the eleven. Luke 24:9 says “when they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to all the others” and Luke 24:33 says “there they found the eleven and those with them, assembled together.”
49 And (behold) I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
The Holy Spirit
but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” 50 Then he led them (out) as far as Bethany,
The Mount of Olives is near Bethany. Acts 1:12 infers that this is where the ascension took place.
raised his hands, and blessed them.
This is the only place in Saint Luke’s gospel where Jesus blesses people. There seems to be a conscious allusion to Sirach 50:20-24. Is there a significance like the blessing Abraham received from the priest-king Melchizadek (Shem)? I think so.
51 As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. 52 They did him homage
This is the first and only time Luke says that the disciples worship Jesus. Compare this with the first reading: this reading ends with worship; Acts shows that they must leave the posture of worship and travel with the Good News.
and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and they were continually in the temple praising God.
Meditation: "The Lord Jesus was taken up into
heaven"
Why did Jesus leave his disciples forty days after his
resurrection? Forty is a significant number in the Scriptures. Moses went to
the mountain to seek the face of God for forty days in prayer and fasting. The
people of Israel were in the wilderness for forty years in preparation for
their entry into the promised land. Elijah fasted for forty days as he
journeyed in the wilderness to the mountain of God. For forty days after his
resurrection Jesus appeared numerous times to his disciples to assure them that
he had risen indeed and to prepare them for the task of carrying on the work
which he began during his earthy ministry.
The Risen Lord is with us always to the end of time
Jesus' departure and ascension into heaven was both an end and a beginning for his disciples. While it was the end of Jesus' physical presence with his beloved disciples, it marked the beginning of Jesus' presence with them in a new way. Jesus promised that he would be with them always to the end of time (Matthew 28:20). Now as the glorified and risen Lord and Savior, ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, Jesus promised to send them the Holy Spirit who would anoint them with power from on high on the Feast of Pentecost, just as Jesus was anointed for his ministry at the River Jordan (Luke 3:21-22, 4:1,18). When the Lord Jesus departed physically from the apostles, they were not left in sorrow or grief. Instead, they were filled with joy and with great anticipation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus' departure and ascension into heaven was both an end and a beginning for his disciples. While it was the end of Jesus' physical presence with his beloved disciples, it marked the beginning of Jesus' presence with them in a new way. Jesus promised that he would be with them always to the end of time (Matthew 28:20). Now as the glorified and risen Lord and Savior, ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, Jesus promised to send them the Holy Spirit who would anoint them with power from on high on the Feast of Pentecost, just as Jesus was anointed for his ministry at the River Jordan (Luke 3:21-22, 4:1,18). When the Lord Jesus departed physically from the apostles, they were not left in sorrow or grief. Instead, they were filled with joy and with great anticipation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The Risen Lord empowers us to carry on his work
Why did the Risen Lord ascend into heaven? The Father raised the glorified body of his Son and enthroned him in glory at his right hand in heaven. The Lord Jesus in his glorified body now reigns as Lord over the heavens and the earth - over all that he has created. The Risen Lord reigns from the throne in heaven as our Merciful Redeemer and Gracious King. He intercedes for us and he empowers us through the outpouring of his Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus gives us new life in his Spirit and he strengthens us in faith, hope and love so we can serve him and carry on his work as citizens of his kingdom here on earth.
Why did the Risen Lord ascend into heaven? The Father raised the glorified body of his Son and enthroned him in glory at his right hand in heaven. The Lord Jesus in his glorified body now reigns as Lord over the heavens and the earth - over all that he has created. The Risen Lord reigns from the throne in heaven as our Merciful Redeemer and Gracious King. He intercedes for us and he empowers us through the outpouring of his Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus gives us new life in his Spirit and he strengthens us in faith, hope and love so we can serve him and carry on his work as citizens of his kingdom here on earth.
You will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth
Jesus' last words to his disciples point to the key mission and task he has entrusted to his followers on earth - to be his witnesses and ambassadors to the ends of the earth so that all peoples, tribes, and nations may hear the good news that Jesus Christ has come to set us free from sin, Satan, and death and has won for us a kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness that will last forever.
Jesus' last words to his disciples point to the key mission and task he has entrusted to his followers on earth - to be his witnesses and ambassadors to the ends of the earth so that all peoples, tribes, and nations may hear the good news that Jesus Christ has come to set us free from sin, Satan, and death and has won for us a kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness that will last forever.
How can we be effective witnesses for Christ? Jesus
told his disciples, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you - and you shall be my witnesses... to the end of the earth" (Acts
1:8). Jesus gives his followers the same power he received when the Holy Spirit
came upon him and anointed him at the beginning of his mission (John 1:32-33).
The Gospel is the power of God, the power to release people from their burden
of sin, guilt, and oppression, and the power to heal, restore, and make us
whole. Do you believe in the power of the Gospel to change and transform your
life?
We are ambassadors for Jesus Christ
Paul the Apostle reminds us that we are called to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ. Just as ambassadors are appointed to represent their country and to speak on behalf of their nation's ruler, we, too are appointed by the Lord Jesus to speak on his behalf and to bring others into a close and personal encounter with the Lord and Ruler of heaven and earth. This is the great commission which the risen Christ gives to the whole church. All believers have been given a share in this task - to be heralds of the good news and ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the only savior of the world. We have not been left alone in this task, for the risen Lord works in and through us by the power of his Holy Spirit. Today we witness a new Pentecost as the Lord pours out his Holy Spirit upon his people to renew and strengthen the body of Christ and to equip it for effective ministry and mission world-wide. Do you witness to others the joy of the Gospel and the hope of the resurrection?
Paul the Apostle reminds us that we are called to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ. Just as ambassadors are appointed to represent their country and to speak on behalf of their nation's ruler, we, too are appointed by the Lord Jesus to speak on his behalf and to bring others into a close and personal encounter with the Lord and Ruler of heaven and earth. This is the great commission which the risen Christ gives to the whole church. All believers have been given a share in this task - to be heralds of the good news and ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the only savior of the world. We have not been left alone in this task, for the risen Lord works in and through us by the power of his Holy Spirit. Today we witness a new Pentecost as the Lord pours out his Holy Spirit upon his people to renew and strengthen the body of Christ and to equip it for effective ministry and mission world-wide. Do you witness to others the joy of the Gospel and the hope of the resurrection?
“Lord Jesus, through the gift of your Holy Spirit, you
fill us with an indomitable spirit of praise and joy which no earthly trial can
subdue. Fill me with your resurrection joy and help me to live a life of praise
and thanksgiving for your glory. May I witness to those around me the joy of
the Gospel and the reality of your great victory over sin and death.”
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Jesus ascends to heaven in his body - divine
and human nature, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"You heard what came
to our ears just now from the Gospel: 'Lifting up his hands, he blessed them.
And it happened, while he was blessing them he withdrew from them, and was
carried up to heaven.' Who was carried up to heaven? The Lord Christ was. Who
is the Lord Christ? He is the Lord Jesus. What is this? Are you going to
separate the human from the divine and make one person of God, another of the
man, so that there is no longer a trinity of three but a quaternary of four?
Just as you, a human being, are soul and body, so the Lord Christ is Word, soul
and body. The Word did not depart from the Father. He both came to us and did
not forsake the Father. He both took flesh in the womb and continued to govern
the universe. What was lifted up into heaven, if not what had been taken from
earth? That is to say, the very flesh, the very body, about which he was
speaking when he said to the disciples, 'Feel, and see that a spirit does not
have bones and flesh, as you can see that I have' (Luke 24:39). Let us believe this, brothers and sisters, and if we have difficulty
in meeting the arguments of the philosophers, let us hold on to what was
demonstrated in the Lord's case without any difficulty of faith. Let them
chatter, but let us believe." (excerpt
from Sermon 242,6)
SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF THE
LORD
SUNDAY, MAY
8, LUKE
24:46-53
(Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47; Ephesians 1:17-23 or Hebrews 9:24-28, 10:19-23)
(Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47; Ephesians 1:17-23 or Hebrews 9:24-28, 10:19-23)
KEY VERSE: "As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to
heaven" (v 51).
TO KNOW: Luke ends his gospel with the ascension, and the ascension also begins the Acts of the Apostles, his account of the early Church (Acts 1:1-12). When the Risen Christ appeared to his disciples for the last time on earth, he opened their minds to understand his passion, death and resurrection, God's plan foretold in the scriptures. Jesus' disciples were witnesses of these events. Now they would become "apostles," that is, those sent forth in the power of Christ's name to proclaim the gospel. The apostles would not testify to this truth on their own; the Spirit would "clothe" them with "power from on high" (Lk 24:49; Acts 2:1-4). After Jesus blessed them and was taken to heaven, the disciples returned to Jerusalem where they awaited this promise with great joy.
TO KNOW: Do I wait patiently for the Spirit's direction in my life?
TO LOVE: Risen Lord, send forth your Spirit to renew the Church with love and joy.
TO KNOW: Luke ends his gospel with the ascension, and the ascension also begins the Acts of the Apostles, his account of the early Church (Acts 1:1-12). When the Risen Christ appeared to his disciples for the last time on earth, he opened their minds to understand his passion, death and resurrection, God's plan foretold in the scriptures. Jesus' disciples were witnesses of these events. Now they would become "apostles," that is, those sent forth in the power of Christ's name to proclaim the gospel. The apostles would not testify to this truth on their own; the Spirit would "clothe" them with "power from on high" (Lk 24:49; Acts 2:1-4). After Jesus blessed them and was taken to heaven, the disciples returned to Jerusalem where they awaited this promise with great joy.
TO KNOW: Do I wait patiently for the Spirit's direction in my life?
TO LOVE: Risen Lord, send forth your Spirit to renew the Church with love and joy.
Sunday 8 May 2016
Sun 8th. Ascension of the Lord.
Acts 1:1-11. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a
blare of trumpets for the Lord—Ps 46(47):2-3, 6-9. Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:19-23. /
Ephesians 1:17-23. Luke 24:46-53.
‘May he enlighten the eyes of your mind…’
Today’s readings bring to a culmination Jesus’ work as
he takes leave of his friends. He gives his final message of hope and
encouragement before he is ‘lifted up while they looked on and a cloud took him
from their sight’. During this final encounter Jesus ‘opened their minds to understand
the scriptures’. They began to see that God’s plan was to ‘bring everything
together under Christ as head’. In Ephesians, speaking of the Church as God’s
body, Paul prays: ‘May God … give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what
is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge …’ Let us then pray for wisdom to
recognise Christ in all and all in Christ and so to respect and revere all
creation which represents God’s body, a union of spirit and matter in
Christ.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
|
Responding to God
|
We often think of obedience as compliance with a command. But this
would make God some sort of exalted drill sergeant. In my experience, most of
the time, God doesn’t command. Rather, God sings, and I sing back.
May 8
St. Peter of Tarentaise
(c. 1102-1174)
St. Peter of Tarentaise
(c. 1102-1174)
There are two men named St. Peter of
Tarentaise who lived one century apart. The man we honor today is the younger
Peter, born in France in the early part of the 12th century. (The other man
with the same name became Pope Innocent the Fifth.)
The Peter we’re focusing on became a Cistercian monk
and eventually served as abbot. In 1142, he was named archbishop of Tarentaise,
replacing a bishop who had been deposed because of corruption. Peter tackled
his new assignment with vigor. He brought reform into his diocese, replaced lax
clergy and reached out to the poor. He visited all parts of his mountainous
diocese on a regular basis.
After about a decade as bishop Peter “disappeared” for
a year and lived quietly as a lay brother at an abbey in Switzerland. When he
was “found out,” the reluctant bishop was persuaded to return to his post. He
again focused many of his energies on the poor.
Peter died in 1175 on his way home from an
unsuccessful papal assignment to reconcile the kings of France and England.
LECTIO DIVINA: THE ASCENSION
OF THE LORD (C)
Lectio
Divina:
Sunday,
May 8, 2016
The
mission of the Church:
To give witness to the pardon which Jesus offers to all
Luke 24, 46-53
To give witness to the pardon which Jesus offers to all
Luke 24, 46-53
Opening
prayer
Shaddai, God of the mountain,
You who make of our fragile life
the rock of your dwelling place,
lead our mind
to strike the rock of the desert,
so that water may gush to quench our thirst.
May the poverty of our feelings
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night
and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence
until the dawn,
wrapping us with the light of the new morning,
may bring us,
with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute
who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master,
the flavour of the holy memory.
Shaddai, God of the mountain,
You who make of our fragile life
the rock of your dwelling place,
lead our mind
to strike the rock of the desert,
so that water may gush to quench our thirst.
May the poverty of our feelings
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night
and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence
until the dawn,
wrapping us with the light of the new morning,
may bring us,
with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute
who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master,
the flavour of the holy memory.
1.
LECTIO
a)
The text:
46 and he
said to them, 'So it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third
day rise from the dead, 47 and that, in his name, repentance for the
forgiveness of sins would be preached to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
48 You are witnesses to this. 49 'And now I am sending upon you what the Father
has promised. Stay in the city, then, until you are clothed with the power from
on high.' 50 Then he took them out as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and
raising his hands he blessed them. 51 Now as he blessed them, he withdrew from
them and was carried up to heaven. 52 They worshipped him and then went back to
Jerusalem full of joy; 53 and they were continually in the Temple praising God.
b) A moment
of silence:
Let us allow the voice of the Word to resonate within us.
2. MEDITATIO
Let us allow the voice of the Word to resonate within us.
2. MEDITATIO
a) Some
questions:
- In the
name of the Lord: In whose name do I live my daily life?
- To all nations. Am I capable of welcoming all or do I discriminate easily according to my point of view?
- Stay in the city. Do I have staying power in the most difficult situations or do I try, even before I understand their meaning, to eliminate them?
- My prayer. Do I praise the Lord for all he does in my life or do I ask things for myself?
- To all nations. Am I capable of welcoming all or do I discriminate easily according to my point of view?
- Stay in the city. Do I have staying power in the most difficult situations or do I try, even before I understand their meaning, to eliminate them?
- My prayer. Do I praise the Lord for all he does in my life or do I ask things for myself?
b) A key
to the reading:
These few
lines speak of life, motion, journey, meeting… This is the aim of the so
it is written and all
the nations. Life
is marked by witness. The apostles are those sent, they do not bring anything
of their own but become life, motion, journey, meeting, a way that brings life
wherever they go.
v. 46. «So
it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the
dead. What is
written? Where? The only scripture we know is that of encounter. It seems that
God cannot do without humankind, and so God goes seeking people wherever they
are and will not give up until God embraces them. This is what is written: An
eternal love, capable of enduring suffering, of drinking the chalice of pain to
its dregs, so as to look once more upon the face of the beloved children. In
the depths of non-life, Christ descends to take the hand of humankind to lead
humankind back home. Three days! Three moments: passion, death, resurrection!
This is what is written for Christ and for all those who belong to him.
Passion: you surrender trustingly, and the other does with you whatever he
wishes, he embraces you or ill-treats you, he welcomes you or rejects you… but
you go on loving to the end. Death: a life that cannot be taken back… dies, is
snuffed out… but not forever, because death has power over the flesh but the
spirit that comes from God goes back to God. Resurrection: Everything makes
sense in the light of Life. Love once given will not die but will always
resurrect again.
v. 47. And
in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all
nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Jesus’
word, spoken in time, does not come to an end. It needs those who proclaim it.
The apostles go, sent in the holy name of God. They go to all nations. No
longer to one chosen people, but to all who are now chosen. They go to put
their arms around the shoulder of their brothers and sisters and to convert
them, to turn them around towards them and to tell them: All is forgiven, you can
live the divine life once more, Jesus died and rose again for you! Faith is not
an invention. I come from Jerusalem, I saw him with my eyes, I experienced him
in my life. I am telling you no more than my story, a story of salvation.
v. 48. You
are witnesses to this. We know
God from experience. To be witnesses means carrying the word that is Christ
written in one’s skin, woven syllable by syllable. When one is touched by
Christ, one becomes a bright lamp, even without one’s knowledge! And if one
wanted to put out the flame, it would light up again, because the light comes
not from the lamp but from the Spirit poured into the heart and beams eternal
communion endlessly.
v. 49. And
now I am sending upon you what the Father has promised. Stay in the city, then,
until you are clothed with the power from on high». Jesus’ promises are always
fulfilled. He goes away, but he does not leave his friends orphans. He knows
that they need God’s constant presence. And God comes back to humankind. This
time no longer in the flesh, but invisibly in the fire of an intangible love,
in the ardour of a bond that will never be broken, the rainbow of the ratified
covenant, the splendour of God’s smile, the Holy Spirit. Clothed in Christ and
in the Holy Spirit, the apostles will not be afraid and can finally go!
v. 50.
Then he took them out as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and raising his hands
blessed them. The moment
of separation is a solemn one. Bethany is the place of friendship. Jesus raises
his hands and blesses his own. This is a salute and a gift. Goes does not draw
away from his own, God simply leaves them to come back in different guise.
v. 51. Now
as he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven. Every
separation brings sorrow with it. But in this case the blessing is a legacy of
grace. The apostles live in such an intense communion with their Lord that they
are not aware of a separation.
v. 52.
They worshipped him and then went back to Jerusalem full of joy. Great is
the joy of the apostles, the joy of going through the streets of Jerusalem with
a limitless treasure, the joy of belonging. Christ’s humanity goes to heaven,
to open a gate that will never be shut again. The joy of the superabundance of
life that Christ has now poured into their experience will never cease…
v. 53. And
they were continually in the Temple praising God. To stay…
is a very important verb for the Christian. To stay presupposes a special
strength, the ability not to flee from situations but to live them out
savouring them to their depths. To stay: an evangelical programme to be shared
with all. Then praise flows out sincerely, because in staying God’s will is
sipped like a healthy and intoxicating drink of bliss.
c)
Reflection:
The
witness of charity in the life of the church is without any doubt the clearest
mirror for evangelisation. It is the instrument that loosens the soil so that
when the seed of the Word falls it may bear abundant fruit. The good news
cannot choose other ways to touch the hearts of people than that of mutual
love, an experience that leads directly to the source: «This
is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you» (Jn 15:12). We find all this in
the early Church: «This is the proof of love, that he laid
down his life for us, and we too ought to lay down our live for our brothers» (1 Jn 3:16). The disciple who met and
knew Jesus, the beloved disciple, knows that he cannot speak of him and not
walk the ways he walked. «I am the way, the truth and the life» (Jn 14:6). What better words can
express that the high road of every evangelisation is gratuitous love? Christ
is the way of evangelisation. Christ is the truth to transmit in evangelising.
Christ is evangelised life. And the love with which he loved us is
evangelisation, a love given without conditions, that will not retreat but goes
forward to the end, faithful to itself even at the price of death on a cross of
malediction, to show the face of the Father as one of Love, a love that
respects the freedom of human beings, even when this means rejection, contempt,
aggression and death.«Christian
charity has a great evangelising force. To the extent that it reveals itself as
a sign and a window of God’s love, it opens the minds and hearts to the
proclamation of the Word of truth. As Paul VI said, today’s people who look for
authenticity and concreteness, value witnesses more than teachers, and
generally will only allow themselves to be guided to discover the depth and the
demands of God’s love if they have been touched by the tangible sign of
charity». (CEI,
Evangelisation and the witness of charity, in Enchiridion CEI, vol. 1-5, EDB, Bologna 1996 n. 24).Every pastoral endeavour
that wants to show the deep relationship between faith and charity in the light
of the Gospel, and that characteristic note of Christian love that is proximity
and caring, has the duty of motivating and sustaining openness to others in
service. (cfr Lk 10:34).
3. ORATIO
Psalm 22,
22-31
I shall
proclaim your name to my brothers,
praise you in full assembly:
'You who fear Yahweh, praise him!
All the race of Jacob, honour him!
Revere him, all the race of Israel!'
praise you in full assembly:
'You who fear Yahweh, praise him!
All the race of Jacob, honour him!
Revere him, all the race of Israel!'
For he has
not despised
nor disregarded the poverty of the poor,
has not turned away his face,
but has listened to the cry for help.
nor disregarded the poverty of the poor,
has not turned away his face,
but has listened to the cry for help.
Of you is
my praise in the thronged assembly,
I will perform my vows before all who fear him.
The poor will eat and be filled,
those who seek Yahweh will praise him,
'May your heart live for ever.'
I will perform my vows before all who fear him.
The poor will eat and be filled,
those who seek Yahweh will praise him,
'May your heart live for ever.'
The whole
wide world will remember
and return to Yahweh,
all the families of nations bow down before him.
For to Yahweh, ruler of the nations,
belongs kingly power!
and return to Yahweh,
all the families of nations bow down before him.
For to Yahweh, ruler of the nations,
belongs kingly power!
All who
prosper on earth will bow before him,
all who go down to the dust will do reverence before him.
And those who are dead,
their descendants will serve him,
will proclaim his name to generations
still to come;
and these will tell of his saving justice to a people yet unborn:
he has fulfilled it.
all who go down to the dust will do reverence before him.
And those who are dead,
their descendants will serve him,
will proclaim his name to generations
still to come;
and these will tell of his saving justice to a people yet unborn:
he has fulfilled it.
4.
CONTEMPLATIO
Lord, I
know that evangelisation requires deep spirituality, authenticity and holiness
of life on the part of witnesses, people of mature faith, able to mix well so
as to make their personal experience of faith a meeting place and a place of
growth in interpersonal contacts thus building deep relationships open to the
Church, the world and history. As yet, I feel inadequate. In a context where
images, words, proposals, projects and records follow each other swiftly and
disorient, almost intoxicate thought and confuse feelings, bearing witness is a
privileged word for a reflective pause, for a moment of rethinking. But am I
one who is carried away by these images, words and projects? Of one thing
I am certain, and this comforts me. Even the most beautiful witness would in
the long run be powerless were it not enlightened, justified, made explicit by
a clear and unequivocal proclamation of the Lord Jesus. The Good News,
proclaimed by a living witness, sooner or later needs to be proclaimed by the
word of life. I will justify my hope by proclaiming your name, your teaching,
your life, your promises, your mystery as Jesus of Nazareth and Son of God.
This seems to me to be the simplest way to arouse interest in knowing and
meeting you, Master and Lord, who have chosen to live as son of man so as to
show us the face of the Father. Every pastoral endeavour today that finds
itself chained by faith, will be able to ask you, God, that the gates of
preaching be reopened to proclaim the mystery of Christ, the kind of preaching
that as divine word works wonders in those who believe.
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