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."
Responsorial PsalmPS 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.
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.
Reading 2EPH 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.
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 a 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 a 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.
AlleluiaMT 28:19A, 20B
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.
GospelLK 24:46-53
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.
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
THURSDAY, MAY 30, LUKE 24:46-53
Holy Day of Obligation
(Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47; Ephesians 1:17-23 or Hebrews 9:24-28, 10:19-23)
THURSDAY, MAY 30, LUKE 24:46-53
Holy Day of Obligation
(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 of Jesus Christ, and the ascension also begins the Acts of the Apostles, Luke’s 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 with great joy. There they awaited the promise of the Spirit’s coming at Pentecost.
TO KNOW: Do I seek the Spirit's direction in my life?
TO LOVE: Risen Lord, send forth your Spirit for the renewal of the Church.
NOTE: In some dioceses the Feast of the Ascension is celebrated on the Seventh Sunday of Easter. In those places, the readings for today are Acts 18:1-8; Psalm 98; John 16:16-20 (Easter Weekday).
Saint Joan of Arc
Saint of the Day for May 30
(January 6, 1412 – May 30, 1431)
 |
| Joan of Arc listening to his voice | Léon-François Bénouville |
Saint Joan of Arc’s Story
Burned at the stake as a heretic after a politically-motivated
trial, Joan was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920.
Born of a fairly well-to-do peasant couple in Domremy-Greux
southeast of Paris, Joan was only 12 when she experienced a vision and heard
voices that she later identified as Saints Michael the Archangel,
Catherine of Alexandria, and Margaret of Antioch.
During the Hundred Years War, Joan led French troops against the
English and recaptured the cities of Orléans and Troyes. This enabled Charles
VII to be crowned as king in Reims in 1429. Captured near Compiegne the
following year, Joan was sold to the English and placed on trial for heresy and
witchcraft. Professors at the University of Paris supported Bishop Pierre
Cauchon of Beauvis, the judge at her trial; Cardinal Henry Beaufort of
Winchester, England, participated in the questioning of Joan in prison. In the
end, she was condemned for wearing men’s clothes. The English resented France’s
military success–to which Joan contributed.
On this day in 1431, Joan was burned at the stake in Rouen, and
her ashes were scattered in the Seine River. A second Church trial 25 years
later nullified the earlier verdict, which was reached under political
pressure.
Remembered by most people for her military exploits, Joan had a
great love for the sacraments, which strengthened her compassion toward the
poor. Popular devotion to her increased greatly in 19th-century France and
later among French soldiers during World War I. Theologian George Tavard writes
that her life “offers a perfect example of the conjunction of contemplation and
action” because her spiritual insight is that there should be a “unity of
heaven and earth.”
Joan of Arc has been the subject of many books, plays, operas
and movies.
Reflection
“Joan of Arc is like a shooting star across the landscape of
French and English history, amid the stories of the Church’s saints and into
our consciousness. Women identify with her; men admire her courage. She
challenges us in fundamental ways. Despite the fact that more than 500 years
have passed since she lived, her issues of mysticism, calling, identity, trust
and betrayal, conflict and focus are our issues still.” (Joan of Arc: God’s
Warrior, by Barbara Beckwith)
Saint Joan of Arc is the Patron Saint of:
France
Military Members
Military Members
Lectio Divina: The Ascension of the Lord (C)
Lectio Divina
Thursday, May 30, 2019
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.
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
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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