Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 06-01-14, Solemnity, Ascension of the Lord

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 06-01-14 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

June 1, 2014

The Ascension of the Lord

 

 

Reading 1 Acts 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with the them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for “the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

When they had gathered together they asked him,
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, “Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 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.

reading 2 Eph 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.

Gospel Mt 28:16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

[annalex]

scenes from the Life of Christ: 22. Ascension

Giotto di Bondone

1304-06
Fresco, 200 x 185 cm
Cappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua

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CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Sunday, June 1

Liturgical Color: Red Sunday, June 1

Liturgical Color: Red

Today is the Memorial of St. Justin, martyr.
Justin was a pagan philosopher
who converted to Christianity after
witnessing the faith of the martyrs of his
day. Many of his defenses of the faith are
still presented today. He was beheaded
in 165 A.D.

[Salvation]

Day 168 - How does the Anointing of the Sick work?

How does the Anointing of the Sick work?

The Anointing of the Sick imparts consolation, peace, and strength and unites the sick person, in his precarious situation and his sufferings, with Christ in a profound way. For the Lord experienced our fears and bore our pains in his body. For many people the Anointing of the Sick brings about physical healing. But if God should decide to call someone home to himself, he gives him in the Anointing of the Sick the strength for all the physical and spiritual battles on his final journey. In any case, the Anointing of the Sick has the effect of forgiving sins.

Many sick people are afraid of this sacrament and put it off until the last minute because they think it is a sort of death sentence. But the opposite is true: the Anointing of the Sick is a sort of life insurance. A Christian who is caring for a sick person should relieve him of any false fear. Most people in serious danger sense intuitively that nothing is more important for them at the moment than to embrace immediately and unconditionally the One who overcame death and is life itself: Jesus, the Savior. (YOUCAT question 245)

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Dig Deeper: CCC section (1520-1523) and other references here.

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Part 2: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery (1066 - 1690)

Section 2: The Seven Sacraments of the Church (1210 - 1690)

Chapter 2: The Sacraments of Healing (1420 - 1532)

Article 5: The Anointing of the Sick (1499 - 1532)

IV. THE EFFECTS OF THE CELEBRATION OF THIS SACRAMENT ⇡

733
(all)

1520

A particular gift of the Holy Spirit. The first grace of this sacrament is one of strengthening, peace and courage to overcome the difficulties that go with the condition of serious illness or the frailty of old age. This grace is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who renews trust and faith in God and strengthens against the temptations of the evil one, the temptation to discouragement and anguish in the face of death.¹³⁵ This assistance from the Lord by the power of his Spirit is meant to lead the sick person to healing of the soul, but also of the body if such is God's will.¹³⁶ Furthermore, "if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."¹³⁷

135.

Cf. Heb 2:15.

136.

Cf. Council of Florence (1439): DS 1325.

137.

Jas 5:15; cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1717.

1499
1535
(all)

1521

Union with the passion of Christ. By the grace of this sacrament the sick person receives the strength and the gift of uniting himself more closely to Christ's Passion: in a certain way he is consecrated to bear fruit by configuration to the Savior's redemptive Passion. Suffering, a consequence of original sin, acquires a new meaning; it becomes a participation in the saving work of Jesus.

953
(all)

1522

An ecclesial grace. The sick who receive this sacrament, "by freely uniting themselves to the passion and death of Christ," "contribute to the good of the People of God."¹³⁸ By celebrating this sacrament the Church, in the communion of saints, intercedes for the benefit of the sick person, and he, for his part, through the grace of this sacrament, contributes to the sanctification of the Church and to the good of all men for whom the Church suffers and offers herself through Christ to God the Father.

138.

LG 11 § 2.

1020
1294
(all)

1523

A preparation for the final journey. If the sacrament of anointing of the sick is given to all who suffer from serious illness and infirmity, even more rightly is it given to those at the point of departing this life; so it is also called sacramentum exeuntium (the sacrament of those departing).¹³⁹ The Anointing of the Sick completes our conformity to the death and Resurrection of Christ, just as Baptism began it. It completes the holy anointings that mark the whole Christian life: that of Baptism which sealed the new life in us, and that of Confirmation which strengthened us for the combat of this life. This last anointing fortifies the end of our earthly life like a solid rampart for the final struggles before entering the Father's house.¹⁴⁰

139.

Council of Trent (1551): DS 1698.

140.

Council of Trent (1551): DS 1694.

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Saint Justin, Martyr

Saint Justin, Martyr
Memorial
June 1st

Justin Martyr
André Thevet, Les Vrais Pourtraits et Vies Hommes Illustres,
1584 edition supplied by the Special Collections Library, University of Michigan and http://www.earlychurch.org.uk/justin.html

 

History:

Christian apologist, born at Flavia Neapolis, about A.D. 100, converted to Christianity about A.D. 130, taught and defended the Christian religion in Asia Minor and at Rome, where he suffered martyrdom about the year 165. "Apologies" bearing his name and his "Dialogue with the Jew Tryphon" have come down to us.

(Principal source - Catholic Encyclopedia - 1913 edition)

 

Collect:
O God, who through the folly of the Cross
wondrously taught Saint Justin the Martyr
the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ,
grant us, through his intercession,
that, having rejected deception and error,
we may become steadfast in the faith.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.

First Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart." Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:13-19
"You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

"Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

---

Related Page on the Vatican Website: Benedict XVI, General Audience, St Peter's Square, Wednesday, March 21, 2007, St Justin, Philosopher and Martyr (c. 100-165)

Links to New Advent - The Fathers of the Church

Justin Martyr [SAINT]
  - First Apology
  - Second Apology
  - Dialogue with Trypho
  - Hortatory Address to the Greeks
  - On the Sole Government of God
  - Fragments of the Lost Work on the Resurrection
  - Miscellaneous Fragments from Lost Writings
  - Martyrdom of Justin, Chariton, and other Roman Martyrs
  - Discourse to the Greeks

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Saint's days are superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.

The saint who was one of the earliest Fathers of the Church
Justin Martyr: 1st apology: Sacraments, Eucharist {Catholic/Orthodox caucus}
Justin Martyr Walks a Tightrope
Church History, Justin Martyr, Preeminent Apologist
The First Apology of St. Justin Martyr, Early Church Father (long)
St. Justin Martyr: He Considered Christianity the “True Philosophy” (March 21, 2007)
Justin Martyr on Christian worship - (the earliest record of Christian worship)
Orthodox Feast of Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome
St. Justin Martyr

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Catholic Culture

 

Daily Readings for:June 01, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Gladden us with holy joys, almighty God, and make us rejoice with devout thanksgiving, for the Ascension of Christ your Son is our exaltation, and, where the Head has gone before in glory, the Body is called to follow in hope. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

---

Graciously hear our supplications, O Lord, so that we, who believe that the Savior of the human race is with you in your glory, may experience, as he promised, until the end of the world, his abiding presence among us. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

o    Apple Fritters

o    Apple Ring Fritters

o    Beignets

o    Beignets de Pommes

o    Dolmas

o    Stuffed Pigeons

ACTIVITIES

o    Ascension Day, the Final Message from Jesus

o    Ascension Liturgy and Customs

o    Ascension Thursday Activities

o    Ascension Thursday Picnic and Traditions

o    Family and Friends of Jesus Scrapbook Album

o    Teaching the Ascension

PRAYERS

o    Easter Season II Table Blessing 1

o    Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Easter Season (2nd Plan)

o    Ascension and Pentecost Prayer Suggestions

o    Prayer Cards for Easter Grace at Meals

o    Novena to the Holy Spirit

o    Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Easter (1st Plan)

o    Novena to the Holy Spirit (2)

o    Novena for the Ascension

LIBRARY

o    Glory of the Trinity in Christ's Ascension | Pope John Paul II

o    The Ascension Invites Us to a Profound Communion with Jesus | Pope Benedict XVI

·         Easter: June 1st

·         Solemnity of the Ascension or the Seventh Sunday of Easter

Old Calendar: Sunday within the Octave of Ascension ; Other Titles: Ascension Thursday

At the end of His earthly life Jesus ascends triumphantly into heaven. The Church acclaims Him in His holy humanity, invited to sit on the Father's right hand and to share His glory. But Christ's Ascension is the pledge of our own. Filled with an immense hope, the Church looks up towards her leader, who precedes her into the heavenly home and takes her with Him in His own person: "for the Son of God, after incorporating in Himself those whom the devil's jealousy had banished from the earthly paradise, ascends again to His Father and takes them with Him" (St. Leo).

The ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and the State of Nebraska have retained the celebration of the Ascension of the Lord on the proper Thursday, while all other provinces have transferred this solemnity to today, the Seventh Sunday of Easter.

The memorial of St. Justin, martyr, is superseded by the Sunday liturgy.

We continue the Novena to the Holy Spirit.

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

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The Ascension
The death of a member of his family or of a loved friend, must be the saddest event imaginable in the life of an atheist. He is one who really is convinced that there is no God, no future life and therefore that the relative or friend is to turn into dust in the grave, never to be met with again. The thought that every day that passes is bringing him too nearer to that same sad fate, death, which will be the end of all his ambitions, all his enjoyments, the end of everything he thought he was or had, must be something hard to live with.

Thank God, we have the good fortune to know, and reason and faith convince us of this truth, that death is not the end of man. It is rather the real beginning. Today's feast—the Ascension of our Lord in his human nature—to his Father's and our Father's home, is the confirmation and the guarantee of this doctrine of our faith. We shall all rise from the grave with new, glorified bodies and ascend to heaven, as Christ did. There we'll begin our true life of eternal happiness.

While it is true that even for good Christians the death of a beloved one is a cause of sorrow and tears, this is natural as we still are of the earth earthly. Yet the certitude that our beloved one has gone to his true life and will be there to meet us when our turn comes, is always at the back of our minds to console and comfort us. What all human beings want is to live on forever with our dear ones. Death breaks that continuity but only for a little while. That break is necessary for the new life to begin.

It is only in heaven that this natural desire of an unending life with all those we love can be realized and death on earth is the door to that eternal life.

Look up to heaven today. See Christ ascending to his Father and our Father. Say : Thank you, God, for creating me, and for giving me, through the Incarnation of your beloved Son, the possibility and the assurance that if I do my part here, when death comes it will not be an enemy but a friend, to speed me on my way to the true, supernatural life which you have, in your love, planned and prepared for me.

It was written, and foretold, that Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory. The servant is not above the Master. I too must suffer. I too must accept the hardships and the trials of this life, if I want, and I do, to enter into the life of glory. Christ, who was sinless, suffered hardship and pain. I have earned many, if not all of my hardships, by my own sins. I should be glad of the opportunity to make some atonement for my past offenses, by willingly accepting the crosses he sends me. These crosses are signs of God's interest in my true welfare. Through him he is giving me a chance to prepare myself for the day of reckoning, for the moment of my death which will decide my eternal future. For every prayer I say for success in life, I should say three for a successful death, a death free from sin and at peace with God.

Excepted from The Sunday Readings, Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

Things to Do:

• We continue the novena to the Holy Spirit which is said between the feast of the Ascension and Pentecost Sunday.

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[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 28:16-20

The Ascension of the Lord or 7th Sunday of Easter

I am with you always, until the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)

This is a bittersweet day. On the one hand, we celebrate Jesus, the Son of God, being lifted up into heaven, exalted as Lord above all of creation.

On the other hand, Jesus is no longer with us. Wouldn’t it be better if he could still walk among us, visiting every nation, performing miracles, and continuing to teach us how to live? Imagine the impact he could have had over the past two thousand years!

But the truth is, Jesus has not left us alone. He is still with us; he still guides us. And even better, he is also in heaven, interceding for us before his Father (Hebrews 9:24).

When he walked the earth, Jesus was limited by his human body. A man like us in all things but sin, he could travel only so far. He was limited by hunger, pain, and tiredness. He could do only so much. But now, risen and glorified, Jesus has no limitations. He is free to do so much more! He can comfort a grieving widow in South Africa at the same time that he is giving wisdom to a perplexed young man in Norway. He can pour out grace and healing at every Mass being celebrated at every moment and still be present to every lonely soul searching for him in silence.

Pope Francis once said that Jesus is like a rope guide, who climbs the “mountain of the Lord” before us and then pulls us up with him. If anything along our journey up that mountain causes problems or gets in the way, he comes to our rescue. He always forgives us, consoles us, and blesses us. He is our advocate and our defender against the evil one.

Isn’t it comforting to know that Jesus is always with us—in good times and bad—until the end of the world?

“Jesus, I am so grateful for the way you love me and care for me!”

Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47:2-3, 6-9; Ephesians 1:17-23

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

(Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47:2-3,6-9; Ephesians 1:17-23; Matthew 28:16-20)

1. The first reading describes the ascension of the Lord. After Jesus ascends, we hear these words from what are obviously angels: “This Jesus who has been taken up into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” How important to you is Jesus’ second coming? How important should it be? Why?

2. The Responsorial Psalm provides a foreshadowing of the joy and celebration that may have occurred in heaven upon Jesus’ return. Spend a minute or so in quiet reflection and try to imagine what your first day(s) in heaven would be like. What do you think they will be like?

3. In the second reading, St. Paul prays a powerful prayer for the believers in Ephesus, and for us. The resurrection and ascension of Jesus to the right hand of the Father is also part of this prayer. Pray this prayer slowly and meditate on the words as you do. What does this prayer mean to you? Would you consider praying this prayer for family members and others? What do you think the fruits of doing this would be?

4. The Gospel reading ends with the words that are the very last words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Why should these words fill us with joy? What steps can you take to be more open to Jesus’ presence during the day?

5. The meditation ends with these words: “Isn’t it comforting to know that Jesus is always with us—in good times and bad—until the end of the world?” Do you believe this? If so, what difference does this truth make in your life? What are the obstacles that hold you back from believing this? How can you overcome them?

6. Take some time now to pray and thank the Lord for his faithfulness in always being with you, loving you, and caring for you. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS [MATTHEW 28:16-20]

29 May

I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS [MATTHEW 28:16-20]

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD

As Jesus was about to ascend into heaven He spoke His final words to His disciples: “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matthew 28:20 RSV).

In his study of Matthew’s gospel, Fr. Donald Senior underlines the significance of the “with you” phrase. The beginning of Matthew’s gospel was marked by the revelation that Jesus would be called Emmanuel, that is, God-with-us (Matthew 1:23). This theme of God’s abiding presence in the person of Jesus is now matched at the end of Matthew’s gospel by our Lord’s own promise: “I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

The keynote of Matthew’s gospel, namely God-with-us, explains somewhat why Matthew has no ascension story as such. The evangelists Mark and Luke write specifically that Jesus was taken up to heaven, but not Matthew. Although Matthew sets the scene for the Ascension, he stops short of actually saying that Jesus ascends.

Perhaps this is Matthew’s way of stressing the “staying” of Jesus with us, as opposed to His “going away” to heaven. It may be Matthew’s way of calling attention to our Lord’s new, invisible presence in our midst – a sacramental presence transcending all barriers of time and place, as opposed to his historical, visible presence limited by space and time.

We are dealing here with a paradox, a mystery. In one sense, Jesus has “gone away” by ascending in heaven. But in another sense, he is “still with us” here on earth. Our Lord’s “going away”, His Ascension, is most important to us because it confirms His claim to be God’s own Son; it completes the cycle of Incarnation-Redemption-Glorification; and it gives hope of one day following Him

But equally important to us is our Lord’s “abiding presence”. Whenever we read His word, break His bread, gather to pray in His name, and minister to the least of His brethren, we experience his “being-with-us”, here and now. Whenever we deny ourselves for Him, carry our cross after Him, or suffer persecution because of His name, we know that He is “with us” to support, encourage and inspire us.

In the familiar story entitled “Footprints” a man at the end of his life wanted to know why in tough times there was only one set of footprints in the sand. After all, the Lord had promised to walk with him all the way. The Lord replied by telling him that He never left him in times of trial. When the man saw only one set of footprints, it was then that the Lord carried him. The Lord was with the man walking in the sand. May the risen Lord be with us all the days of our life.

[Salvation]

Marriage=One Man and One Woman 'Til Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for June 1, 2014:

Acts 1:12-14, 1 Pt 4:13-16, Jn 17:1-11a “All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer.” (Acts 1:14) Plan to spend time praying with your spouse today. Prayer builds marital unity.

[Salvation]

Sunday Scripture Study

Seventh Sunday of Easter - Cycle A

June 1, 2014

Click here for USCCB readings

Opening Prayer  

First Reading: Acts 1:12-14

Psalm: 27:1,4,7-8

Second Reading: 1 Peter 4:13-16 

Gospel Reading: John 17:1-11a

• The Gospel of John, chapters 13-17, is known as Jesus’ “farewell discourse” delivered at the Last Supper on the night he was betrayed. Chapter 17 of this discourse is, in turn, called Jesus’ “high priestly prayer.” It is addressed aloud to God the Father but in the hearing of Jesus’ 12 apostles who are present with him at table.

• The prayer has three parts: Jesus offers up his approaching sacrifice to the Father (John 17:1-5) which is why the prayer is a priestly one (see Hebrews 3:1; 4:14—5:10); he pleads for the preservation of his disciples (John 17:6-19); and prays for the unity of the universal Church (John 17-20-26). It is the longest extended prayer recorded in the Gospels.

• “By entering into the holy name of the Lord Jesus we can accept, from within, the prayer he teaches us: "Our Father!" His priestly prayer fulfills, from within, the great petitions of the Lord's Prayer: concern for the Father's name (John 17:6,11,12,26); passionate zeal for his kingdom (glory) (John 17:1, 5,10, 22, 23-26); the accomplishment of the will of the Father, of his plan of salvation (John 17:2, 4, 6, 9,11,12, 24); and deliverance from evil.” (John 17:15)

 

QUESTIONS:

• In the 1st Reading, what one last instruction does Jesus give the Apostles before he ascends into heaven (verse 4)? How, exactly, do they carry this out (verse 14)?

• In the 2nd Reading, how does St. Peter differentiate between suffering that results from doing good and doing evil? What should we conclude from this?

• In the Gospel, what event does Jesus refer to as his “hour” (John 2:4, 17:1,12; 23-24)?

• What does it mean to “glorify” someone (verses 4-5, 10, 22, 24)? How is Jesus’ deity emphasized here?

• Who is the focal point of Jesus’ prayer in verses 6-11? Why?

• What echoes from the “Our Father” can we find in this passage? Why does Christ pray for himself first?

• This week, whom have you glorified by the way you lived? How so?

• Could you make these words your own prayer? What changes might you make?

• What two phrases sum up your personal goals for the past year? How does this relate to God’s purposes?

 

Closing Prayer

Catechism of the Catholic Church:  §§ 217, 2746—2751, 2812

 

In all He did from the Incarnation to the Cross, the end Jesus Christ had in mind was the gift of the Eucharist—his personal and corporal union with each Christian through Communion. He saw in It the means of communicating to us all the treasures of His Passion, all the virtues of His Sacred Humanity, and all the merits of His Life. -St. Peter Julian Eymard

[Salvation]

Reflections from Scott Hahn

The Ascension: The Underrated Mystery

Posted by St. Paul Center on 05.29.14 |

Video code -- not sure this will work.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfqsA5XVs0E&list=UUBr-aH7rulKvlRdSM2Zz_mQ

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. (Acts 1:8-9)

Watch this short video as Dr. Hahn reflects on the completion of the Paschal Mystery the Ascension of Our Lord.

[Salvation]

Ascension of the Lord: "Go This Way"

 

(James Tissot - the Ascension of Christ)

 

"Why are you standing there looking at the sky?

This Jesus . . . who has been taken up from you into heaven

will return."

 

Sunday Word: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/060114-ascension.cfm

 

Acts 1:1-11
Eph 1:17-23
Mt 28:16-20

The other day I had one of those one thing after another moments in ministry.  None of them were related but rather individual needs: A meeting, school, cemetery and hospital. All were of course worthy and I wanted to be as present to each as I could. Not always an easy task.

I was due to conduct a graveside service at an old pioneer cemetery about 25 miles from the parish and not being there before I dutifully set my GPS on what I thought were the coordinates of the town I was given.  Well, I got to the town but no obvious cemetery. After driving a bit outside the area in the direction where I thought I would view the cemetery, I returned to find someone and ask for directions.  By now the time was growing near when I was to arrive and I knew I would likely be late.  I had no phone number to call so began to grow a bit anxious.

I found a gas station, the only one in this small farm town, and asked the attendant if he knew the way to the cemetery.  After all what are the chances he would not know in this little Burb?  Yet, he didn’t know.  In fact he had not heard of the specific cemetery so he suggested I cross the street to some folks who were simply loading their car with supplies from the hardware store.  I asked them and they didn’t know either!  What’s going on I wondered?

But, one of them very kindly offered to walk across the street and ask at the telephone office, a small unassuming building.  And as luck would have it, someone in there did know.  After offering me directions I realized that the named cemetery was not only not near this town I had come to but at least ten miles the other direction!  “How complicated could this be” I wondered.

So, I set out and once I found my way I arrived fifteen minutes late for the graveside service and found the small family patiently waiting. All was well and they were grateful. Yet I, being who I am about time, was a bit frazzled but thankful I was shown the way there. "We thought you might be lost, Father" the daughter said. "I was ," I answered.

This Sunday we are shown the way of Jesus on this Solemn Feast of the Ascension of the Lord.  The Apostles, still unclear of Jesus' mission, anxious, lost and filled with sadness at his leaving, are shown the way to go and what to do in his name: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” And so the very foundation and purpose of Jesus’ mission and the existence of the Church he founded is laid. That his universal mission is not just for one nation or class of people but for all humanity. The Apostles are entrusted with the task of making that known and adding to the number of believers. But first, they must wait and pray for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak;” the Holy Spirit.  

The mission given to the Apostles, then, and to us by association is not just a function – to baptize – but an invitation to a new way.  Without the directions Jesus offers us we would indeed be lost for none of us can find our way alone.  So where did the Apostles go after this? Back to Jerusalem and that may indicate our direction as well. That God is found not by staring at the sky but by getting on about the task that Jesus entrusted to all who would believe.

Pope Francis has coined the phrase “missionary disciples.”  His words are not unique to our time nor to him but we hear them today from the mouth of Christ himself. It is in essence to do what Jesus did and to teach what Jesus taught. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit, next week’s Feast of Pentecost, is our moment to recall that jump start from the Spirit – like a dead car battery being recharged by a powerful volt or a person whose heart has stopped being shocked into beating again.

So, now we meet this Christ not as an afterthought or a past historical person but as present to us today as he was to the Apostles after the resurrection but albeit in a different form.  No longer is he present to us in a way that we can see him in the flesh as an “icon” of the invisible God, as one source I read put it.  

Now he is present to us in the written word of the Gospels and in the forgiveness, the food, the sign of anointing with oil, water, and fire in the power of cleansing and healing through his sacraments.  As we are touched by our sacramental moments we are touched by the risen Christ alive and in glory.

To be fully Christian, I think, is to accept the call to a relationship with the Lord Jesus so that we know him not just in abstract but as a living person who is the icon of God made visible among us.  If I truly, deeply believed that and if the overall direction of my life revolved around that conviction how could any of us resist showing others who are lost – the Way to Christ in his Church? 

 

 

Mediator between God and man,

Judge of the world and Lord of hosts,

he ascended, not to distance himself from our lowly state

but that we, his members, might be confident of following

where, he, our Head and Founder, has gone before.

 

(Preface of Solemnity)

 

[Salvation]

Insight Scoop

The Ascension: Continuing Closeness and Source of Lasting Joy

"The Ascension" (c. 1305) by Giotto di Bondone (Wikiart.org)

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Acts 1:1-11
• Psa 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
• Eph 1:17-23
• Matt 28:16-20

Pope Saint Leo the Great (c. 400-461), in a sermon on the Ascension, wrote, “Since then Christ's Ascension is our uplifting, and the hope of the Body is raised, whither the glory of the Head has gone before, let us exult, dearly-beloved, with worthy joy and delight in the loyal paying of thanks. For today not only are we confirmed as possessors of paradise, but have also in Christ penetrated the heights of heaven…”

Fifteen centuries later, in his second volume of Jesus of Nazareth (Ignatius, 2011), Pope Benedict XVI emphasized the central place of joy and delight in the Solemnity of the Ascension, stating, “The joy of the disciples after the ‘Ascension’ corrects our image of this event.”

What is need of correction? The notion that Jesus, by ascending into heaven, has gone away and is now somehow distant from mankind. But if that were true, Benedict pointed out, it doesn’t make sense of the “great joy” expressed by the disciples journeying to Emmaus after Jesus had blessed them, “parted from them and was taken up to heaven” (Lk. 24:51-53).

Nor would it explain why the disciples, having witnessed the ascension of Christ—as we hear in today’s first reading—immediately set about selecting a replacement for Judas (Acts 1:12-26). Rather than being depressed and listless, the disciples were filled with anticipation and a growing understanding of their mission. The opening of the Acts of the Apostles does not flinch from showing that the disciples, even after the Resurrection, were still coming to grips with the exact nature of Jesus’ intentions for the Church and for the world. Between his Resurrection and the his ascension, Jesus spent about forty days instructing the apostles, “speaking about the kingdom of God”. Yet they still asked, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

As Benedict noted, “Jesus counters this notion of a restored Davidic kingdom with a promise and a commission.” The promise is the gift of the Holy Spirit and of his own continual presence, as heard in the final words of Matthew’s Gospel: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” This promise of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled in a most dramatic and definitive way at Pentecost. It is also fulfilled at every baptism and confirmation and celebration of the Eucharist, for all of the sacraments “are actions of the Holy Spirit at work in his Body, the Church” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, par 1116).

And it is fulfilled in other ways as well, for the Holy Spirit works tirelessly, through the proclamation the Word of God, through special charisms, and through the many hidden graces offered to us, if we are only willing to see and accept them.

The great commission, stated in both Acts 1 and Matthew 28, is clear and succinct: to be witnesses of Jesus Christ throughout the world, making disciples and baptizing them in the name of the Triune God. Jesus did not ascend into the presence of the Father to “get away” or to be silent, but so he can give himself continually and in perfect love to his bride, the Church. The Apostle Paul, in today’s reading from his letter to the Ephesians, pointed out that the risen Christ is “far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion”, having “put all things beneath his feet”.

But the Church, he said, is Christ’s body, “the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.” Christ especially comes to us and fills us when we, members of his Mystical Body, receive the Eucharist, which expresses and communicate his love in a most profound way (cf. Catechism, par. 1380).

The Ascension, then, is both a going away and a coming. “‘Ascension’ does not mean departure into a remote region of the cosmos but, rather,” observed Benedict, “the continuing closeness that the disciples experience so strongly that it becomes a source of lasting joy.”

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the June 5, 2011, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

Nos Tuo Vultu Saties

Wednesday, 28 May 2014 07:36

The Ascension of the Lord

Forty-two years ago, in the springtime of my monastic journey, my Father Master — he must have been all of 34 at the time — told me that of all the festivals of the Church Year none was more intrinsically contemplative than the Ascension of the Lord. He spoke to me of the virtue of hope, calling it the most monastic of virtues, and meditated with me on the Vespers hymn of the Ascension, the incomparable Fourth Mode, Jesu, Nostra Redemptio. The melody is perfectly suited to the text. It has been, in some way, the musical accompaniment to my monastic journey with its sorrows and joys, with its valleys of darkness and glimmers of light. It expresses better than any other hymn the prayer of yearning by which, already here and now, a monk can hope to be united to his love and his desire. I translated the metred Latin text into prose.

Jesu, nostra redemptio,
Amor et desiderium,
Deus Creator omnium,
Homo in fine temporum.

O Jesus, our redemption,
our love, and our desire,
God, Creator of all things,
become Man in the fullness of time.

Quae te vicit clementia,
Ut ferres nostra crimina,
Crudelem mortem patiens,,
Ut nos a morte tolleres!

What tender love, what pity
compelled Thee to bear our crimes,
to suffer a cruel death
that we, from death, might be saved?

Inferni claustra penetrans,
Tuos captivos redimens,
Victor triumpho nobili
Ad dextram Patris residens:

Into death’s dark cloister didst Thou descend,
and from it captives free didst bring;
Thy triumph won, Thou didst take Thy place,
Thou, the Victor, at the Father’s right.

Ipse te cogat pietas,
Ut mala nostra superes,
Parcendo, et voti compotes
Nos tuo vultu saties.

‘Twas a tender love, a costly compassion
that pressed Thee our sorrows to bear;
granting pardon, Thou didst raise us up
to fill us full with the splendour of Thy face.

Tu esto nostrum gaudium,
Qui es futurus praemium:
Sit nostra in te gloria
Per cuncta semper saecula.

Thou art already the joy of all our days,
Thou Who in eternity will be our prize;
let all our glory be in Thee,
forever, and always, and in the age to come.

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

Exivi a Patre et vado ad Patrem

Thursday, 29 May 2014 08:46

I am ascended to My Father,
but I remain present to My Church.
The same desire that caused Me to return to the Father
with an inexpressible joy
causes Me to remain present to My Church
with an inexpressible love.

When I said, “I go to My Father”,
I did not mean by that, “I abandon My Church”,
for the Church is My Spouse
and with her I am one Body,
and I am the Head of My Church.

My own Spirit animates the Church in all her members,
so that I live in My Church,
and My Church lives united to Me.
My presence to the Father is not an absence from My Church.
I am present in the adorable mysteries of My Body and Blood,
just as I am present, Body and Blood, in the glory of the Father,
in the hidden sanctuary of heaven,
where I serve as High Priest
and offer Myself ceaselessly as a spotless Victim of propitiation.

What I do in heaven, I do ceaselessly on earth.
Every tabernacle where I am present in the Sacrament of My Body and Blood
is an image of the heavenly tabernacle into which I have ascended,
and in which I offer Myself to the Father in a sacrifice that is unending.
My life in so many earthly tabernacles is the very life that is Mine
in the glorious tabernacle of heaven,
in the Holy of Holies where I carry out My priestly service of the Father
by offering Myself to Him as a glorious Victim,
as the pure Victim, the holy Victim, the spotless Victim
by whom earth is reconciled to heaven, and heaven to earth;
by whom the Father’s perfect plan is brought to completion;
and by whom the Kingdom of God is established forever.

Come to Me in the Sacrament of My Love,
and enter there into the mystery of My oblation.
I am not inactive nor am I present
after the manner of a thing that has in itself no life, no movement, no breath.
I am present in all the glory of My humanity
and in all the power of My divinity;
just as I am present in heaven,
so am I present in the tabernacles of My Church on earth.

In heaven My glory is the bliss of all My saints;
on earth that same glory is veiled in the Most Holy Sacrament
to be the bliss of my saints here below.
My sacramental joy is the unfailing joy of the saints on earth.
If there is, at times, so little evidence of joy among My people on earth
it is because they ignore My real presence
and fail to seek Me out where I am to be found:
in the Sacrament where I wait for sinners;
to love them, to forgive them, to heal them,
to hold conversation with them,
and to nourish them even with My very self.

Priests of mine, priests who serve with Me in the sanctuaries of My Church on earth,
even as the angels serve with Me in the sanctuary of heaven,
priests who represent Me on earth,
even as I present Myself before My Father in heaven,
make known the mystery of My presence!
Call the faithful to My tabernacles!
Tell them that I await them there;
that I am no absent God and that, even in the mystery of My Ascension,
I remain bodily present, though hidden beneath the sacramental veils,
to all who seek My Eucharistic Face.

Why are My churches empty?
Why am I forsaken in the Sacrament of My Love?
Why have men rendered vain the intentions of My Heart
when, in the Cenacle, I instituted the sacrament of My abiding presence in My Church?
Is My present not to benefit those for whom I instituted so great a mystery of love?
Am I to be rejected and forsaken in the sacrament of My divine friendship for souls?
Have my priests altogether forgotten that they are raised to configuration with Me
in order to effect My sacramental presence,
to offer Me to the Father in the perfect sacrifice of My death on the Cross,
and to nourish the souls of the faithful with My own Body and Blood?
Why are My priests so cold towards Me in the Sacrament of My Love?
Why do My priests remain far from My altars?
The priest is for the altar, and the altar is for the priest.
It is the Evil One, the enemy of My Church on earth, who has driven a wedge
between too many of My priests and the altars at which they are united to Me
in a holy victimhood, in a perfect oblation.
Let nothing come between My priests and their altars,
just as nothing came between Me and the wood of My Cross,
the altar of My bloody sacrifice on Calvary.

Let the hearts of My priests be turned, at every moment, to the altar
where they are to offer themselves in sacrifice with Me to the Father,
where I am present,
and where I wait, silent and humble, for their companionship,
for their adoration, and for their grateful love.

If the reality of heaven has become vague
and far from the thoughts of so many in My Church,
it is because they have forsaken the very mystery of heaven
already present and given them
in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
The Eucharist is heaven on earth;
the Eucharist is My Church on earth already assumed into heaven.
Heaven is wheresoever the words of consecration have been pronounced
over the bread and wine in the holy oblation,
for there I am present even as I am present, in the glory of My Ascension,
adored by the angels, praised by all the saints,
held in the divine gaze of My Father,
and burning with the fire of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. Amen.
Believe this and you will find heaven on earth,
while waiting and hoping to see My Face in glory.

(From In Sinu Iesu, The Journal of a Priest)

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

Faciem tuam, Domine, requiram

Sunday, 01 June 2014 06:45

Sunday After the Ascension of the Lord

The Most Holy Face of Christ is celebrated on various days of the liturgical year. In the tradition of Carmel, especially in France, the feast of the Transfiguration, August 6th, is marked by loving attention to the Face of Christ. Blessed Maria-Pierina De Micheli and the Servant of God Abbot Ildebrando Gregori, O.S.B. promoted the feast of the Holy Face on Shrove Tuesday. The Congregation of the Benedictines of Jesus Crucified, founded by Mother Marie des Douleurs in 1930, has the custom of turning to the Holy Face in a special way on the Sunday after the Ascension of the Lord. The choice was motivated by the Introit of the Mass:

Listen to my voice, Lord, when I cry to Thee, alleluia.
True to my heart’s promise I have eyes only for Thy Face;
I seek Thy Face, O Lord!
Turn not Thy Face away from me, alleluia, alleluia” (Ps 26: 7-9).

A Longing to See Him Again

Blessed Cardinal Newman wrote somewhere that the Ascension of the Lord is “at once a source of sorrow, because it involves His absence; and of joy, because it involves His presence.” For Our Blessed Lady and the Apostles, standing on the Mount of Olives with their eyes riveted to the heavens, the Ascension was the last glimpse of the Face of Christ on earth. The disappearance of the beloved Face of Christ leaves in the heart of the Church a longing to see Him again, a burning desire for His return.

I Seek Thy Face

This is the reason for Exaudi, Domine, today’s incomparable Introit: “Listen to my voice, Lord, when I cry to Thee, alleluia. True to my heart’s promise I have eyes only for Thy Face; I seek Thy Face, O Lord! Turn not Thy Face away from me, alleluia, alleluia” (Ps 26: 7-9). The desire to contemplate the Face of Christ becomes a persistent longing; this is the experience of all the saints. The vitality of one’s interior life can be measured by the intensity of one’s desire to see the Face of Christ.

Saint John Paul II

Fourteen years ago in Novo Millennio Ineunte, Pope Saint John Paul II placed the new millennium under the radiant sign of the Face of Christ. Then again, at the beginning of the Year of the Eucharist, the year of his death, Pope Saint John Paul II again directed our eyes to the Face of Christ concealed and revealed in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The teaching of Pope John Paul II confirms, in a striking way, the spiritual patrimony left by Mother Marie des Douleurs to the Congregation she founded. “Devotion to the Holy Face,” she wrote, “is the particular aspect by which the Holy Spirit makes us learn again all that we need know to become the saints that Jesus desires. This devotion is of such central importance and so vital for us that we cannot live without it.”

The Holy Ghost and the Face of Christ

I am touched by the connection Mother Marie des Douleurs makes between the Holy Ghost and the Face of Christ. “Devotion to the Holy Face is the particular aspect by which the Holy Spirit makes us learn again all that we need know to become the saints that Jesus desires.” Recall the promise of Our Lord before His Passion: “He who is to befriend you, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send on my account, will in His turn make everything plain, and recall to your minds everything I have said you” (Jn 14:26). “It will be for Him, the truth-giving Spirit, when He comes, to guide you into all truth” (Jn 16:13).

The Holy Ghost teaches souls by referring them to the adorable Face of Jesus. The Sacred Scriptures themselves are illumined by the Holy Ghost who so opens our eyes that we perceive the Face of the Bridegroom shining through the text. “Now,” says the Bride of the Canticle, “He is looking in through each window in turn, peering through every chink” (Ct 2:9).

The Memory of the Church

Since His Ascension from the Mount of Olives, the Holy Face of Jesus fills the vision of the Church. The Holy Ghost brings to our remembrance all that Our Lord said by compelling us ceaselessly to seek His Face. This is why the Church sings on this Sunday After the Ascension: “Listen to my voice, Lord, when I cry to Thee, alleluia. True to my heart’s promise I have eyes only for Thy Face; I seek Thy Face, O Lord! Turn not Thy Face away from me, alleluia, alleluia” (Ps 26: 7-9).

The Cenacle

Yesterday, in the passage from the Acts of the Apostles that we repeated throughout the day, Saint Luke described the retreat of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the Apostles in the Cenacle. Today’s Holy Gospel also takes place in the Cenacle. The place of the institution of the Most Holy Eucharist and of the Priesthood is the very place wherein Mary’s Motherhood of the Church begins to unfold in a ceaseless prayer. At Pentecost, the same Cenacle becomes the place of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. These three mysteries are telescoped into one in every celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Today, after two thousand years, the Cenacle remains the Church’s home. The Church lives out of the Cenacle — Ecclesia de Eucharistia — and returns to the Cenacle to be renewed in the Holy Ghost through the intercession of Mary, the Mediatrix of All Graces.

The Eucharistic Face of Christ

In the Cenacle, together with Our Blessed Lady and the Apostles, one contemplates the Eucharistic Face of Christ. The commandment of the Lord on the night before He suffered, “Do this for a commemoration of me” (Lk 22:19), was certainly obeyed by the Apostles during the days that separated the Ascension of the Lord from Pentecost. The Mother of the Eucharist was there. The very Face that disappeared into the heavens over the Mount of Olives on the day of the Ascension re-appears in every Holy Mass, hidden, and yet shining, through the sacramental veils.

The Priestly Prayer

The priestly prayer of Christ to the Father is wondrously actualized in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is Christ who stands at the altar with His Face turned toward the Father and His pierced Heart open for all eternity, that out of it we may receive the life-giving torrent that is the Gift of the Holy Ghost. In some way, the seventeenth chapter of Saint John is contemplation of the Face of Jesus lifted to the Father. One who contemplates the Face of Jesus portrayed in the Fourth Gospel is drawn by the Holy Spirit into His filial and priestly prayer to the Father.

As the Spirit of the Lord Enables Us

Through the adorable mystery of the Eucharist, the Face we so long to contemplate is set before our eyes and burned into our souls. “It is given to us, all alike, to catch the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, with faces unveiled; and so we become transfigured into the same likeness, borrowing glory from that glory, as the Spirit of the Lord enables us” (2 Cor 3:18).

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

We Are One Body

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

 

John 17:1-11a

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that he may give eternal life to all you gave him. Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began. I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are."

Introductory Prayer: Jesus Christ, true God and true man, my Creator and my Redeemer. I love you above all other things – even more than I love myself. Thank you for letting me live in communion with your divine life. I wish never to be separated from you.

Petition: Lord, help me to work for unity within your Church.

1. “I Pray for Them” - Christ desires unity for his people. He wants to share the love that has always existed between himself and his Father. To realize this goal he has come into a world broken by selfish divisions. Contrary to his Father’s will, sinful men and women in this world no longer see themselves as brothers and sisters but as enemies and rivals. Christ reveals himself in their midst as the only way to the Father and the one sent to unify all peoples into the one mystery of salvation, the Church. Do I look to Christ as the source of unity between myself and others?

2. “May They Be One Just As We Are” - The “master plan” is for all people to be united in Christ, regardless of race, gender, age, nationality, social background, politics or abilities. His focus is on “inclusion” not “diversity.” Diversity can break down unity if it emphasizes multiple points of difference. Even where a bond of oneness exists, a focus on diversity will often emphasize the lack of unity. Focusing on unity, on the other hand, builds up the Church by helping each person to discover his place within the Mystical Body of Christ. We are one body in Christ (Cf. Romans 12:5).

3. “Keep Them in Your Name” - No one can fully participate in this union with Christ and the Father unless he accepts the invitation to be part of the one body of the Church. For us to be included, we must enter through Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. There is no other name under heaven by which we are saved. It would be a great mistake for us to want and to seek membership in his Church while adopting conflicting attitudes that keep us separated from the Father, Christ and our brothers and sisters. Do I know how to appreciate the varying gifts and talents of others? Do I offer my own gifts and talents at the service of the Church?

 Conversation with Christ: Lord, you know there are many divisions in my life. I have created many of these. Help me overcome them. Help me eliminate those caused by my selfishness and pride. Help me make you the cornerstone of my life.

Resolution: This week, through my prayer and action, I will try to help mend broken bonds between people.

[Salvation]

Clinging to the Past & Stomaching Change

Dr. Mark Giszczak

 

June 1
The Ascension of the Lord
First Reading: Acts 1:1-11
http://usccb.org/bible/readings/060114-ascension.cfm

When things change, we often look back and wish that they wouldn’t have. Change, even good change, can be hard to stomach. Repetition, familiarity, and predictability make us feel comfortable. But Jesus does not want us limited to our “comfort zone.” Instead, he challenges us with an exciting, dynamic, yet change-prone mission: to proclaim his message to the ends of the earth.

Context

The first reading for this Sunday, the Feast of the Ascension, comes from the very beginning of the Book of Acts (1:1-11). The book is addressed to “Theophilus” (lover of God), as is the Gospel of Luke. Theophilus may be a historical person, perhaps a patron, the high priest named Theophilus, or a general title for any Christian. At this point in Luke’s narrative, Jesus has risen from the dead, appeared many times to his disciples, and now is returning to the Father. The scene unfolds at the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. Jesus offers his last words to the apostles before leaving them.

Clinging to the Past

This reading gives us a taste of the apostles’ desperation to hang onto the past. Jesus’ number one instruction to them is, “Wait!” Clearly, this is not what they have in mind. Once Jesus departs, they will be tempted to go back to Galilee, forget about the whole Messiah thing, and settle back in to a life of fishing. It would be very easy for them not to wait, but to return to the past, to what is familiar and comfortable.

Restoring the Kingdom

Their question, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” reveals their difficulty grasping who Jesus really is. It seems that they are asking whether Jesus is finally going to go about reestablishing the Davidic monarchy, complete with a kingly throne, palace, armies and political power. The messianic hopes of the time sought a military king, who would overthrow the Romans and bring back true Jewish kingship. While Jesus does fulfill the promise of an everlasting throne, which God granted to David, he does not do it in the way that was expected. He reigns forever from heaven and the apostles will serve as the ministers of his kingdom, not as royal bureaucrats with princely authority, but as humble servants and proclaimers of the truth. They will be on mission, not in a palace. They will die as martyrs, not retire to live in peace.

At other times, the apostles had asked and even argued about their roles in Jesus’ kingdom (Luke 9:46) and he had promised them that they would sit on thrones and judge the tribes of Israel (Luke 22:30). Even though Jesus has taught them for three years and died and risen, they still can’t quite understand who he really is. He tells them that the Father has established the time of restoration by his own authority and they are not yet privy to the secret. The apostles almost unwittingly are to be agents of establishing the kingdom of God, not on the soil of the Holy Land as a political reality, but in the hearts of men. Jesus is about to send them out with the power of the Spirit to extend the boundaries of his reign.

Baptized in the Holy Spirit

Though Jesus is leaving his friends behind, he will continue to work through them by the power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, Acts 1:1 indicates that Luke’s gospel was about “all that Jesus began to do and teach” (RSV). Therfore Acts is about what Jesus continues to do through his followers. His work is not yet done. Jesus asks the apostles to wait for the Holy Spirit. Indeed, he says they will be “baptized” with the Holy Spirit. This prophecy comes to swift fulfillment on the day of Pentecost, narrated in Acts 2. The power of the Spirit both instructs and empowers the apostles. In the first role, Jesus even teaches/commands the apostles through the Holy Spirit, and Acts shows many examples of the early Christians listening to and obeying the Holy Spirit’s promptings. In the second, the Holy Spirit gives the apostles special graces to heal the sick, raise the dead and work powerful signs which confirm their message. Once they receive the Holy Spirit, Jesus forecasts that the apostles will spread the Gospel in an outward progression to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. This patterned proclamation plays out in the rest of Acts.

Angels Ask a Question

The two men wearing white clothes that appear to chide the apostles for staring at the sky are clearly angels. They are there to help the apostles let go of the past and press on toward the future. The Eleven would be sorely tempted to feel bereft. Their risen Lord has just been taken away! But he gave them a commission, a purpose. They are to spread the gospel and do the works of Jesus so others may come to believe in the good news of the kingdom of God. Soon the power of the Holy Spirit will arrive to help them in their mission. As much as I’d like to see an angel, having one question my current behavior would be more than terrifying!

The whole scene of the Ascension gives us an important episode in the life of Jesus, but I think it also holds two lessons that must be held in tension. On the one hand, we might be tempted like the apostles to get ahead of God and try to make things happen on our own, when sometimes his message is simply to wait. Waiting can be tough. We often want God to act now, but his timing is mysterious and beyond our understanding. On the other hand, we might want to dwell on the past and cling to the comfortable, when Jesus is inviting us to a dynamic life of mission. Mission involves change. Sticking with the familiar might feel good, but it is not necessarily what God wants for us. Our hearts need to be open to the change he brings, whether in interior conversion or outward mission. The apostles had to undergo a dramatic change at the moment Jesus ascended, but they did not mope in being bereft, but stepped out in boldness. May our hearts be as open to the Lord as theirs.