May 10, 2018

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 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.

or Eph 4:1-13 or 4:1-7, 11-13

Brothers and sisters,
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
through the bond of peace:
one body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

But grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Therefore, it says:
He ascended on high and took prisoners captive;
he gave gifts to men.
What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended
into the lower regions of the earth?
The one who descended is also the one who ascended
far above all the heavens,
that he might fill all things.

And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature to manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ.

or

Brothers and sisters,
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the calling
you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace:
one body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your calling;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

But grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ's gift.

And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature to manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ.

Alleluia Mt 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.

Gospel Mk 16:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Go into the whole world
and proclaim the gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,
was taken up into heaven
and took his seat at the right hand of God.
But they went forth and preached everywhere,
while the Lord worked with them
and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

From: Acts 18:1-8

Paul in Corinth, with Aquila and Priscilla

[1] After this he left Athens and went to Corinth. [2] And he found a Jew named
Aquila, a native of Pontus, lately come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because
Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them;
[3] and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them, and they worked,
for by trade they were tentmakers. [4] And he argued in the synagogue every
sabbath, and persuaded Jews and Greeks.

Preaching to Jews and Gentiles

[5] When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with
preaching, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. [6] And when they
opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your
blood be upon your heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
[7] And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a wor-
shipper of God; his house was next door to the synagogue. [8] Crispus, the ruler
of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with all his household; and ma-
ny of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

1-11. St Paul must have arrived in Corinth very discouraged by what happened in
Athens, and very short of money. Some time later he wrote: “And I was with you
in weakness and in much fear and trembling; and my speech and my message
were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and po-
wer, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God
...” (1 Cor 2:3-4). He would never forget his experience in the Areopagus before
the Athenians, who “were friends of new speeches yet who paid no heed to them
or what they said; all they wanted was to have something new to talk about”
(Chrysostom, “Hom. on Acts”, 39).

Corinth was a very commercial, cosmopolitan city located on an isthmus be-
tween two gulfs (which are now joined). Ships came to Corinth from all over the
world. Low moral standards, concentration on money-making and voluptuous wor-
ship of Aphrodite meant that Corinth did not seem the best ground for sowing the
word of God; but the Lord can change people’s hearts, especially if he has people
as obedient and zealous as Paul, Silvanus, Timothy and the early Christians in
general. The Athenians’ intellectual pride proved to be a more formidable obstacle
than the Corinthians’ libertarian lifestyle.

Christians should not soft-pedal if they find themselves in situations where paga-
nism and loose living seem to be the order of the day: indeed this should only
spur them on. When addressing his Father at the Last Supper Jesus prayed: “I
do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst
keep them from the evil one” (Jn 17:15).

2. This married couple were probably already Christians when they arrived in Co-
rinth. Since they came from Rome, the indications are that there was a commu-
nity of Christians in the capital from very early on. Aquila and Priscilla (the dimi-
nutive of Prisca) proved to be of great help to Paul from the very beginning of his
work in Corinth.

Later on they both must have returned to Rome (cf. Rom 16:3); and it may well
be that apostolic considerations dictated their movements, as would be the case
with countless Christians after them. “The Christian family’s faith and evangeli-
zing mission also possesses this Catholic missionary inspiration. The sacrament
of marriage takes up and reproposes the task of defending and spreading the faith,
a task which has its roots in Baptism and Confirmation and makes Christian mar-
ried couples and parents witnesses of Christ ‘to the ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8)
[...].

“Just as at the dawn of Christianity Aquila and Priscilla were presented as a mis-
sionary couple (cf. Acts 18; Rom 16:3f), so today the Church shows forth her
perennial newness and fruitfulness by the presence of Christian couples who [...]
work in missionary territories, proclaiming the Gospel and doing service to their
fellowman for the love of Jesus Christ” (Bl. John Paul II, “Familiaris Consortio”,
54).

The edict of Claudius (41-54 A.D.) expelling the Jews from Rome was issued be-
fore the year 50. It is referred to by Suetonius, the Roman historian, but the de-
tails of the decree are not known. We do know that Claudius had protected the
Jews on a number of occasions. He gave them the right to appoint the high priest
and to have charge of the temple. Apparently, conflict between Jews and Chris-
tians in Rome led him to expel some Jews from the city, on a temporary basis,
or at least to advise them to leave.

3. St Paul earns his living and manages to combine this with all his preaching of
the Gospel. “This teaching of Christ on work,” Bl. John Paul II writes, “based on
the example of his life during his years in Nazareth, finds a particularly lively echo
in the teaching of the Apostle Paul. Paul boasts of working at his trade (he was
probably a tent-maker: cf. Acts 18:3), and thanks to that work he was able even
as an Apostle to earn his own bread” (”Laborem Exercens”, 26).

During this stay of a year and a half in Corinth St Paul wrote some rather severe
letters to the Thessalonians, pointing out to them the need to work: “If any one
will not work, let him not eat. [...] we command and exhort [idlers] in the Lord
Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living” (2 Thess
3:10, 12). St John Chrysostom, commenting on this passage of Acts, says that
“Work is man’s natural state. Idleness is against his nature. God has placed
man in this world to work, and the natural thing for the soul is to be active and
not passive” (”Hom. on Acts”, 35).

Taking Christ’s own example, St. Escriva points out that “Work is one of the
highest human values and a way in which men contribute to the progress of
society. But even more, it is a way to holiness” (”Conversations”, 24). In Jesus’
hands, “a professional occupation, similar to that carried out by millions of peo-
ple in the world, was turned into a divine task. It became a part of our redemp-
tion, a way to salvation” (”ibid”., 55).

In fact, it is in work, in the middle of ordinary activity, that most people can and
should find Christ. God “is calling you to serve him in and from the ordinary, ma-
terial and secular activities of human life. He waits for us everyday [...] in all the
immense panorama of work” (”ibid”., 114). Man thereby finds God in the most
visible, material things, and Christians can avoid the danger of what might be
called “a double life: on one side, an interior life, a life of relation with God; and
on the other, a separate and distinct professional, social and family life, full of
small earthly realities” (”ibid”.).

Like most people Paul spent part of his day working to earn his living. When en-
gaged in work he was still the Apostle of the Gentiles chosen by God, and his
very work spoke to his companions and friends. We should not think that there
was any split between his on-going personal relationship with God, and his apos-
tolic activity or his work —or that he did not work in a concentrated or exemplary
manner.

4. It is easy to imagine the hope and eagerness Paul felt when preaching the Gos-
pel to his fellow Jews. He knew from experience the difficulties they had about re-
cognizing Jesus as the Messiah and accepting the Good News. Paul feels both
joy and sorrow: he is happy because the moment has arrived for the sons of Abra-
ham to receive the Gospel as is their right by inheritance; but he also realizes that
although it brings salvation to some, it spells rejection for those who refuse to
accept it.

Origen spoke in similar terms: “I experience anxiety to speak and anxiety not to
speak. I wish to speak for the benefit of those who are worthy, so that I may not
be taken to task for refusing the word of truth to those who have the ability to
grasp it. But I am afraid to speak in case I address those who are unworthy, be-
cause it means I am giving holy things to dogs and casting pearls before swine.
Only Jesus was capable of distinguishing, among his listeners, those who were
without from those who were within: he spoke in parables to the outsiders and
explained the parables to those who entered with him into the house” (”Dialogue
with Heraclides”, 15).

6. The blindness of the Jews once again causes Paul great sadness; here is fur-
ther evidence of the mysterious resistance to faith of so many of the chosen peo-
ple. As he did in Pisidian Antioch (cf. 13:51), the Apostle shakes the dust from
his clothes to show his break from the Jews of Corinth: their apparent fidelity to
the religion of their forefathers disguises their proud rejection of God’s promises.

He finds himself confronted by the great enigma of salvation history, in which
God dialogues with human freedom. As St Justin writes, “The Jews, in truth, who
had the prophecies and always looked for the coming of Christ, not only did not
recognize him, but, far beyond that, even mistreated him. But the Gentiles, who
had never even heard anything of Christ until his Apostles went from Jerusalem
and preached about him and gave them the prophecies, were filled with joy and
faith, and turned away from their idols, and dedicated themselves to the Unbegot-
ten God through Christ” (”First Apology”, 49, 5).

Paul’s words on this occasion are addressed to the Jews of Corinth, not to Jews
elsewhere. For a long time past he has directed his preaching to Gentiles as well
as Jews. The phrase “From now on I will go to the Gentiles” does not mean that
he will no longer address Jews, for in the course of his apostolic work he conti-
nues to evangelize Jews as well as Gentiles (cf. Acts 18:19; 28:17).

7. Titus Justus had a Roman name and was a Gentile, but the fact that he lived
next door to the synagogue and, in particular, the Greek term used to identify
him as a “worshipper” of God, indicates that he was a convert to Judaism. Cf.
note on Acts 2:5-11.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: John 16:16-20

Fullness of Joy

(Jesus said to His disciples,) [16] “A little while, and you will see Me no more;
again a little while, and you will see Me.” [17] Some of His disciples said to one
another, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me,
and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?”
[18] They said, “What does He mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what He
means.” [19] Jesus knew they wanted to ask Him; so He said to them, “Is this
what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you
will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’? [20] Truly, truly,
I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sor-
rowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

16-20. Earlier our Lord consoled the disciples by assuring them that He would
send them the Holy Spirit after He went away (verse 7). Now He gives them fur-
ther consolation: He is not leaving them permanently, He will come back to stay
with them. However, the Apostles fail to grasp what He means, and they ask
each other what they make of it. Our Lord does not give them a direct explana-
tion, perhaps because they would not understand what He meant (as happened
before: cf. Matthew 16:21-23 and paragraph). But He does emphasize that though
they are sad now they will soon be rejoicing: after suffering tribulation they will be
filled with a joy they will never lose (cf. John 17:13). This is a reference primarily
to the Resurrection (cf. Luke 24:41), but also to their definitive encounter with
Christ in Heaven.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.

In some dioceses the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated today. If this applies to you, please reconfigure Universalis to use the appropriate local calendar.

First reading	Acts 18:1-8 ©

Paul lodged with them and worked, and held debates in the synagogues

Paul left Athens and went to Corinth, where he met a Jew called Aquila whose family came from Pontus. He and his wife Priscilla had recently left Italy because an edict of Claudius had expelled all the Jews from Rome. Paul went to visit them, and when he found they were tentmakers, of the same trade as himself, he lodged with them, and they worked together. Every sabbath he used to hold debates in the synagogues, trying to convert Jews as well as Greeks.

After Silas and Timothy had arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted all his time to preaching, declaring to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. When they turned against him and started to insult him, he took his cloak and shook it out in front of them, saying, ‘Your blood be on your own heads; from now on I can go to the pagans with a clear conscience.’ Then he left the synagogue and moved to the house next door that belonged to a worshipper of God called Justus. Crispus, president of the synagogue, and his whole household, all became believers in the Lord. A great many Corinthians who had heard him became believers and were baptised.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 97(98):1-4 ©

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

Alleluia!

Sing a new song to the Lord

for he has worked wonders.

His right hand and his holy arm

have brought salvation.

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

Alleluia!

The Lord has made known his salvation;

has shown his justice to the nations.

He has remembered his truth and love

for the house of Israel.

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

Alleluia!

All the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation of our God.

Shout to the Lord, all the earth,

ring out your joy.

The Lord has shown his salvation to the nations.

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation	Rm6:9

Alleluia, alleluia!

Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again.

Death has no power over him any more.

Alleluia!

Or:	cf.Jn14:18

Alleluia, alleluia!

I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord;

I go, but I will come back to you,

and your hearts will be full of joy.

Alleluia!

Gospel	John 16:16-20 ©

You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘In a short time you will no longer see me,

and then a short time later you will see me again.’

Then some of his disciples said to one another, ‘What does he mean, “In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again” and, “I am going to the Father”? What is this “short time”? We do not know what he means.’ Jesus knew that they wanted to question him, so he said, ‘You are asking one another what I meant by saying: In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again.

‘I tell you most solemnly,

you will be weeping and wailing

while the world will rejoice;

you will be sorrowful,

but your sorrow will turn to joy.’

John
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	John 16
16.	A little while, and now you shall not see me; and again a little while, and you shall see me: because I go to the Father.	Modicum, et jam non videbitis me ; et iterum modicum, et videbitis me : quia vado ad Patrem.	μικρον και ου θεωρειτε με και παλιν μικρον και οψεσθε με οτι υπαγω προς τον πατερα
17.	Then some of the disciples said one to another: What is this that he saith to us: A little while, and you shall not see me; and again a little while, and you shall see me, and, because I go to the Father?	Dixerunt ergo ex discipulis ejus ad invicem : Quid est hoc quod dicit nobis : Modicum, et non videbitis me ; et iterum modicum, et videbitis me, et quia vado ad Patrem ?	ειπον ουν εκ των μαθητων αυτου προς αλληλους τι εστιν τουτο ο λεγει ημιν μικρον και ου θεωρειτε με και παλιν μικρον και οψεσθε με και οτι εγω υπαγω προς τον πατερα
18.	They said therefore: What is this that he saith, A little while? we know not what he speaketh.	Dicebant ergo : Quid est hoc quod dicit : Modicum ? nescimus quid loquitur.	ελεγον ουν τουτο τι εστιν ο λεγει το μικρον ουκ οιδαμεν τι λαλει
19.	And Jesus knew that they had a mind to ask him; and he said to them: Of this do you inquire among yourselves, because I said: A little while, and you shall not see me; and again a little while, and you shall see me?	Cognovit autem Jesus, quia volebant eum interrogare, et dixit eis : De hoc quæritis inter vos quia dixi : Modicum, et non videbitis me ; et iterum modicum, et videbitis me.	εγνω ουν ο ιησους οτι ηθελον αυτον ερωταν και ειπεν αυτοις περι τουτου ζητειτε μετ αλληλων οτι ειπον μικρον και ου θεωρειτε με και παλιν μικρον και οψεσθε με
20.	Amen, amen I say to you, that you shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice; and you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.	Amen, amen dico vobis : quia plorabitis, et flebitis vos, mundus autem gaudebit ; vos autem contristabimini, sed tristitia vestra vertetur in gaudium.	αμην αμην λεγω υμιν οτι κλαυσετε και θρηνησετε υμεις ο δε κοσμος χαρησεται υμεις δε λυπηθησεσθε αλλ η λυπη υμων εις χαραν γενησεται

16. A little while, and you shall not see me; and again, a little while, and you shall see me, because I go to the Father.
17. Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he said to us, A little while, and you shall not see me; and again, a little while, and you shall see me, and, Because I go to the Father?
18. They said therefore, What is this that he said, A little while? We cannot tell what he said.
19. Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said to them, Do you enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and you shall not see me; and again, a little while, and you shall see me?
20. Verily, verily, I say to you, That you shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and you shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

CHRYS. Our Lord after having relieved the spirits of the disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit, again depresses them: A little while, and you shall not see Me. He does this to accustom them to the mention of His departure, in order that they may bear it well, when it does come. For nothing so quiets the troubled mind, as the continued recurrence to the subject of its grief.

BEDE. He said, A little while, and you shall not see Me alluding to His going to be taken that night by the Jews, His crucifixion the next morning, and burial in the evening, which withdrew Him from all human sight.

CHRYS. But then, if one examines, these are words of consolation: Because I go to the Father. For they show that His death was only a translation; and more consolation follows: And again, a little while, and you shall see Me: an intimation this that He would return and, after a short separation, come and live with them for ever.

AUG. The meaning of these words however was obscure, before their fulfillment; Then said some of His disciples among themselves, What is this that He said to us, A little while, and you shall not see Me; and again, a little while, and you shall see Me; and, Because I go to the Father?

CHRYS. Either sorrow had confused their minds, or the obscurity of the words themselves prevented their understanding them, and made them appear contradictory. If we shall see Thee, they say, how do You go? If you go, how shall we see you? What is this that He said to us, A little while? We cannot tell what He said.

AUG. For above, because He did not say, A little while, but simply, I go to the Father, He seemed to speak plainly. But what to them was obscure at the time, but by and by manifested, is manifest to us. For in a little while He suffered, and they did not see Him; and again, in a little while He rose again, and they saw Him. He says, And you shall see Me no more; for the mortal Christ they saw no more.

ALCUIN. Or thus, It will be a little time during which you will not see Me, i.e. the three days that He rested in the grave; and again, it will be a little time during which you shall see Me, i.e. the forty days of His appearance amongst them, from His Passion to His ascension. And you shall see Me for that little time only, Because I go to the Father; for I am not going to stay always in the body here, but, by that humanity which I have assumed, to ascend to heaven.

It follows: Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask Him, and said to them, Do you enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and you shall not see Me; and again, a little while, and you shall see Me? Verily, verily, I say to you, That you shall weep and lament. Their merciful Master, understanding their ignorance and doubts, replied so as to explain what He had said.

AUG. Which must be understood thus: viz. that the disciples sorrowed at their Lord's death, and then immediately rejoiced at His resurrection. The world (i.e. the enemies of Christ, who put Him to death) rejoiced just when the disciples sorrowed, i.e. at His death: You shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and you shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

ALCUIN. But this speech of our Lord's is applicable to all believers who strive through present tears and afflictions to attain to the joys eternal. While the righteous weep, the world rejoices; for having no hope of the joys to come, all its delight is in the present.

Catena Aurea John 16

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 16
15.	And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature.	Et dixit eis : Euntes in mundum universum prædicate Evangelium omni creaturæ.	και ειπεν αυτοις πορευθεντες εις τον κοσμον απαντα κηρυξατε το ευαγγελιον παση τη κτισει
16.	He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned.	Qui crediderit, et baptizatus fuerit, salvus erit : qui vero non crediderit, condemnabitur.	ο πιστευσας και βαπτισθεις σωθησεται ο δε απιστησας κατακριθησεται
17.	And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name they shall cast out devils: they shall speak with new tongues.	Signa autem eos qui crediderint, hæc sequentur : in nomine meo dæmonia ejicient : linguis loquentur novis :	σημεια δε τοις πιστευσασιν ταυτα παρακολουθησει εν τω ονοματι μου δαιμονια εκβαλουσιν γλωσσαις λαλησουσιν καιναις
18.	They shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover.	serpentes tollent : et si mortiferum quid biberint, non eis nocebit : super ægros manus imponent, et bene habebunt.	οφεις αρουσιν καν θανασιμον τι πιωσιν ου μη αυτους βλαψη επι αρρωστους χειρας επιθησουσιν και καλως εξουσιν
19.	And the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God.	Et Dominus quidem Jesus postquam locutus est eis, assumptus est in cælum, et sedet a dextris Dei.	ο μεν ουν κυριος μετα το λαλησαι αυτοις ανεληφθη εις τον ουρανον και εκαθισεν εκ δεξιων του θεου
20.	But they going forth preached every where: the Lord working withal, and confirming the word with signs that followed.	Illi autem profecti prædicaverunt ubique, Domino cooperante, et sermonem confirmante, sequentibus signis.	εκεινοι δε εξελθοντες εκηρυξαν πανταχου του κυριου συνεργουντος και τον λογον βεβαιουντος δια των επακολουθουντων σημειων αμην

15. And he said to them, Go you into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.
16. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believed not shall be damned.
17. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

AUG. But how was this done the last time? The last occasion on which the Apostles saw the Lord upon earth happened forty days after the resurrection; but would He then have upbraided them for not believing those who had seen Him risen, when they themselves had so often seen Him after His resurrection? It remains therefore that we should understand that Mark wished to say it in few words, and said for the last time, because it was the last time that He showed Himself that day, as night was coming on, when the disciples returned from the country into Jerusalem, and found, as Luke says, the eleven and those who were with them, speaking together concerning the resurrection of our Lord.

But there were some there who did not believe; when these then were sitting at meat, (as Mark says,) and were still speaking, (as Luke relates,) The Lord stood in the midst of them, and said to them, Peace be to you; as Luke and John say. The rebuke therefore which Mark here mentions, must have been amongst those words, which Luke and John say, that the Lord at that time spoke to the disciples. But another question is raised, how Mark says that He appeared when the eleven sat at meat, if the time was the first part of the night on the Lord's day, when John plainly says that Thomas was not with them, who, we believe, had gone out, before the Lord came in to them, after those two had returned from the village, and spoken with the eleven, as we find in Luke's Gospel.

But Luke in his relation leaves room for supposing that Thomas went out first, while they spoke these things, and that the Lord entered afterwards; Mark however from his saying, for the last time he appeared to the eleven as they sat at meat, forces us to believe that he was there, unless indeed, though one of them was absent he chose to call them the eleven, because the company of the Apostles was then called by this number, before Matthias was chosen into the place of Judas. Or if this be a harsh way of understanding it, let us understand that it means that after many appearances, He showed Himself for the last time, that is, on the fortieth clay, to the Apostles, as they sat at meat, and that since He was about to ascend from them, He rather wished on that day to reprove them for not having believed those who had seen Him risen before seeing Him themselves, because after His ascension even the Gentiles on their preaching were to believe a Gospel, which they had not seen.

And so the same Mark immediately after that rebuke says, And he said to them, Go you into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. And lower down, He that believes not shall be condemned. Since then they were to preach this, were not they themselves to be first rebuked, because before they saw the Lord they had not believed those to who He had first appeared?

GREG. Another reason also why our Lord rebuked His disciples, when He left them as to His bodily presence, was, that the words which He spoke on leaving them might remain more deeply impressed, upon the hearts of His hearers.

PSEUDO-JEROME; But He rebukes their want of faith, that faith might take its place; He rebukes the hardness of their stony heart, that the fleshy heart, full of love, might take its place.

GREG. After rebuking the hardness of their hearts, let us hear the words of advice which He speaks. For it goes on: Go you into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. Every man must be understood by every creature; for man partakes something of every creature; he has existence as have stones, life as trees, feeling as animals, understanding as have Angels. For the Gospel is preached to every creature, because he is taught by it, for whose sake all are created, whom all things are in some way like, and from whom therefore they are not alien. By the name of every creature also every nation of the Gentiles may be meant. For it had been said before, Go not into the way of the Gentiles. But now it is said, Preach the Gospel to every creature, so that the preaching of the Apostles which was thrust aside by Judea, might be an assistance to us, since Judea, had haughtily rejected it, thus witnessing to her own damnation.

THEOPHYL. Or else; to every creature, that is, whether believing or unbelieving. It goes on: He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. For it is not enough to believe, for he who believes and is not baptized, but is a catechumen, has not yet attained to perfect salvation.

GREG. But perhaps some one may say in himself, I have already believed, I shall be saved. He says what is true, if he keeps his faith by works; for that is a true faith, which does not contradict by its deeds what it says in words. There follows: But he that believes not shall be damned.

BEDE; What shall we say here about infants, who by reason of their age cannot yet believe; for as to older persons there is no question. In the Church then of our Savior children believe by others, as also they drew from others the sins which are remitted to them in baptism. It goes on: And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents.

THEOPHYL. That is, they shall scatter before them serpents, whether intellectual or sensible, as it is said, you shall tread upon serpents and scorpions, which is understood spiritually. But it may also mean sensible serpents, as when Paul received no hurt from the viper. There follows: And if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. We read of many such cases in history, for many persons have drank poison unhurt, by guarding themselves with the sign of Christ. It goes on: They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

GREG. Are we then without faith because we cannot do these signs? Nay, but these things were necessary in the beginning of the Church, for the faith of believers was to be nourished by miracles, that it might increase. Thus we also, when we plant groves, pour water upon them, until we see that they have grown strong in the earth; but when once they have firmly fixed their roots, we leave off irrigating them. These signs and miracles have other things which we ought to consider more minutely.

For Holy Church does every day in spirit what then the Apostles did in body; for when her Priests by the grace of exorcism lay their hands on believers, and forbid the evil spirits to dwell in their minds, what do they, but cast out devils? And the faithful who have left earthly words, and whose tongues sound forth the Holy Mysteries, speak a new language; they who by their good warnings take away evil from the hearts of others, take up serpents; and when they are hearing words of pestilent persuasion, without being at all drawn aside to evil doing, they drink a deadly thing, but it will never hurt them; whenever they see their neighbors growing weak in good works, and by their good example strengthen their life, they lay their hands on the sick, that they may recover. And all these miracles are greater in proportion as they are spiritual, and by them souls and not bodies are raised.

19. So then after the Lord had spoken to them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

PSEUDO-JEROME; The Lord Jesus, who had descended from heaven to give liberty to our weak nature, Himself also ascended above the heavens; wherefore it is said, So then after the Lord had spoken to them, he was received up into heaven.

AUG. By which words He seems to show clearly enough that the foregoing discourse was the last that He spoke to them upon earth, though it does not appear to bind us down altogether to this opinion. For He does not say, After He had thus spoken to them, wherefore it admits of being understood not as if that was the last discourse, but that the words which are here used, After the Lord had spoken to them, he was received into heaven, might belong to all His other discourses. But since the arguments which we have used above make us rather suppose that this was the last time, therefore we ought to believe that after these words, together with those which are recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, our Lord ascended into heaven.

GREG. We have seen in the Old Testament that Elias was taken up into heaven. But the ethereal heaven is one thing, the aerial is another. The aerial heaven is nearer the earth, Elias then was raised into the aerial heaven, that he might be carried off suddenly into some secret region of the earth, there to live in great calmness of body and spirit, until he return at the end of the world, and pay the debt of death. We may also observe that Elias mounted up in a chariot, that by this they might understand that a mere man requires help from without. But our Redeemer, as we read, was not carried up by a chariot, not by angels, because He who had made all things was borne over all by His own power. We must also consider what Mark subjoins, And sat at the right hand of God, since Stephen says, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. Now sitting is the attitude of a judge, standing of one fighting or helping. Therefore Stephen, when toiling in the contest, saw Him standing whom he had for his helper; but Mark describes Him as sitting after His assumption into heaven, because after the glory of His assumption, He will in the end be seen as a judge.

AUG. Let us not therefore understand this sitting as though He were placed there in human limbs, as if the Father sat on the left, the Son on the right, but by the right hand itself we understand the power which He as man received from God, that He should come to judge, who first had come to be judged. For by sitting we express habitation, as we say of a person, he sat himself down in that country for many years; in this way then believe that Christ dwells at the right hand of God the Father. For or He is blessed and dwells in blessedness, which is called the right hand of the Father; for all is right hand there, since there is no misery.

It goes on: And they went forth and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs and wonders.

BEDE; Observe that in proportion as Mark began his history later, so he makes it reach in writing to more distant times, for he began from the commencement of the preaching of the Gospel by John, and he reaches in his narrative those times in which the Apostles sowed the same word of the Gospel throughout the world.

GREG. But what should we consider in these words, if it be not that obedience follows the precept and signs follow the obedience? For the Lord had commanded them, Go into all the world preaching the Gospel, and, you shall be witnesses even to the ends of the earth.

AUG. But how was this preaching fulfilled by the Apostles, since there are many nations in which it has just begun, and others in which it has not yet begun to be fulfilled? Truly then this precept was not so laid upon the Apostles by our Lord, as though they alone to whom He then spoke were to fulfill so great a charge; in the same way as He says, Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world, apparently to them alone; but who does not understand that the promise is made to the Catholic Church, which though some are dying, others are born, shall be here to the end of the world?

THEOPHYL. But we must also know from this that words are confirmed by deeds as then in the Apostles works confirmed their words, for signs followed. Grant then, O Christ, that the good words which we speak may working confirmed by works and deeds, so that at the last, You working with us in word and in deed, we may be perfect, for Yours as is fitting is the glory both of word and deed. Amen.

Catena Aurea Mark 16

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May 10, 2018

Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter

Reading 1 Acts 18:1-8

Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

Alleluia See Jn 14:18

Gospel Jn 16:16-20

May 10, 2018

The Ascension of the Lord

Reading 1 Acts 1:1-11

Responsorial Psalm Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9

Reading 2 Eph 1:17-23

or Eph 4:1-13 or 4:1-7, 11-13

or

Alleluia Mt 28:19a, 20b

Gospel Mk 16:15-20

Readings at Mass