Seventh Sunday of Easter

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
Lectionary: 58
First Reading 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. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
.
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.

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.

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.

Second Reading 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

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 EPH 4:1-7, 11-13

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

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.



Overview of the Gospel:

\This Sunday’s Gospel takes up events from the day of the Resurrection after, to the disbelief of the
apostles, Jesus has appeared to several people (Mark 16:1-14). In a greatly compressed account of
events, it ends 40 days later when Jesus ascends into heaven.

\Both Jews and Greeks of the time would have been familiar with stories of heroes that were taken into
heaven (for example, Heracles and, in some extra-biblical accounts, Moses). The major differences
between these myths and the fact of Jesus’ Ascension is that Jesus ascended under his own power
rather than being “taken up,” and that Jesus takes his place in heaven at the right hand of God the
Father, a place of authority equal to the Father’s.

\Through his Ascension, Christ accomplished several things: (1) he went up to heaven body and soul
under his own divine power; (2) he took possession of the Kingdom he had won through his death on
the Cross; (3) he went to prepare us a place in heaven (John 14:2; Revelation 3:21); (4) he sends the
Holy Spirit to his Church at Pentecost.

\The Ascension of Our Lord is the sixth article of the Apostle’s Creed and the second glorious mystery of
the most holy Rosary.



Bible Questions:

+In the 2nd reading verse 20 serves as sort of a “hinge verse” to the rest of the passage. In verses 21-23,
what has Jesus accomplished? In verses 17-19, what promises are ours to claim?

+What is the scope of Jesus’ “Great Commission” (verse 15; Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 24:46-48)? How
far is his Kingdom to spread? Who has primary responsibility for spreading the gospel? Given the
scope of the task, is it physically possible for them to accomplish this alone?

+In what two ways does Jesus tell the apostles they are to spread the gospel (verses 15-16)? Why are
both necessary?

+Examine another account of Jesus’ Ascension into heaven found in this Sunday’s first reading (Acts
1:1-11). How long after the Resurrection did this occur? What will happen ten days later?

+Why was it necessary for Jesus’ disciples to witness his Ascension into heaven? What did his
Ascension accomplish as part of God’s plan of salvation for us? In what two special ways does the
Church invite us to meditate on this mystery?

+Why do you think miracles of the kind mentioned in verses 17-18 were common in the early Church?
Why do they seem less common now? What is the purpose of miracles?
(courtesy of Sunday Scripture Study for Catholics)

Bible Study--Solemnity of the Ascension--Cycle B
(courtesy of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Picayune, MS--Bible Studies)

The revelation we celebrate on this day is that the direct experience of God revealed to men and women in Jesus of Nazareth continues to be experienced when the Body of Christ, the Church, gathers in witness, love and mission. Jesus brought power and hope to people. As He talked, healed, and loved them, they felt the direct presence of God. To be in the company of Jesus was to be in the company of God. Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection. Those appearances were more than their seeing a vision or acknowledging that death could not destroy the Lord. In His appearances Jesus told His disciples that the faithful would continue to experience His presence even though they could no longer see Him. The Holy Spirit would make them aware and sensitive to that presence in the Eucharist. They would feel the same healing power freeing them from their enslavement to sin and guilt. Their vision of life would be enlarged as they grew in their covenant relationship with God.


“Perhaps someone will say within himself, ‘I have already believed, I shall be saved.’ He speaks true if his faith be supported by good works, for that only is true faith, which does not contradict in works what is believed in words.” ~St. Gregory

Thanks for the Word and God Bless.....

you're very welcome, artman54!






please excuse me while a wipe away a few heart-felt tears, as we here in Cleveland celebrate the ordination of more Priests from our Diocese (again, another one from our local Parish, St. Mary's)