Ascension of the Lord (Cycle C, Year II)
Community Word: The Holy Spirit teaches those who keep the word of God.
Theme: We keep the word of God when we preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name.
Promise: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” (Acts 1:18)
Reflection:
As the Resurrection is the turning point of salvation history, so is the Ascension the apex that marked the beginning of the Kingdom of God. Jesus was taken up to heaven, and returned to the Father in glory, having fulfillment of His mission on earth. Heaven is also the eternal home to which the Father has destined us, because it is His plan that all of us will be with Him forever.
The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord implies that our hope does not consist merely of living in this world, but rather of living in Heaven. God truly wants to share His happiness with all men, and Christ is the bridge to heaven. For where Christ has gone, we hope to follow once our earthly journey is over. This is the joyful hope we share as the safe and sure anchor for our lives. Beyond the boundaries of death and decay, Christ has brought our human nature with Him, and there He now prepares our true home and waits to welcome us, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.”
With His earthly mission over, Jesus instructs His disciples, as well as those who believe in Him, to continue the work He began and to proclaim the salvation He has won “that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name,” (Lk 24:47). Like His first disciples, we are called to follow Christ and proclaim His message to all. But if we are to do so, we must repent of, and renounce our past mistakes and tendency to sin, and put our own lives in good spiritual order. We are to accept forgiveness, just as we are called to forgive others. As His witnesses, we are tasked to preach repentance that forgiveness may be given, the same way Christ taught us through His own example. We are also to testify to the forgiveness and healing we have received, that others may come to believe that God is a merciful Father, who will wash us clean no matter how scarlet our sins may have become. The words of our Lord are words of forgiveness, even while hanging on the cross. The point of His death is to reconcile us with His Father through the forgiveness of our sins, past, present and future.
Jesus’ final words to His apostles are brief and to the point. “I am with you always. Go, teach all nations.” And before sending them on their way, He arms them with the power to carry out their mission. “You will be clothed with power from on high,” (Lk 49:49b), when “the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Ac 1:8). Christ’s ascension reveals the work we must do in order to be His followers. While He is no longer physically present, His words and instructions remain with us through the Church in whose mission we participate by bringing more people to accept and share the love of God. God gives us the mission to preach the gospel using the gifts and talents He has given us, the time He has allotted for us, and ultimately, the very life He has given us. He gives us the opportunity to help save others for whom He paid so dearly.
As we journey in faith, we hope for the day when we will join Christ in the glory of God, just like the disciples who were gazing intently at the sky when Jesus ascended to heaven. But we have now received the promised gifts of the Holy Spirit: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,” (Acts 1:18). Thus, we are to follow Christ and accomplish the work He entrusted to us to be His witnesses, and to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in His name. Christian witnessing is an occasion for purification and rebirth. It is a wonderful opportunity to continue to discover the newness of God’s presence in our lives, that we may indeed be transformed into new creations, a people with new hearts and spirit.
Reflection Questions:
1. Am I experiencing the joy of Easter and Christ’s ascension?
2. As a follower of Christ, how can I witness to His forgiving love among my brothers and sisters in and out of Community?
3. How do I participate in the continuing mission of Evangelization of our Community and Church?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
May 8, 2016 (Sun) Acts 1:1-11/Ps 47:2-3,6-7,8-9/Eph 1:17-23/Lk 24:46-53
May 9, 2016 (Mon) Acts 19:1-8/Ps 68:2-3,4-5,6-7/ Col 3:1/Jn 16:29-33
May 10, 2016 (Tue) Acts 20:17-27/ PS 68:10-11, 20-21/Jn 17:1-11
May 11, 2016 (Wed) Acts 20:28-38/Ps 68:29-30,33-35, 35-36/Jn 17:11-19
May 12, 2016 (Thu) Acts 22:30; 23:6-11/Ps 16:1-2, 5,7-8, 9-10,11/Jn 17:20-26
May 13, 2016 (Fri) Acts 25:13-21/Ps103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20/Jn 21:15-19
May 14, 2016 (Sat) Acts 1:15-17, 20-26/Ps 113:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8/Jn 15:9-17
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
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