Sunday 12 May 2013
The Feast of the Ascension C
Acts 1:1-11.
Psalm 46:2-3. 6-7. 8-9. Rv.6. Ephesians 1:17-23. Luke 24:46-53
You will be my witnesses,
indeed to the ends of the earth.
God is king of all the earth. Sing praise with
all your skill
May he enlighten your mind so
that so you can see what hope his call holds for you.
Repentance for the forgiveness
of sins should be preached to all nations.
First reading
Acts
1:1-11
As the Apostles were
looking on, Jesus was lifted up.
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.”
This is the continuation of Luke’s first book,
which is the Gospel. In the Gospel we see how Jesus was filled with the Holy
Spirit at the Jordan and then began his ministry which culminated in his death
and Resurrection. His earthly life and mission have now been completed and he
returns to his Father. However, he will not leave the world. He comes to it in
the form of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus because the
Holy Spirit is the mutual Love of the Father and the Son. He will send the Holy
Spirit on his disciples then and throughout the ages and nations. Those who
receive him will have the Spirit of Jesus within them and he himself will be
multiplied throughout the world. As St. Paul says “I am crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”. The more we receive the
Spirit of Jesus, the more we crucify all evil in us and indeed all our own
desires and Jesus works through us.
Psalm
Psalm
47:2-3,6-7,8-9
God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare
of trumpets for the Lord.
or
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.
God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare
of trumpets for the Lord.
or
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.
God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare
of trumpets for the Lord.
or
Alleluia.
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.
God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare
of trumpets for the Lord.
or
Alleluia.
Second reading
Ephesians
1:17-23
God seated Jesus at
his right hand in the heavens.
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.
The Holy Spirit within us is the guarantee of
the truth of our faith. He gives us the wisdom to see the wonder of the
Christian life and the living hope that it extends to us. Through God’s love
and mercy we will become like him in divine glory.
Gospel Acclamation
Matthew
28:19a, 20b
Alleluia, alleluia.
Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;
I am with you always, until the end of the
world.
Alleluia, alleluia.
____________________
Gospel
Luke
24:46-53
As he blessed them,
he was taken up to heaven.
Jesus said to his disciples: “Thus it is
written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these
things. And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in
the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed
them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They
did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were
continually in the temple praising God.
Do you witness?
Jesus came to this world on a mission. The
world was in darkness and death the end to an aimless life. Jesus came to
reconcile us with God and give us the invitation to become the children of God.
He lived among us and was God’s love made visible. He revealed God’s love by
healing the sick, forgiving sinners even until his death on the Cross. His Father rewarded him by raising him to
life and seating him on his right hand.
He walked the earth only for a few years but
he must give the invitation to everyone throughout the world and throughout the
ages. Humiliated and mocked on the Cross he had died offering his life for us. Because
of this, God gave him all authority in heaven and on earth. Today we celebrate
his return to the Father.
His mission is by no
means finished. He handed it on to his disciples. It is for them to proclaim to
the world that he is Lord, reconciles us with God, and offers us the Holy
Spirit to become children of God. “You will be my witnesses even to the ends of
the earth.” This is the mission of all his disciples down through the ages until
the end of time.
As witnesses, his
disciples will proclaim what they have seen and experienced. The disciples had
spent time with Jesus, eaten, and drunk with him after his Resurrection. In the
same way, if we are to be his witnesses we too must experience him in our
lives. We must know him personally. Without experiencing his goodness and compassion,
we will never be able to witness. Is the reason why so many do not witness to
Jesus because they do not know him, but only know about him?
After his Ascension, the disciples returned to Jerusalem in great joy. They were full of
enthusiasm to receive the Spirit and begin the mission. The Ascension tells us
that we are all to be witnesses.
“Do not leave Jerusalem
till you have received power” .We need to be anointed by the Holy Spirit as the
disciples were on Pentecost day. Only Spirit filled people can witness to the
world. Pentecost is for everyone.
For too long we have experienced an attitude
of dependency and immaturity in the Church whereby we have left everything to
the hierarchy and to the priests. The Church has suffered and still suffers
from this clericalism. The faithful have not been encouraged to use the
manifold gifts of the Spirit. Now is the time for all members of the Church to
carry the responsibility of witnessing to Jesus as Lord. The gifts bestowed on
the laity for mission should be given free rein to bring the Gospel to the
world and the world to Christ.
How can you witness to Jesus?
Father, may we not just look up
to heaven but go forth to bring light to the world by our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment