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“The Ascension”
by Gebhard Fugel, 1893-1894 |
Readings for the Feast of the Ascension [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
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."
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Commentary on Acts 1:1-11
These are the introductory comments of St. Luke, as he begins the
Acts of the Apostles. Like any well written story, he connects the events that
have just taken place in his first volume, the Gospel of Luke, with what will
follow.
Using the interval of days, Luke links the resurrection, Christ’s
glorification, and his ascension with the appearance of the Holy Spirit – the paschal
mystery. Christ’s departure marks the end of his direct involvement with the
Apostles, except for his appearance to Paul on the road to Damascus. The
passage concludes with a unique description of the actual event of Jesus being
taken into heaven.
CCC: Acts 1:1-2 512; Acts 1:3 659; Acts 1:6-7 672; Acts 1:7 474, 673; Acts 1:8 672, 730, 735, 857, 1287; Acts 1:9 659, 697; Acts 1:10-11 333; Acts 1:11 665
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
Psalm 47 is a hymn of praise celebrating God’s
enthronement and kingship over the people. The imagery in the second strophe
(v. 6) strongly suggests the movement of the Ark of the Covenant being
processed and installed as part of this celebration. The song concludes with a
proclamation of the universal claim of God – King of all the earth.
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Reading II: Ephesians 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.
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Commentary on Eph 1:17-23
The selection provided is part of St. Paul’s introductory comments
to the Ephesians. His focus in this passage underlines the enlightenment
flowing from the Holy Spirit. The final sentences provide an understanding of
the power assumed by the Lord as he ascends to the Father.
The prayer for enlightenment promotes the idea that only through
an understanding of God’s great sacrifice can the hope offered by the Savior be
realized. The Apostle emphasizes the power and majesty of Jesus, placing his
sacrifice in perspective: “he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as
head over all things.” How much love was shown to God’s creation by offering up
one whose state is so exalted? St. Paul’s concluding verse also introduces his
concept of the Church as the living body of Christ, a theme that he developed
in earlier letters to other congregations (cf. Romans 12: 4f; 1 Corinthians 12:12ff).
CCC: Eph 1:16-23 2632; Eph 1:18 158; Eph 1:19-22 272, 648; Eph 1:20-22 668; Eph 1:22-23 830; Eph 1:22 669, 753, 2045
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Or: Ephesians 4:1-13
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.
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.
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Commentary on Eph 4:1-13
St. Paul issues his plea for unity in this passage. He defines
unity, through his analogy and example, as more than just sharing a belief in
Christ. Unity is exemplified by the gifts (and grace) given by Christ. The
apostle uses a quote from an older form of Psalm 68:18-19 (the psalm itself
depicts Yahweh leading Israel to salvation, St. Paul sees in this image Jesus'
entry to the new Jerusalem) to describe how Jesus (metaphorically capturing the
spirits of the faithful) brought gifts to each person. The reference “he also
descended” likely refers to Christ’s incarnation rather than to his descent
following his crucifixion.
St. Paul continues his discourse enumerating the leadership gifts
given to “building up the Body of Christ,” bringing the fledgling Church to
maturity. In maturity, the apostle tells the Ephesians, they will resist those
who teach falsely and become more unified in the love they share.
CCC: Eph 4-6 1454; Eph 4-5 1971; Eph 4:2 2219; Eph 4:3-5 866; Eph 4:3 814; Eph 4:4-6 172, 249, 2790; Eph 4:7 913; Eph 4:8-10 661; Eph 4:9-10 611, 2795; Eph 4:9 633, 635; Eph 4:10 668; Eph 4:11-16 794; Eph 4:11-13 669; Eph 4:11 1575; Eph 4:13 674, 695, 2045
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Or: Ephesians 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.
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.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Eph 4:1-7, 11-13
St. Paul enjoins the church at Ephesus to holiness and unity as part
of his instructions on what it means to live the Christian life. Through one
baptism (“the call you have received”) we are united in Christ and
through Christ to God the Father. While humility is not in the Greek lists as a
virtue, the evangelist raises self-effacing service of others to this status
(see also 1
Corinthians 13:4, Galatians
5:22, and Colossians 3:12).
He goes on speaking of the unity of different parts of the living
body of Christ, the Church, saying that different gifts were given (similar
lists are found at Romans
12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:1-31). He
begins the list of gifts with those of spiritual leadership; apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These have been called to service
to others.
CCC: Eph 4-6 1454; Eph 4-5 1971; Eph 4:2 2219; Eph 4:3-5 866; Eph 4:3 814; Eph 4:4-6 172, 249, 2790; Eph 4:7 913; 913; 4:11-16 794; Eph 4:11-13 669; Eph 4:11 1575; Eph 4:13 674, 695, 2045
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Gospel: Mark 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.
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Commentary on Mk 16:15-20
The verse just prior to this passage, which is the ending of St.
Mark’s Gospel, indicates that the disciples are still not sure what has
happened (typical of the image we have of the disciples in St. Mark's Gospel).
Jesus comes to them at table, rebuking them for their unbelief. That sets the
stage for this commissioning address by the Lord. Once again the disciples, now
Apostles, are sent into the world with God’s blessing. This action is important
because it supports the universal mission of the Twelve. In response to the
Lord's instructions the Apostles went into the world, accompanied by the Holy
Spirit ("while the Lord worked with them"). They demonstrated
the truth that is Christ risen.
CCC: Mk 16:15-16 977, 1223; Mk 16:15 888; Mk 16:16 161, 183, 1253, 1256, 1257; Mk 16:17-18 670, 1507; Mk 16:17 434, 1673; Mk 16:18 699; Mk 16:19 659, 659; Mk 16:20 2, 156, 670
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Reflection:
According to St. Luke’s comments in the introduction
to the Acts of the Apostles, we have now celebrated the first forty days of the
Easter season in which the Lord made appearances to the disciples. He
reassured them and brought them to final understanding of the events that had
transpired and the role they were to play going forward.
With this event, the Lord takes his leave of
them, not to be seen again in the flesh and only by St.
Paul explicitly. From this point forward the apostles (we call them
that from this time forward because the have moved from the role of pupil to
that of teacher) are tasked with taking the Word and the Way to the people of
the world without Jesus' presence. Well, that’s not exactly true, is
it? They are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, the third of the three Persons
in One God to guide and sustain them. But that is next week’s story.
For us the Feast of the Ascension has an
important inference, a lesson, if you will, about our own call and role.
Since we constantly look for signs that the Lord has called us to do something
definite or that he has some plan for us, this event helps us understand where
we are to seek that guidance.
We know that the Lord has taken his leave of
this earth until he comes again. We see that, with his closest friends,
he has told them that they are to take the Word and the Way to the whole
world. They must have been daunted by that enormous task, but they
accepted what he asked of them. With incredibly little support and not
inconsiderable resistance they started doing what he asked them. They
literally took it one step at a time. What the Lord’s Ascension said to
them was that the baton had been passed. The Lord had ended one chapter
in the salvation of the world and started another. The new model is the
one where we ask for guidance and the Holy Spirit delivers it. It is, in
effect, our rite of passage. From today we stand on our own. It is a
proud day for the Lord.
Pax
[1]
Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2]
The picture used is “The Ascension” by Gebhard Fugel, 1893-1894.[3]
S.S. Commemoratio[4]
The
readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm
and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
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