—The Ascension of the Lord – Year C
The Ascension of the Lord—Year C Reading I Acts 1:1-11In the first book, Theophilus,I dealt with all that Jesus did and taughtuntil the day he was taken up,after giving instructions through the Holy
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. ”
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.
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.
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.
Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:19-23
Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary
with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly
from the foundation of the world.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that men and women die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus
we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary
by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,
that is, his flesh,
and since we have “a great priest over the house of God,”
let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,
with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed in pure water.
Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,
for he who made the promise is trustworthy.
Matthew 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.
Luke 24:46-53
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.
Acts 1:1-11
Some years ago, I led a bible study on the Gospel of Luke and immediately followed with a study
of the Acts of the Apostles. In that experience I was struck by the seamless transition of the mission
of Jesus from His earthly life to His Body the Church. As the Risen Lord appeared to Saul
He said, “Saul, Saul why do you persecute Me.” He makes no distinction between Himself and
His Church. The terms in verse eight, i.e., power, Spirit, come upon, echo the words of the angel
to Mary in the Annunciation. The same Spirit who brought forth Christ in the womb of Mary is
about to bring forth the Church in the world.1 In fact there are striking parallels with the Ascension
scene and the entire Annunciation proclamation. (See Lk 1: 5-80).
Throughout the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is portrayed as a Spirit filled, a Spirit led, and a Spirit giving
person. Now Luke begins this next era of the mission of Jesus by the Baptism of the Holy
Spirit on the Church. Now the promise of John the Baptist is being fulfilled, “On whomever you
see the Spirit come down and remain, He is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” (Jn
1:33)
I once asked the question during one of my school Mass homilies: “Why did the Risen Lord
spend 40 days on earth before He ascended into heaven?” A little girl responded, “Because He
still had to teach us some stuff.” What did He teach us? He taught us that there is a continuity
between this life and the next. The wounds in His hands and feet and in His side were visible.
He appeared in His glorified body that now transcended the laws of time and space. He ate and
drank with the apostles. The Risen Lord showed us a world beyond death. He taught us that
God’s love is more powerful than death. Most of all He empowered and commissioned the apostles
and us to continue His mission, to bring the good news of salvation to the whole world.
The Ascension always recalls for me the Transfiguration. The two angels, otherworldly figures,
Elijah and Moses dead for hundreds of years and now alive, the mountaintop, the cloud, and the
witness of the apostles all seem to tie the Transfiguration and the Ascension together. The Transfiguration,
like the Ascension, gives us a glimpse into the world beyond. God wants us to know
that there is a world beyond this world, a world beyond our sight.
He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered. The Greek word
translated as alive is zao which is a form of zoe (life). This word for alive or life describes
something beyond biological life (bios), it describes life in the Spirit, having its source the
breath of God. Zao is present twice in the final chapter of Luke. “They (the angels) said to
them why to you seek the living (zao) among the dead?” (Lk 24: 5). On the Road to Emmaus
the disciples proclaim: “Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find His body; they came back and
reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that He was alive
(zao).” (Lk 24: 22-23). In the Bread of Life Discourse of John’s Gospel, Jesus uses the
words zoe/zao numerous times including ascribing it to His Father: “As the living (zao) Father
sent Me…” Jesus assures us that God is the source of this life; it is the life breath of
God, or the Holy Spirit.
The Resurrection appearances of the Risen Lord are a passing of the torch and a call to action.
They conclude with the Ascension and the words of the angels, “Why do you stand there looking
at the sky?” In other words, get moving!
1. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, The New Testament, Ignatius Press, S.F. page 207, F.N. 1:8.
Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
Psalm 47 consists of ten verses. It is titled The Ruler of all the Nations. The psalm depicts Yahweh
as the ruler of all the nations including the rulers of all the nations.
Psalm 47 is believed to be an enthronement psalm that was used to begin a synagogue liturgy.
More specifically it was an enthronement hymn celebrating the new year and celebrating the kinship
of God. Scholars believe that this psalm was written during the time of King David and
King Solomon. An enthronement celebration is recorded in 2 Kings that gives us a sample of
what comprised an enthronement ceremony. “They proclaimed him king and anointed him, clapping
their hands and shouting, ‘Long live the king!’” (2 Kgs 11: 12). “The captains and the trumpeters
were near him, with all of the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets.” (2 Kgs
11: 14). The image of Yahweh enthroned as king dates as early as Exodus Chapter 15: “And You
brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance; the place where You
made Your seat, O Lord, the sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands established. The Lord shall
reign forever and ever.” (Ex 15: 17-18).
Yahweh is praised as Elyon, i.e. awesome or Most High. The image of Elyon is an epithet of
Yahweh taken from Canaanite polytheism.2 Elyon was the most powerful overlord of both the
divine world as well as the human realm. The focus of God as Lord of both heaven and earth is
fitting for the feast of the Ascension.
Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise … sing hymns of praise.
The Hebrew word that it translated as hymn is maskil. It is the word that we generally translate
as psalm. Maskil was used to describe a contemplative poem, wisdom song, and ultimately
a worship or liturgical song as we know it today. The psalmist is calling on all of
heaven and earth to sing praises to God.
There is a universal call to worship and praise Yahweh in this psalm. Verse ten calls on the
rulers of all the nations to join with the people of Abraham to worship Yahweh. “The princes
of the peoples assemble with the people of the God of Abraham. For the rulers of the earth
belong to God, who is enthroned on high.” (Ps 47: 10).
2. Brown, Fitzmyer, Murphy; New Jerome Biblical Commentary; P.H. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. page 543.
Luke 24: 46-53
Our pericope today is the final scene in the Luke’s Gospel. It serves as the conclusion of the Gospel and facilitates a transition to Luke’s second work, The Acts of the Apostles. Our se-lected passage takes place after the two disciples on the road to Emmaus return and find the eleven and those with them gathered together in Jerusalem, presumably in the Upper Room. The Risen Lord appears to them and greets them, “Peace be with you.” Jesus then shows them the wounds in His hands and in His feet and asked for something to eat. Jesus eats a piece of cooked fish to show He is not a ghost but has flesh and bones. This gives the disci-ples and us a glimpse of the promised glorified, resurrected body.
Peter, James and John had already witnessed the glorified, transfigured body of Jesus on the Mount of the Transfiguration. “And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of the exodus that He was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.” (Lk 9: 31). Now the exodus has been accomplished on the Mount of Calvary in Jerusalem. The days for his being taken up are now fulfilled. Again, the apostles must recall the focus of Jesus as He came down the Mount of the Transfiguration. “When the days for His being taken up were fulfilled, He resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.” (Lk 9: 51).
Now that the time of fulfillment has come, the prophesies of the Messiah have reached ful-fillment in the Paschal Mystery, it is time for the Church, His Body on earth, to continue Christ’s mission. The work of proclamation, metanoia, forgiveness and mercy must be brought to all humanity, to all the nations of earth, beginning in Jerusalem. Luke’s Gospel began in Jerusalem and ended in Jerusalem. The Acts of the Apostles will begin again in Je-rusalem with the Ascension scene. The events of the Holy Spirit ushering in something new are strikingly similar to the infancy narrative of Luke’s Gospel.
“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.” The Greek word translated as sending is apostello. Jesus reveals Himself as the one who is sent by the Father, recall the words of Jesus in the Last Supper Discourse, “As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.”
The promise of the Father is the Holy Spirit. “Exalted at the right hand of God, He re-ceived the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you see and hear.” (Acts 2: 33).
The image of the Holy Spirit clothing, enveloping and overshadowing is prominent is Sacred Scripture. In First Chronicles enveloped or clothed Amasai such that he could speak with authority. “Then the Spirit enveloped (labash) Amasai, the chief of the Thirty, who spoke: ‘We are yours, O David, we are with you, O son of Jesse. Peace, peace to you, and peace to him who helps you; your God it is who helps you.’” (1 Chr 12: 18). In the Anunciation narrative the Holy Spirit enveloped or overshadowed Mary. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” (Lk 1 :35).
It was common for a prophet to pass portion of the Spirit to his successor. “When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask for whatever I may do for you, before I am taken from you.’ Elisha answered, ‘May I receive a double portion of your Spirit’” (2 Kgs 2: 9).
Then he led them out as far as Bethany. The Greek word translated as led is exagein. It is the same word used in the LXX to describe the exodus, Yahweh leading His people out of slavery in Egypt though the desert to the Promised Land.
John 14:23-29
This weekend’s Gospel is taken from the Last Supper Discourse of John’s Gospel. Jesus
has just gotten up from the table and washed the feet of His disciples. When finished He
began to speak to His disciples. After the brief introduction, our entire passage today is a
direct quote from Jesus, every word comes directly from His mouth. These are important
parting words of Jesus. Our pericope is under a portion of the Discourse that is titled The
Promise of the Holy Spirit, or The Advocate.
“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will
come to him and make our dwelling with him.” The Greek word for love throughout his
section of the Gospel is agape. As this word evolves through the NT it is clearly recognized
as absolute self-giving love. John would later write in his First Letter, “God is
love (agape).” Therefore, God is the source of this love. Only in God can we love as
He first loved us. This union with God, His indwelling presence, is available to all who
open themselves to Him by keeping His word in fidelity and in faith. It is important to
note the Trinitarian nature of this indwelling gift of divine life. Jesus is talking of the
indwelling presence of the Spirit and the Father and promising, We will come to him.
Through the Pascal Mystery, God promises to abide with us here on earth so that we
may one day abide in God. (See Rev 21-22).
“I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all
that I told you.” The expression the Holy Spirit, appears only once in Sacred Scripture,
and is a promise of Jesus in this passage. The gift of the Holy Spirit will enlighten our
hearts and minds with all things of God.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it
to you.” Jesus is offering to the world His peace. The Greek word for peace here is
eirenen. The Hebrew/Aramaic word for peace translated to eirenen is shalom. The
connotation of the word shalom is much deeper than lack of war or discord. It is seen
as a gift from God. In fact, Scripture foretells the Messiah to be the bringer of shalom.
“For a child is born to us, a son given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him
Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace (Shalom). His dominion is
vast and forever peaceful.” (Is 9: 5-6). “Peace (shalom), peace to the far and near, says the
Lord; and I will heal them. (Is 57: 19). “Greater will be the future glory of this house than
the former says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give peace, says the Lord of
Hosts.” (Hag 2: 9).
“And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.”
John ends the body of his Gospel with the words: “These (words) are written
that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that
through this belief you may have life in His name.” (Jn 21: 31). Belief is necessary to
possess eternal life. Faith is both gift and response. The indwelling Spirit unites us
with God, as Jesus and the Father are one, by the bond of the Holy Spirit, the bond of
love.
This weekend we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord. Christian art depicts Jesus as ris-ing into the atmosphere and disappearing from sight. Scripture tells us that “He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him from their sight…” (Acts 1:9) St. Paul writes in his Letter to the Ephesians: “What does ‘he ascended’ mean except that he also descended into the lower re-gions of the earth? The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.” (Eph 4:10) In the Apostles Creed we say the He de-scended into Hell. In the original Creed it was said that He descended to the depth of Hell. Jesus traveled to the depth of God forsakenness for us, then was raised from the dead and ascended to the highest heavens, so that in the words of St. Paul He might “fill all things.”
This is what the Ascension, and the feast of Pentecost that follows, is all about. It is about the divine life of God pouring into our world, “filling all things.” To make this possi-ble Jesus enters fully into our humanity. He travels to the depth of God forsakenness on the Cross. He cried out, “My God, My God why have you forsaken Me.” He descended into the darkness of the tomb, into the depth of emptiness, He allows Himself to die a real death, i.e., separation from the Father. He descended into our humanity to redeem our fallen hu-man nature, to transform and transfigure our existence.
The Resurrection and the Ascension are about the rising of humanity. We are now able to resurrect and to ascend to a new level of existence. We are now able to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in a new way. We are able to receive the indwelling of divine life, from the pouring out of God’s life as at Pentecost. Once He was with us as He walked the dusty roads in Palestine. He was present to many, to the crowds that gathered around Him. After He was raised from the dead He appeared to the Apostles and to many people at various times over a 40-day period. Now He is present to all for all of time and all of eternity. Now as St. Augustine used to say, “He is closer to us than we are to ourselves.”
The gift of Pentecost that we now await is the gift of divine life pouring into our world. God now wants to mediate His life into and through us. We are called to become earthen vessels, united to Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, bearing the fruits of that Spirit in our world. Love, joy and peace must fill us and then flow from us into the world around us. As we come to the altar this weekend, we should think about how we can become the gift that we receive, the Body of Christ. When we do that, we ascend to a new level of being. Our calling is to become Spirit filled, Spirit led, and Spirit giving disciples of Jesus.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of us your faithful and enkindle within us the fire of Your love!
Yours in Jesus and Mother Mary,
As a priest I feel strongly that God has been calling me to assure people of His amazing love for them. As I ask God daily in prayer what He wants me to communicate, repeatedly I hear the response of God, “Tell them how much I love them and tell them often. Everyone exists because of My love. I do not want a world without them.”
During most of my years of priesthood I have been blessed to be the pastor of a parish with a Catholic elementary school. One of my great joys was celebrating the school Mass with the children at least weekly. At every Mass I would assure the children that God loved them, and that God did not want a world without them. Once during one of my homilies I asked a rhetorical question, “how often have I told you that God loves you.” The little girl that had a nak for answering without being called on blurted out, “About a bajillion times.”
A mother of one of our school families was killed in a tragic domestic accident. That evening, I was sitting with the father, two young children, ages 6 and 7, and the grandpar-ents. There were no words to comfort the shock and grief that we all felt. The seven-year-old child looked at me in the silence and asked, “Father, if God does not want a world with-out my mother, how come she is gone, and I will never see her again?” I will never forget the look on that child’s face. I had no answer.
That night I was not able to sleep. I was holding the bible in my hand and was moved to read the Book of Job. Like Job, I was angry with God and was searching for answers. Job demands a meeting with God and God grants his wish. In the end Job stands in awe and says, “I have dealt with things that I do not understand; things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know.” (Job 42:3) The standard answer to the question, why do bad things happen to good people, is that there is no answer in this life and that we are asked to have faith and trust in God. That night that answer was not good enough for me, I was demanding more from God.
About 3 a.m. I was on my third or fourth reading of the Book of Job. I was in that section that is entitled The Lord’s Speech, which covers four chapters, i.e. 38-41. God responds to Job and takes him on a whirlwind tour of creation. I fell asleep wondering why.
That morning, I had a dream. God said, “It is true, I do not want a world without Mary (deceased mom), but the world is bigger than the world that you can see right now.” When I awoke, I realized that like Job, God had taken me to a place beyond my questions, beyond my grief. To God all are alive. He is God of the living and the dead.
In the Ascension scene we are told that the Risen Lord was simply taken from their sight. However, He came to show us a world beyond physical sight and the physical senses. I now see the Incarnation, the Paschal Mystery, and the totality of Sacred Scripture as the revela-tion of a world beyond the world that we can see. God wants us to know that His world, the world He desires to share with us is bigger than the world in which we now live.
Through the gift of His Paschal Mystery, through the gift of His dying and rising, through the gift of His Ascension, and though the gift of Pentecost we are able to experience this Spiritual realm. This is now possible “with the eyes of our hearts enlightened” by the Holy Spirit to see as God sees and know as God knows, and to God all are alive. It is a big and wonderful world that God wants to share with us, and for that we should all be grateful!
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The Fourth Sunday of Easter—Year C Reading I Acts 13:14, 43-52Paul and Barnabas continued on from Pergaand reached Antioch in Pisidia.On the sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats.Many Jews and
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