First Reading: Acts 1:1-11
Reflection:
This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. After Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, He remained on earth and appeared to many in resurrected form. After forty days (a number indicating preparation in the Bible), Jesus ascended into Heaven, leaving the mission of the Church under the care of the Apostles and promising to send the Holy Spirit as their guide on Pentecost (which we will celebrate on the following Sunday). We relive these events liturgically during the Easter season. In fact, the Solemnity of the Ascension technically falls on the Thursday before this Sunday (exactly 40 days after Easter), but in most dioceses it is moved to the following Sunday. This Sunday’s first reading recounts the Ascension as recorded by Luke in the book of Acts, which is the sequel to the Gospel of Luke.
Why did Jesus ascend? Was He abandoning His followers? By no means! Jesus ascended in order to reign over the kingdom of the Church from heaven. But He did not leave us orphans. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to guide us. In saying to His disciples, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,” He promised the very presence of the divine with them. Jesus is fully God and so is the Holy Spirit. Thus, whether Jesus stayed or ascended, God would be with them (and us)! Jesus, in His flesh, was limited to one geographical location. By ascending and sending the Holy Spirit, the faith could spread to the ends of the earth. Just imagine having to travel to Israel to meet Jesus in-person! Instead, the Holy Spirit dwells within us here and now; and Jesus is present to us in the Eucharist wherever we are in the world. Jesus sent His disciples to be “witnesses” to the ends of the earth, and He promised to give them everything they would need to succeed. The fact that we are following Jesus 2,000 years later is evidence of their success, which was made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Second Reading: Ephesians 1:17-23
Reflection:
Here the Apostle Paul explains what the Holy Spirit offers to us. With the Holy Spirit, we gain “wisdom,” “knowledge” of God, “hope,” an “inheritance,” “ power,” and much more! The Holy Spirit is the very divine life dwelling within us, helping us to know God. Paul then goes on to reference Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. In these two events, which were followed by the giving of the Holy Spirit, we see the identity of Jesus revealed. He is the king of the universe! Jesus sits at the right hand of God in heaven, which indicates a position of the utmost honor and sovereignty. Jesus is no mere creature elevated to this position. He is Himself divine—the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Jesus reigns over all of creation, including the spiritual realm of angels (“every principality, authority, power, and dominion” refers to orders of angels). Specifically, Jesus is the head of the Church, His body. The Church is “the fullness” of Jesus. Therefore, in the Church we can encounter the king of the universe and participate in His work!
Gospel Reading: Mark 16:15-20
Reflection:
Just before His ascension, Jesus commanded His disciples to “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” This statement is called the Great Commission, which is also recorded in Matthew 28:18-20. His exhortation applies to us today just as much as it did to the original disciples. Jesus calls us to spread the gospel to everyone. In fact, at the end of every Mass we are sent out to bring Jesus to the world. Recall one version of the dismissal at Mass: “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord” or, another more common version, “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.” The name “Mass” actually comes from the Latin phrase that these words of dismissal are translated from: Ite, missa est. The Latin word missa is connected to the root word for the English word “mission.” The word “Mass” comes from these same root words. Therefore, the Mass is about the mission of being sent forth to spread the gospel. Yet, we can’t give away what we don’t have. The word “gospel” means “good news.” What is the good news? Simply put, it is Jesus Himself. Jesus is God in the flesh. God became man in order to bring about salvation from sin. All that Jesus did and taught was good news. But even more so, the death and resurrection of Jesus are the center of the gospel. Without Jesus’ death and resurrection, the rest would be meaningless. He died to take all our sins to the grave and He rose to bring us new life and prove victorious over sin and death. As a result, we can have salvation from our sins and communion with God. This is what we commemorate at each Mass and what we experience, in particular, through partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. We receive the resurrected Lord in the Eucharist and we are empowered by the Holy Spirit and then we are sent out to “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”
Application:
- Jesus calls us to be His witnesses to the world by spreading the gospel. The Holy Spirit gives us everything we need to succeed. Who will you share the good news with this week? Look for opportunities to share Jesus with people in your spheres of influence and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in those moments.
