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Galatea
05-20-2004, 12:19 AM
Reading I
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/acts/acts1.htm#v1

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."

Responsorial Psalm
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/psalms/psalm148.htm#v1

Ps 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.

Reading II
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/ephesians/ephesians1.htm#v17

Eph 1:17-233

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.

Gospel
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/luke/luke24.htm#v46

Lk 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.

Galatea
05-20-2004, 12:20 AM
Homily Reflection

Why did Jesus leave his beloved apostles forty days after his resurrection? Forty is a significant number in the scriptures. Moses went to the mountain to seek the face of God for forty days in prayer and fasting. The people of Israel were in the wilderness for forty years in preparation for their entry into the promised land. Elijah fasted for forty days as he journeyed in the wilderness to the mountain of God. For forty days after his resurrection Jesus appeared numerous times to his disciples to assure them that he had risen indeed and to prepare them for the task of carrying on the work which he began during his earthy ministry.

"Remain in the city until you are invested with power from above." In other words, learn patience, learn how to wait; and unlearn the tendency to leap in, feet first. There is an urgency about the Gospel, but it is the part of wisdom to wait till the right time. Nowadays especially it's hard to wait. There are sects in which the 'Elders' are not necessarily out of their teens! The Gospel is badly served by someone who is just restless or ambitious, or merely brainless. When there is no wisdom there are only advertising techniques.

Within oneself too there is a need to learn how to wait and not jump in with ready answers. Julian of Norwich, deeply immersed in a difficult question, wrote, "I decided to stop puzzling over this, and to look to the Lord, and see what he would show me."

There are two kinds of useless answer: to a question that has not been asked, and to a question that cannot be answered. Religious people, unfortunately, are ever ready with both kinds of useless answer. We pray today that the Holy Spirit, who so often drives people into very vocal prayer (see the end of today's reading), may also drive us sometimes, as Jesus was driven, into the desert - the place of silence and solitude.

Jesus' departure and ascension into heaven was both an end and a beginning for his disciples. While it was the end of Jesus' physical presence with his beloved disciples, it marked the beginning of Jesus' presence with them in a new way. Jesus promised that he would be with them always to the end of time. He assured them of his power -- a power which overcame sin and death. Now as the glorified and risen Lord and Savior, ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, Jesus promised to give them the power of his Holy Spirit, which we see fulfilled ten days later on the Feast of Pentecost (Luke 24:49 and Acts 2:1-4). When the Lord Jesus departed physically from the apostles, they were not left alone or powerless. Jesus assured them of his presence and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our lives are full of "transitions." We are always moving from one relatively comfortable place to a new and unfamiliar place. Graduating, getting married, having a baby, starting a new job, facing new responsibilities, moving into a new home, facing the death of a loved one, recovering from the breakup of a relationship, beginning to see a therapist, recovering from a heart attack, living with cancer - all of these, and many more personal examples we know in our experience, are transitions. They take us from what we know, into the unknown. They present us with a new mission, a new orientation, a new challenge, a new moment in our vocation, a new part of living our baptism into Jesus. Today we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord into Heaven. It is the feast of transition. In Luke's account, in the Acts of the Apostles, the very last words of Jesus to us are "you will be my witnesses ... to the ends of the earth." Like the first disciples who heard those words, our transitional growth is from being tentative, afraid, anxious followers to being those who have received "power" when the Holy Spirit "comes upon" us. Our mission is to replace Jesus in this world. The power of his Holy Spirit remains with us, but we are his "witnesses" in this world. The Greek word Luke uses here is "martures." We are to be his "martyrs" - giving witness, giving evidence of our faith, with the commitment of our lives.

But times of transition are difficult. We often cling to what we know, and are afraid of what we don't know. It's called a time of "transition" because we are "in between." We are usually still longing for something that we must leave behind, some distinct loss. What is before us offers new challenges we haven't gotten good at yet.

So often we feel "power-less," quite impotent and insecure, on so many levels. We are not able to do so much, let alone be a witness of Jesus. It is too often why we cover-up our fear and assert ourselves, in acts of power or control or aggression. We become "counter-witnesses" - in effect, saying: "the power of Jesus' Spirit isn't here!" Embarrassment at our powerless-ness or our "in-apt-itude" need not lead us into discouragement or aggressivity in our dealings with our loved ones and others. Jesus invites us to long for, to deeply desire, the power of his Spirit. Only that power can help us and heal us. The Holy Spirit is a spirit of comfort [cum - forte: with strength], to strengthen us in a deeply spiritual way.

On this day of the Ascension of our Lord, which introduces this time of transition to our life in the Spirit, our life of mission, let us express our desire for a renewal of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let us imagine the healing presence of the Spirit in each of our relationships. This is where we will begin to witness to Jesus. Let us imagine how we can die to ourselves in our key relationships. From there, our witnessing can begin to go out "to the ends of the earth."

If we are able to celebrate in community today, let's prepare by not looking up into heaven. Let's imagine ourselves "on a mission," as we get dressed today. As we walk into church, let's feel the power of letting the Spirit "assemble" us there and "animate" us for mission. And, let us lift up our hearts, because it is right for us to give God thanks and praise. And with a renewed desire to celebrate the upcoming feast of Pentecost, let us walk out of that church ready to begin our mission at home, in our faith communities, and with our relatives and friends.

Jesus' last words to his apostles point to his saving mission and to their mission to be witnesses of his saving death and his glorious resurrection and to proclaim the good news of salvation to all the world. Their task is to proclaim the good news of salvation, not only to the people of Israel, but to all the nations. God's love and gift of salvation is not just for a few, or for a nation, but it is for the whole world -- for all who will accept it. The gospel is the power of God, the power to forgive sins, to heal, to deliver from evil and oppression, and to restore life. Do you believe in the power of the gospel?

This is the great commission which the risen Christ gives to the whole church. All believers have been given a share in this task -- to be heralds of the good news and ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the only savior of the world. We have not been left alone in this task, for the risen Lord works in and through us by the power of his Holy Spirit. Today we witness a new Pentecost as the Lord pours out his Holy Spirit upon his people to renew and strengthen the body of Christ and to equip it for effective ministry and mission world-wide. Do you witness to others the joy of the gospel and the hope of the resurrection?

“Lord Jesus, through the gift of your Holy Spirit, you fill us with an indomitable spirit of praise and joy which no earthly trial can subdue. Fill me with your resurrection joy and help me to live a life of praise and thanksgiving for your glory. May I witness to those around me the joy of the gospel and the reality of your resurrection.”

RobNJ
05-20-2004, 04:28 AM
:)

LeezaS
05-20-2004, 07:11 AM
:)

Chamellie
05-20-2004, 07:34 AM
:)

CrabbyBull
05-20-2004, 09:26 PM
:) went to church today, but missed most of the readings b/c DS had a bad case of the wiggles. :sigh: