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 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 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 2 - EPH 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.
Alleluia - MT 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.
Gospel -MT 28:16-20 The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been
given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded
you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
This week, we celebrate the solemnity of the Ascension.
The word “ascension” means the act of rising up.”
The Ascension was when Jesus went up, body and soul, into Heaven to rule the world.
This doesn’t mean that he just leaves us, or that he is not part of our lives, or that
he doesn’t care what happens to us.
Actually, in the Gospel, Jesus says, “I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
The Ascension gives us hope that through God’s grace, our bodies will be changed and made
whole like Jesus’, so that we can live in heaven forever.
The Ascension also gives us hope that he will come again.
We hear: “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.”
The Ascension also tells us about God’s kingdom on Earth.
In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, before Jesus went up into Heaven,
the apostles asked him: "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to
Israel?"
The apostles were wondering when Jesus would act like a king, the king of Israel and the
world.
Jesus told them that they weren’t supposed to know when it’s going to happen.
Still, he tells us about how it will happen: “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
(...) and to the ends of the earth.”
He says, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.”
This will happen through us because Jesus wants us to help build the kingdom of God,
using the power of the Holy Spirit.
He goes to Heaven to direct us.
The story of Christianity didn’t just end when Jesus ascended into Heaven.
It continues with you and me.
This mission to be witnesses of God isn’t just for “special people.”
We have all been given tools by the Holy Spirit.
We should ask ourselves: How can I serve others today?
Little by little, we can help bring people together into God’s kingdom of love and
build God’s kingdom in our hearts.
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