Wednesday, May 11, 2016
ASCENSION OF THE LORD
08 May 2016, Sunday
ASCENSION OF THE LORD
Solemnity. White.
Acts 1:1-11 / Heb 9: 24–28; 10:19-23 / Lk 24:46-53
From the 1st Reading: Acts 1:1 – 3, 6 - 11
In the first part of my work, Theophilus, I wrote of all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day he ascended to heaven.
But first he had instructed through the Holy Spirit the apostles he had chosen. After his passion, he presented himself to them, giving many signs that he was alive; over a period of forty days he appeared to them and taught them concerning the kingdom of God. . . .
When they had come together, they asked him, "It is now that you will restore the Kingdom of Israel?" And he answered, "It is not for you to know the time and the steps which the Father has fixed 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, even to the ends of the earth."
After Jesus said this, he was taken up before their eyes and a cloud hid him from their sight. While they were still looking up to heaven where he went, suddenly, two men dressed in white stood beside them and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven, will return in the same way as you have seen him go."
From the 2nd Reading: Heb 10:19 – 23.
So, my friends, we are assured of entering the Sanctuary by the blood of Jesus who opened for us this new and living way passing through the curtain, that is, his body. Because we have a high priest in charge of the House of God, let us approach with a sincere heart, with full faith, interiorly cleansed from a bad conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast to our hope without wavering, because he who promised is faithful.
Gospel Reading: Lk 24:46 – 53.
And he went on, "You see what was written: the Messiah had to suffer and on the third day rise from the dead. Then repentance and forgiveness in his name would be proclaimed to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem, now you shall be witnesses to this. And this is why I will send you what my Father promised. So remain in the city until you are invested with power from above."
Jesus then led them almost as far as Bethany; then he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And as he blessed them, he withdrew (and was taken up to heaven. They worshipped him.) They returned to Jerusalem full of joy and were continually in the Temple praising God.
Reflection
The Lord's Ascension is often compared to a departure, a good-bye to his disciples on earth. The Lord's Ascension is indeed Jesus' departure from this world: his physical absence, the pain of separation and the uncertainty of the future. Yet his Ascension was also very different: "They worshipped him. They returned to Jerusalem full of joy and were continually in the Temple praising God." (Lk 24: 51b-53)
At the passing of anyone, there is that sense of joy and hope coupled with sadness and sorrow. But during the Ascension of Jesus, it seemed as if people were literally feasting. It could have been because of the joy in his return to the Father.
As Jesus ascended into heaven, he was returning home, to where he came from. And the people who saw this likewise returned to where they came from. It is the beauty of coming home, about knowing that one has a home to return to. The Lord's Ascension reminds us again and again that there is a home waiting for us, that someone up there is waiting for us to join him in our home.
Every year as we celebrate the Lord's Ascension we remind ourselves that we are not homeless, that Jesus opens and invites us into our heavenly home. At the second reading from the letter to the Hebrews, we hear: "Christ did not enter some sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself. He is now in the presence of God on our behalf." (Heb 9: 24) We are invited to the same sanctuary, to share in the presence and joy of God.
But home is not somewhere or some state we go to at the end of our lives. Home is the fullness of life which one can live even at the present. And it is not determined by what one does, has or feels, but about what one understands. The spiritual write Henri Nouwen wrote, "We are not what we do. We are not what we have. We are not what others think of us. . . . Coming home is claiming the truth. I am the beloved child of a loving Creator." Home is the silent assurance that one is a beloved child.
The Lord's Ascension brings us back home. It reminds us how home is finding the fullness of life which God desires for us and probably more so, finding the God who is the source of this fullness. And once we find him, we return tour own Jerusalem rejoicing and full of joy.
WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:
BIRTHDAY
Bishop Reynaldo Evengelista, D.D. Bishop of Imus
Cora Morando
Enrique Castillo, Jr
Fidela Pascual
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 4:22 PM 
