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Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

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This Sunday the Church in the USA celebrates the Ascension of the Lord, the moment Jesus, after the resurrection, left us to join his Father in Heaven.  Traditionally the Ascension is celebrated on the Thursday before the 7th Sunday of Easter, 40 days after the resurrection, and 10 days before Pentecost.  The US bishops, however, have opted to celebrate this important Solemnity on Sunday because its message and meaning are important aspects of our faith tradition and should not be missed.

The Word for the Ascension of the Lord
Acts 1:1-11
Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
Ephesians 1:17-23, or 4:1-13, or 4:1-7, 11-13
Mark 16:15-20

We open with the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles.  This book, the sequel to Luke's Gospel, begins like all great sequels, with a recapping of the story thus far.  Like any good writer, Luke takes this time to give us some additional details that were not included in his gospel.  This is the story we hear today in our first reading, and this is the story that gives the Church its traditional history of these events (like the 40 days between the Resurrection and the Ascension, the 10 days to Pentecost).  The point of the story isn't so much that of Jesus leaving us but of what happens after that moment – when the two men in white garments say to the Apostles, "Why are you standing here looking at the sky?"  In other words, “stop standing there and get to work.”  Our Psalm echoes this call to action by going out and singing praises to the Lord.

Our second reading is from St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians.  We have some options on which reading may be used, but they all reinforce the same message – that through the Holy Spirit we come to believe Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension.  That Jesus is the head of our Church, and all grace and blessings come through him in this position.

Our Gospel then gives us Mark's story of the Ascension.  Typical of Mark, this is much shorter than the Luke account but not discordant with that account.  Jesus gives his Apostles their final instructions, that is to go out and spread the Gospel.  He then is taken up to Heaven and the Apostles then take action going out to do what Jesus instructed.

Final Thoughts:
For me the focus of this Sunday's readings is not so much the departure of Jesus, but rather the Apostles being called to action.  This is the moment Jesus puts his church into our frail human hands and asks these 11 remaining Apostles to go forth in his name, preaching the Good News and working wonders.  It is a pivotal moment for everyone – for Jesus, for the Apostles, and for us as Church.  We must now take up the service Jesus left in our hands, the service to love one another.  But the Apostles aren’t expected to do this alone.  Jesus has promised to send us an “advocate,” the Holy Spirit, who’s coming we celebrate next week at Pentecost.

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