Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

This Sunday the Church in the United States celebrates the feast of the Ascension in place of the 7th Sunday of Easter. Traditionally a Holy Day of Obligation, we celebrate the moment when Jesus, after the Resurrection, is taken up to Heaven. Our readings for this special day are the same for all three Lectionary Cycles. The Word for the Ascension of the Lord Acts 1-1-11 Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 Ephesians 1:17-23 Matthew 28:16-20 Our first reading comes from the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, where the opening act is the Ascension of Jesus. This is a far more dramatic (and detailed) version than where Luke leaves us at the end his Gospel (Chapter 24), but like many great sequels, the opening moments recap the story thus far (as a reminder of where we left off) in order to set the stage for the narrative moving forward.  It is interesting to note that the event of the Ascension is noted only briefly at the end of Luke and Mark, while Matthew and John don’t even mention it....

Instead of the celebrating the 7th Sunday of Easter, the Church in the USA uses this coming Sunday to celebrate the Ascension (which under the traditional calendar is celebrated this coming Thursday).  Our readings for this Sunday recount that moment.  Our first account is from Acts of the Apostles… a much more detailed account (right down to the traditional 40 days) than any of the Gospels recount.  By now we have learned that Acts of the Apostles is the sequel to Luke’s gospel… but as with all Hollywood blockbuster sequels, Luke begins his new narrative with a recounting of the end of the previous book, but with much more detail and special effects… taking a moment from the previous work and fleshing it out to build into the continuing story.  The Word for the Ascension of the Lord:         Acts 1:1-11         Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9         Ephesians 1:17-2...