Ascension  of  the  Lord (Cycle C) "As they were looking on, He was lifted up." ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking in the sky? The Lord will return, just as you have seen him ascend, alleluia. PENITENTIAL RITE Today we are celebrating the solemnity of the ascension of our Lord, the day when Jesus returned to his heavenly home. We thank God for recognizing and accepting the suffering and death of his Son. As we are preparing for our ascension we realize that sin is an obstacle on our way. Are we trying to remove this obstacle? (Pause) I confess... Glory to God .... OPENING PRAYER Let us pray. God our Father, make us joyful in the ascension of your Son Jesus Christ. May we follow him into the new creation, for his ascension is our glory and our hope. We ask this... FIRST READING (The disciples are given the task of witnessing and continuing the mission of their Master.) A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (1:1-11) In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit." So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." This is the Word of the Lord PSALM (46) Response: God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast. Or Alleluia! All peoples, clap your hands, cry to God with shouts of joy! For the Lord, the Most High, we must fear, great king over all the earth. R./ God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast. Sing praise for God, sing praise, sing praise to our king, sing praise. R./ God is king of all the earth. Sing praise with all your skill. God is king over the nations; God reigns on his holy throne. R./ SECOND READING (The ascension of Jesus to the right hand of his Father is a source of Christian hope for Christ in heaven is the Lord and Ruler of the entire universe.) A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians (1:17-23) May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come; and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the Church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION (Mt 28:19-20) Alleluia, alleluia! Go, make disciples of all nations; I am with you always, to the close of the age. Alleluia! GOSPEL (Before Jesus leaves his disciples he promises them the Holy Spirit. This gives them renewed hope.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke (24:46-53) Jesus said to his disciples, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send 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, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God. This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe in God,/the Father Almighty,/Creator of heaven and earth./ I believe in Jesus Christ,/his only Son, our Lord./He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit/ and born of the Virgin Mary./He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/was crucified, died, and was buried./He descended to the dead./On the third day he rose again./He ascended into Heaven,/and is seated at the right hand of the Father./He will come again to judge the living and the dead./I believe in the Holy Spirit,/the Holy Catholic Church,/the communion of saints,/the forgiveness of sins,/the resurrection of the body,/and the life everlasting./ Amen. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, Christ now, seated at the right hand of his Father, is interceding for us. With this confidence let us place our petitions at his feet. Response: Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. 1. For the Pope, bishops and other leaders of the Church, that they may bear witness to Christ’s presence in the way they live, let us pray to the Lord. R./ 2. For those who are weak in their faith that they may become committed Christians through the encouragement of others, let us pray to the Lord. R./ 3. For those who are desperate that they may find meaning in their life by the experience of true love, let us pray to the Lord. R./ 4. That as the living body of Jesus, we may be more committed and active in reaching out to the poor, the sick and the aged, let us pray to the Lord. R./ (Pray for personal/local needs.) Cel: Heavenly Father, as we celebrate your Son’s return to you in glory, we ask you to grant these petitions that we may one day join him in glory. We ask this through Christ our Lord. PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, receive our offering as we celebrate the ascension of Christ your Son. May his gifts help us rise with him to the joys of heaven, where he lives and reigns for ever and ever. PREFACE (P 26-27) COMMUNION ANTIPHON I, the Lord, am with you always, until the end of the world, alleluia. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Father, in this eucharist we touch the divine life you give to the world. Help us to follow Christ with love to eternal life where he is Lord for ever and ever. LITURGY  AND  LIFE We have an inherent desire to fly into the heavens, to somehow transcend ourselves and reach that area where God dwells. It is reported that one airliner offered to accept reservations for a trip to the moon. Thousands rushed to sign on. The angels did not come down to ask them, "Why do you stand here looking to the sky?" Rather those people wanted to climb there. Should not each baptized Christian kick off the heavy weight and shackles attached to his spirit and experience his own personal spiritual flight? Many of our fathers and mothers have done it. Why can’t you and I do that? Annie Dillard in "Teaching a stone to talk" tells a disquieting story of a British expedition to the Arctic ocean. The participants loaded two ships with all the equipments one could find in a posh London club. There were excellent china, engraved silverware, cut crystals etc. The foolish participants took only enough coal for twelve days. The ships got locked in the unforgiving Arctic ice. The crew started walking but all of them perished. Their would be rescuers later found out that these people were dragging sixty-five pounds of silverware. Most of us are weighed down by many negative forces in our Christian lives – bad habits, unhealthy distractions and absence of any spiritual structure. The ascension does not mark the end of Jesus’ presence amidst us rather it marks the beginning of a new presence and the continuation of his work in and through us. Jesus tells his disciples, "Go out to the whole world and proclaim the good news." That means life must go on, evangelization work must go on. Jesus told his disciples to be his witnesses. They are not left to their own resources and strength. He promised to send them the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not leave them as orphans and as helpless children but he prepared them well. As the missionary work went on through the apostles now it has to go on in and through us. This is our calling, our mission. The feast of the ascension is not merely about where Christ is gone but what we are doing to make him present! Can we say that when others see us, our lives and our way of living, they can sense Jesus’ presence in us! The nineteenth century Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard summed up our human plight and hopefully our upward direction in a beautiful prayer, "O Lord, Jesus Christ, save us from the error of wishing to admire you instead of willing to follow you and resemble you." The deathbed scene of Pope John XXIII is quite enriching. To those who were fussing about and offering him consolation the amused Pope said, "Worry not about me. My bags are packed." May God help us to say that at our deathbed. May 2007 READINGS  OF  THE  WEEK (Psalter Week 3) 21/Mon (W/R) Or Ss. Christopher Magallanes, pt & Comps, mm Ac 19:1-8; Ps 67:2-3,4-5a&c,6-7ab; Jn 16:29-33 22/Tue (W/W) Or S. Rita of Cascia, rel Ac 20:17-27; Ps 67:10-11,20-21; Jn 17:1-11a 23/Wed (W) Ms of weekday, Pf East or Asc Ac 20:28-38; Ps 67:29-30,33-35a,35b-36; Jn 17:11b-19 24/Thu (W) Ac 22:30; 23:6-11; Ps 15:1-2a&5,7-8,9-10,11; Jn 17:20-26 25/Fri (W) Or S. Bede the Venerable, pt dr Or S. Gregory VII, Pp Or S. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, vg Ac 25:13b-21; Ps 102:1-2,11-12,19-20ab; Jn 21:15-19 26/Sat (W) S. Philip Neri, pt – mem Morning: Ms of mem, Pf East or Asc Ac 28:16-20,30-31; Ps 10:4,5,7, Jn 21:20-25