Why are you standing here looking into the sky? Jesus has been taken into heaven.

In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning until the day he gave his instructions to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God. When he had been at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. 'It is' he had said 'what you have heard me speak about: John baptised with water but you, not many days from now, will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.'

Now having met together, they asked him, 'Lord, has the time come? Are you going to restore the kingdom of Israel?' He replied, 'It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and inded to the ends of the earth.'

As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. They were still staring into the sky when suddenly two men in white were standing near them and they said. 'Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same way as you have seen ghim go there.'

This is the word of the Lord

A reading from the first letter of St Paul Eph 1:17-23

He made Jesus to sit at his right hand in heaven.

May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit and how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers. This you can tell from the strength of his power at work in Christ, when he used it to raise him from the dead and to make him sit at his right hand, in heaven, far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or Domination, or any other name that can be named, not only in this age, but also int he age to come. He has put all things under his feet, and made him as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.

This is the word of the Lord.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark Mk 16:15-207

The Lord Jesus was taken into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God.

Jesus showed himself to the Eleven, and said to them, 'Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover'.

And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywherem the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accomapnied it.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

REFLECTIONS:

Proclaim The Gospel To Every Creature

The Lord’s Ascension reminds us of our final destination. Jesus “ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” The God-man who lived in this world is no longer bound to the earth. He awaits us in heaven

Our goal is to be one with Jesus and with the Father in heaven. But before we can get to heaven, we must undergo what Jesus underwent. We must live our baptismal commitment and carry our cross. We accept our Good Friday to get to Easter Sunday and our final reward of heaven.

To join Jesus in his ascension to heaven is to go all the way with him in his life and his ministry. As St. Catherine of Siena says, “Nothing great was ever done without much enduring. The more affliction for Jesus in this world, so much the glory of Christ in the future.”

The Ascension also reminds us of our mission. With Jesus returning to the Father, our share of the mission now begins. We are being sent out “to go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” We proclaim how much God loves us. We bear witness to what God does for us. We go in the name of Jesus to the poor, the lonely, and the abandoned. We go to those in need of God’s mercy, forgiveness, presence, and love.

Year Of Grace Prayer.

Gracious God,

You have blessed this ancient land with many gifts, especially it's people. We thank you for the Year of Grace, a time to start a fresh from Christ. You invite us to contemplate the face of Jesus your Son, that we may experience a new wave of grace, and that the light of Christ mayburn more brightly in our lives. Attune our hearts and minds to the presence of your Holy Spirit, that our Church may be transformed, our relationships be healed, and our nation grow in compassion and justice. With the intercession of St Mary MacKilliop, who showed us new ways of living the Gospel, we make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us.