The Ascension of the Lord. Year B - Sunday, May 16, 2021
(EPISODE: 298)
FIRST READING: Acts 1: 1-11
Ps 47: 2-3, 6-7, 8-9. "God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord."
SECOND READING: opt: Eph 4: 1-13
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Matt 28: 19a+20b). Alleluia, alleluia! Go and teach all people my gospel. I am with you always, until the end of the World.
GOSPEL: Mark 16: 15-20
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licesned - stock photo ID: 1210022299. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - OCTOBER 13, 2018: The fresco of Ascension of Jesus in side apse of church kostel Svatého Václava by S. G. Rudl (1900).By Renata Sedmakova.
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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for The Ascension of the Lord. Year B - Sunday, May 16, 2021, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/easter-ascension-2021-episode-298
(EPISODE: 298)
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* (Prologue: Fr Paul Kelly)
The Ascension marks the completion of Jesus' earthly and bodily presence on earth….. Jesus had to return to the Heavenly Father, because his rightful place was with the Father in Heaven, ruling heaven and earth from his place in Heaven….. He needed to return to his Father so that he could send the Holy Spirit to make his work continue in and through his disciples…..
Our Catholic faith is big upon seeing beyond appearances….. to see deeper into things than just the surface….. it is a recurring theme throughout our faith and worship….
Jesus tells us, that God judges not by appearances but sees straight into the heart, into the inner dispositions and attitudes of the human person, and knows the truth of each one of us….. Jesus encouraged us to ensure that our lives, our attitudes, our values and our actions all flowed from our deep inner life, built upon love. mere outward appearances don't mean a lot in the gospel's scheme of things. This is a valuable lesson for us, and for the world….in a time and culture where appearances seem to be taken on more of a value than they should….. sometimes at the cost of inner value…
Jesus returned to the Father, and disappeared from our sight, so that we would look for and find the continuing real presence of Jesus, in different forms… that are not so obvious…… If Jesus still walked the earth the same way he did while he was with his disciples, there would be no need for us to look for him elsewhere. But Jesus' mission is to be "ALL IN ALL"…. to be draw all things to himself and to bring to life God's Kingdom in and through all of creation…… this requires Christ to transform and fill up with his presence … all people and all the world…….. He achieves this with the Holy Spirit, and with the cooperation of his followers who continue his mission.
Jesus Christ is not visible in the same way as he was when he walked the earth with his disciples….. but we believe Jesus is still present and active amongst us in new ways…. and through the power of the Holy Spirit….(which reminds us of all Jesus did and said and makes effective all that we do in Jesus' name). So, we all would become the hands and feet and heart of Jesus in our daily lives……
St. Teresa of Avila composed a prayer poem and it is a fitting for today….
As St Teresa writes….
"Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours."
And we become the body of Christ, by taking in the body of Christ in communion. We receive Our Lord as food and drink, and take in his presence, his grace and his values…. becoming, (with God's grace) more and more like Jesus with every day)…….
The outward appearance of the bread and wine does not change….but its inner reality does….into Christ's presence…. we look and seem the same, but inside, we believe Jesus has made a home in our hearts… and hopefully our actions and attitudes show that living presence within us…
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(Homily: Fr Peter Dillon).
Ascension Sunday Year B 2021
When parents finally get the chance to have their first outing without their children, they have a list of do's and dont's, usually addressed to the oldest child. 'I'm leaving you in charge' and with the expectation that the child will act responsibly, with the strictest rule being, "Don't leave the house". Responsible parents prepare their children for a time when they won't be there at every moment to tell them what to do. They get them ready to stand alone and confidently able to not only deal with life, but get the very best from it.
In an odd way this is a similar instruction Jesus gave to those whom were closest to him at the time of his departure from them. The disciples were to "be left in charge" and to take care of each other and then, using the teaching and skills that he had bestowed on them, he gave them a further more demanding instruction, one that we have come to know as the Great Commission. They were to leave the house and go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to all creation: to use their hands to touch and heal, their voices to tell the story of Jesus, to influence and love to bring about Reconciliation in His name.
This feast of the Ascension is the pivotal point between the Resurrection and the arrival of the Spirit at Pentecost. It cannot be explained outside this sequence of events, which transformed the apostles, and in turn we are thus empowered to 'go out' to the ends of the earth. A celebration of the change in attitude and experience of the Apostles to their risen lord.
Just a brief recap of events over the last few weeks: apostles and Mary had undergone massive shifts in attitudes, and understanding of the 'presence' of the risen Lord, and the meaning of their own mission, without the physical Jesus to guide them. From being drawn together out of fear, they were now 'open' to see and hear the Advocate in their midst. It seems that this very realisation is the one that is being celebrated today. The 'letting go' of the Jesus they knew, and the 'opening out' to the Spirit who would eventually transform them from fear, into boldness, joy and love.
The human elements of sadness at the departure of Jesus, and the eager waiting for the next surprise from the Father is well known to all of us. In Paul's letter to the Ephesians today, we hear that beautiful prayer from the Church that they will have a 'spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed... May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you... and so on
The final part of today's understanding, is the practical fact that there is no point looking up into the air for the Risen Jesus, when he is to be found in and among His people. The temptation that was there for the Apostles, is the same for us... namely, trying to cling on to the illusive Jesus. But he moves on, and this is what came into focus for the Apostles prior to the time of Pentecost. The Promise of Jesus to his closest friends and to the church at large, is that we too, have been invited to abide with the Risen Lord for all time. This is a cause of great joy for the Apostles, who were understandably anxious that they would have to take all the responsibility on their shoulders. Had they listened and learned enough from their leader, to take on what seemed an impossible task? Nevertheless, they took their duties seriously and didn't let adversity and criticism stand in their way. They actually felt the spirit of their risen friend working through them. They were not left to do this all by themselves.
This is also a great cause of joy for us, that what we experience here in those moments of 'closeness' to God however we may experience it; hoping in this earthly life that the experience would last forever... we can be sure that the taste we have of eternal life here, is just whetting the appetite for the things to come. However, this is no invitation to rest on our laurels. We have the mission to go out... to be Gospel writers that is, etching into our very identity the things that Jesus has said and done in our own lives, and in the lives of other people. This experience of salvation, makes up the basic element for 'change' in our world, and for the issuing in of the Kingdom of God.
But it would seem that for most of us the "great commission' is for everyone else. A simple question remains: does anyone know more about God because they know me? What was God thinking when He chose me to go out and proclaim the Good News?
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References:
Homily – fr peter Dillon
Prologue - Fr Paul W. Kelly
Image Credit: SHutterstock Licesned - stock photo ID: 1210022299. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - OCTOBER 13, 2018: The fresco of Ascension of Jesus in side apse of church kostel Svatého Václava by S. G. Rudl (1900).By Renata Sedmakova}
The Ascension of the Lord. Year B (Sunday, May 16, 2021) (EPISODE: 298 )
The Lord be with you.
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{{May God's Spirit of Fortitude and self control abide with you. }} welcome everyone, we gather - To take time to reflect upon the meaning of God's word for our everyday lives
Coming together as brothers and sisters in Christ, let us prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries by recalling our sins and remembering Christ's greater mercy.
You were sent to heal the contrite of heart. Lord, have mercy.// You came to call sinners: Christ, have mercy. //You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us: Lord, have mercy.//
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
1. We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
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Ps 47: 2-3, 6-7, 8-9. "God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord."
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Matt 28: 19a+20b). Alleluia, alleluia! Go and teach all people my gospel. I am with you always, until the end of the World.
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PREFACE: Ascension I
EP IV
(theme variation: 1 )
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{Bless you all and May God's grace guide you each and every day of this week.}
Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.
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Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly
Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)
Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)
"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.
Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).
Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.
- "Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.
"Quiet Time." Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.
[ Production - KER - 2021]
May God bless and keep you.
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