Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Lễ Chúa Thăng Thiên
Sự ra đi và việc lên trời của Chúa Giêsu vừa là sự kết thúc vừa là sự khởi đầu cho các môn đệ của Ngài. Mặc dù sự hiện diện thể xác của Chúa Giêsu với các môn đệ yêu dấu của ngài đã đến hồi kết thúc, nhưng việc này đánh dấu sự khởi đầu về sự hiện diện của Chúa Giêsu với các môn đệ theo một cách mới. Chúa Giêsu hứa với các môn đệ của Ngài rằng Ngài sẽ ở cùng họ luôn mãi cho đến tận thế (Mt 28:20).
Xin Chúa đổ đầy trên chúng con niềm vui phục sinh của Chúa và giúp chúng con sống một cuộc đời ngợi khen và tạ ơn vì vinh quang của Chúa. Và cho chúng con biết dám làm chứng cho những người xung quanh về niềm vui của Tin Mừng và sự thật về chiến thắng vĩ đại của Chúa trên tội lỗi và sự chết.
Ascension of Our Lord Mt 28, 16-20
Meditation:
Lord Jesus, through the gift of your Holy Spirit, you fill us with an indomitable spirit of praise and joy which no earthly trial can subdue. Fill me with your resurrection joy and help me to live a life of praise and thanksgiving for your glory. May I witness to those around me the joy of the Gospel and the reality of your great victory over sin and death.
The Risen Lord is with us always to the end of time
Jesus' departure and ascension into heaven was both an end and a beginning for his disciples. While it was the end of Jesus' physical presence with his beloved disciples, it marked the beginning of Jesus' presence with them in a new way. Jesus promised that he would be with them always to the end of time (Matthew 28:20). Now as the glorified and risen Lord and Savior, ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, Jesus promised to send them the Holy Spirit who would anoint them with power from on high on the Feast of Pentecost, just as Jesus was anointed for his ministry at the River Jordan (Luke 3:21-22, 4:1,18). When the Lord Jesus departed physically from the apostles, they were not left in sorrow or grief. Instead, they were filled with joy and with great anticipation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Why did Jesus leave his disciples forty days after his resurrection? Forty is a significant number in the Scriptures. Moses went to the mountain to seek the face of God for forty days in prayer and fasting. The people of Israel were in the wilderness for forty years in preparation for their entry into the promised land. Elijah fasted for forty days as he journeyed in the wilderness to the mountain of God. For forty days after his resurrection Jesus appeared numerous times to his disciples to assure them that he had risen indeed and to prepare them for the task of carrying on the work which he began during his earthy ministry.
The Risen Lord empowers us to carry on his work
Why did the Risen Lord ascend into heaven? The Father raised the glorified body of his Son and enthroned him in glory at his right hand in heaven. The Lord Jesus in his glorified body now reigns as Lord over the heavens and the earth - over all that he has created. The Risen Lord reigns from the throne in heaven as our Merciful Redeemer and Gracious King. He intercedes for us and he empowers us through the outpouring of his Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus gives us new life in his Spirit and he strengthens us in faith, hope and love so we can serve him and carry on his work as citizens of his kingdom here on earth.
You will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth
Jesus' last words to his disciples point to the key mission and task he has entrusted to his followers on earth - to be his witnesses and ambassadors to the ends of the earth so that all peoples, tribes, and nations may hear the good news that Jesus Christ has come to set us free from sin, Satan, and death and has won for us a kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness that will last forever.
How can we be effective witnesses for Christ? Jesus told his disciples, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you - and you shall be my witnesses... to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Jesus gives his followers the same power he received when the Holy Spirit came upon him and anointed him at the beginning of his mission (John 1:32-33). The Gospel is the power of God, the power to release people from their burden of sin, guilt, and oppression, and the power to heal, restore, and make us whole. Do you believe in the power of the Gospel to change and transform your life?
We are ambassadors for Jesus Christ
Paul the Apostle reminds us that we are called to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ. Just as ambassadors are appointed to represent their country and to speak on behalf of their nation's ruler, we, too are appointed by the Lord Jesus to speak on his behalf and to bring others into a close and personal encounter with the Lord and Ruler of heaven and earth. This is the great commission which the risen Christ gives to the whole church. All believers have been given a share in this task - to be heralds of the good news and ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the only savior of the world. We have not been left alone in this task, for the risen Lord works in and through us by the power of his Holy Spirit. Today we witness a new Pentecost as the Lord pours out his Holy Spirit upon his people to renew and strengthen the body of Christ and to equip it for effective ministry and mission world-wide. Do you witness to others the joy of the Gospel and the hope of the resurrection?
Dispelling Doubts
Ascension of Our Lord (Year A)
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18–20
These are the parting and final words our Lord spoke while on
earth. As soon as He spoke them He ascended into Heaven to remain with His
Father forever, preparing a place for us so that we could join Him one day.
Never again on earth would the disciples hear Jesus speak to them or see Him in
physical form. Though He would soon send the Holy Spirit upon them and speak
clearly to them interiorly through prayer, they would not encounter His audible
voice and physical presence once again until Heaven.
Just prior to the passage quoted above, we read that the disciples did two things. One was ideal; the other was not. We read: “When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.” Of course, the fact that they worshiped Him is ideal, but the fact that they doubted is somewhat shocking and disappointing. After all that they went through with our Lord, after all they witnessed and heard, they still doubted. They witnessed Jesus cure leprosy, restore sight to the blind, heal the crippled, preach with a new authority, convert sinners, raise the dead and even rise from the dead Himself. And after all of this, they still had doubts.
Perhaps their doubts are recorded in this final encounter with our earthly Lord because it reveals to us our own ongoing doubts. Perhaps the real doubters are not only the disciples but also each one of us.
When you look into your own conscience, what do you see? Do you see a person with perfect faith and trust in God? Or do you see a person who seeks to worship God but also struggles with doubts? A doubt is a lack of faith. It is different from a difficulty, an uncertainty, or a confusion. A doubt is an action by which we positively make the choice to start down the path of disbelief. It’s more than a weakness; it’s a choice and not a good one.
The good news is that these doubting disciples eventually received something that eliminated every doubt from their minds. They received the Holy Spirit, and this gift of God began to dispel every temptation to doubt as they received the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. In particular, the gifts of Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge would deepen their faith in God and enable them to both worship and believe.
As we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord, reflect, today, upon the image of these disciples worshiping God and doubting at the same time. If this image strikes a chord within you, then pay attention to it. It is good to worship God, but it is also good to humbly admit where you lack perfect faith. Where you see this lack of faith, hold onto the hope that, just like these disciples, you will receive the full outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit in your life so that every doubt will be dispelled and you will receive true Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge in their fullness.
My Ascended Lord, You entered the glories of Heaven, body and soul, as Your disciples looked on. They worshiped You but also struggled with doubts. Help me to also worship You with my whole being. As I do, reveal to me my lack of faith and trust in You and dispel these sins by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, I trust in You.
The Ascension of Our Lord, Matthew 28:16-20
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Opening Prayer:
Lord, help me to accept your invitation to climb the mountain; enable me to
rise above my limitations, rely on your power, and share the gift of your
redemption. Lord, I humbly ask for this grace: Help me to turn to you and trust
in you.
2. “They Worshiped, but They Doubted”: Another translation says, “And seeing him they adored; but some doubted.” We sometimes adore—and sometimes we doubt. We may feel a sense of holy envy that the disciples could see Jesus. Although they accompanied Jesus, they were sometimes confused, self-centered, and weak and did not fully realize the power and love of Jesus, even though he was right before their eyes. We can be so painfully similar to them, and so we pray that we may see—that we may recognize his power and humbly unite our weakness to his strength.
3. “Go Out and Tell All the Nations …I Am with You Always”: What a pivotal moment; the apostles were given their great commission! Jesus did not spend three years teaching and forming them to be spiritually “fat and happy.” No, he formed them to be his priests, his other selves, to share the Good News of his redeeming love with the entire world—and they did!! How were they so effective? How they did it was so simple and clear that we might easily miss it: they prayed. They returned to Jerusalem, joined with Our Lady, and they prayed. We are called to follow their humble yet powerful example. We can feel too busy to pray or only take time from our meetings and commitments because we “have to pray.” When we allow Jesus to fill us and be our strength, we can be true other Christs, true apostles, and true heralds of his Kingdom.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, I try to imagine what happened after the apostles lost sight of you. While angels were addressing them on earth, countless angels and redeemed souls, including Adam and Eve, Moses, the Prophets, John the Baptist, Joseph, and myriad others, welcomed you as you ascended to the Father. No earthly experience can compare to the thunderous joy of that moment; wildly cheering fans in a stadium cannot compare to such an expression of all-encompassing happiness! Allow me to join that cacophony of praise for you one day in paradise.
Sự ra đi và việc lên trời của Chúa Giêsu vừa là sự kết thúc vừa là sự khởi đầu cho các môn đệ của Ngài. Mặc dù sự hiện diện thể xác của Chúa Giêsu với các môn đệ yêu dấu của ngài đã đến hồi kết thúc, nhưng việc này đánh dấu sự khởi đầu về sự hiện diện của Chúa Giêsu với các môn đệ theo một cách mới. Chúa Giêsu hứa với các môn đệ của Ngài rằng Ngài sẽ ở cùng họ luôn mãi cho đến tận thế (Mt 28:20).
Xin Chúa đổ đầy trên chúng con niềm vui phục sinh của Chúa và giúp chúng con sống một cuộc đời ngợi khen và tạ ơn vì vinh quang của Chúa. Và cho chúng con biết dám làm chứng cho những người xung quanh về niềm vui của Tin Mừng và sự thật về chiến thắng vĩ đại của Chúa trên tội lỗi và sự chết.
Meditation:
Lord Jesus, through the gift of your Holy Spirit, you fill us with an indomitable spirit of praise and joy which no earthly trial can subdue. Fill me with your resurrection joy and help me to live a life of praise and thanksgiving for your glory. May I witness to those around me the joy of the Gospel and the reality of your great victory over sin and death.
The Risen Lord is with us always to the end of time
Jesus' departure and ascension into heaven was both an end and a beginning for his disciples. While it was the end of Jesus' physical presence with his beloved disciples, it marked the beginning of Jesus' presence with them in a new way. Jesus promised that he would be with them always to the end of time (Matthew 28:20). Now as the glorified and risen Lord and Savior, ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, Jesus promised to send them the Holy Spirit who would anoint them with power from on high on the Feast of Pentecost, just as Jesus was anointed for his ministry at the River Jordan (Luke 3:21-22, 4:1,18). When the Lord Jesus departed physically from the apostles, they were not left in sorrow or grief. Instead, they were filled with joy and with great anticipation for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Why did Jesus leave his disciples forty days after his resurrection? Forty is a significant number in the Scriptures. Moses went to the mountain to seek the face of God for forty days in prayer and fasting. The people of Israel were in the wilderness for forty years in preparation for their entry into the promised land. Elijah fasted for forty days as he journeyed in the wilderness to the mountain of God. For forty days after his resurrection Jesus appeared numerous times to his disciples to assure them that he had risen indeed and to prepare them for the task of carrying on the work which he began during his earthy ministry.
The Risen Lord empowers us to carry on his work
Why did the Risen Lord ascend into heaven? The Father raised the glorified body of his Son and enthroned him in glory at his right hand in heaven. The Lord Jesus in his glorified body now reigns as Lord over the heavens and the earth - over all that he has created. The Risen Lord reigns from the throne in heaven as our Merciful Redeemer and Gracious King. He intercedes for us and he empowers us through the outpouring of his Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus gives us new life in his Spirit and he strengthens us in faith, hope and love so we can serve him and carry on his work as citizens of his kingdom here on earth.
You will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth
Jesus' last words to his disciples point to the key mission and task he has entrusted to his followers on earth - to be his witnesses and ambassadors to the ends of the earth so that all peoples, tribes, and nations may hear the good news that Jesus Christ has come to set us free from sin, Satan, and death and has won for us a kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness that will last forever.
How can we be effective witnesses for Christ? Jesus told his disciples, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you - and you shall be my witnesses... to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Jesus gives his followers the same power he received when the Holy Spirit came upon him and anointed him at the beginning of his mission (John 1:32-33). The Gospel is the power of God, the power to release people from their burden of sin, guilt, and oppression, and the power to heal, restore, and make us whole. Do you believe in the power of the Gospel to change and transform your life?
We are ambassadors for Jesus Christ
Paul the Apostle reminds us that we are called to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ. Just as ambassadors are appointed to represent their country and to speak on behalf of their nation's ruler, we, too are appointed by the Lord Jesus to speak on his behalf and to bring others into a close and personal encounter with the Lord and Ruler of heaven and earth. This is the great commission which the risen Christ gives to the whole church. All believers have been given a share in this task - to be heralds of the good news and ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the only savior of the world. We have not been left alone in this task, for the risen Lord works in and through us by the power of his Holy Spirit. Today we witness a new Pentecost as the Lord pours out his Holy Spirit upon his people to renew and strengthen the body of Christ and to equip it for effective ministry and mission world-wide. Do you witness to others the joy of the Gospel and the hope of the resurrection?
Ascension of Our Lord (Year A)
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18–20
Just prior to the passage quoted above, we read that the disciples did two things. One was ideal; the other was not. We read: “When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.” Of course, the fact that they worshiped Him is ideal, but the fact that they doubted is somewhat shocking and disappointing. After all that they went through with our Lord, after all they witnessed and heard, they still doubted. They witnessed Jesus cure leprosy, restore sight to the blind, heal the crippled, preach with a new authority, convert sinners, raise the dead and even rise from the dead Himself. And after all of this, they still had doubts.
Perhaps their doubts are recorded in this final encounter with our earthly Lord because it reveals to us our own ongoing doubts. Perhaps the real doubters are not only the disciples but also each one of us.
When you look into your own conscience, what do you see? Do you see a person with perfect faith and trust in God? Or do you see a person who seeks to worship God but also struggles with doubts? A doubt is a lack of faith. It is different from a difficulty, an uncertainty, or a confusion. A doubt is an action by which we positively make the choice to start down the path of disbelief. It’s more than a weakness; it’s a choice and not a good one.
The good news is that these doubting disciples eventually received something that eliminated every doubt from their minds. They received the Holy Spirit, and this gift of God began to dispel every temptation to doubt as they received the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. In particular, the gifts of Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge would deepen their faith in God and enable them to both worship and believe.
As we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord, reflect, today, upon the image of these disciples worshiping God and doubting at the same time. If this image strikes a chord within you, then pay attention to it. It is good to worship God, but it is also good to humbly admit where you lack perfect faith. Where you see this lack of faith, hold onto the hope that, just like these disciples, you will receive the full outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit in your life so that every doubt will be dispelled and you will receive true Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge in their fullness.
My Ascended Lord, You entered the glories of Heaven, body and soul, as Your disciples looked on. They worshiped You but also struggled with doubts. Help me to also worship You with my whole being. As I do, reveal to me my lack of faith and trust in You and dispel these sins by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, I trust in You.
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
2. “They Worshiped, but They Doubted”: Another translation says, “And seeing him they adored; but some doubted.” We sometimes adore—and sometimes we doubt. We may feel a sense of holy envy that the disciples could see Jesus. Although they accompanied Jesus, they were sometimes confused, self-centered, and weak and did not fully realize the power and love of Jesus, even though he was right before their eyes. We can be so painfully similar to them, and so we pray that we may see—that we may recognize his power and humbly unite our weakness to his strength.
3. “Go Out and Tell All the Nations …I Am with You Always”: What a pivotal moment; the apostles were given their great commission! Jesus did not spend three years teaching and forming them to be spiritually “fat and happy.” No, he formed them to be his priests, his other selves, to share the Good News of his redeeming love with the entire world—and they did!! How were they so effective? How they did it was so simple and clear that we might easily miss it: they prayed. They returned to Jerusalem, joined with Our Lady, and they prayed. We are called to follow their humble yet powerful example. We can feel too busy to pray or only take time from our meetings and commitments because we “have to pray.” When we allow Jesus to fill us and be our strength, we can be true other Christs, true apostles, and true heralds of his Kingdom.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, I try to imagine what happened after the apostles lost sight of you. While angels were addressing them on earth, countless angels and redeemed souls, including Adam and Eve, Moses, the Prophets, John the Baptist, Joseph, and myriad others, welcomed you as you ascended to the Father. No earthly experience can compare to the thunderous joy of that moment; wildly cheering fans in a stadium cannot compare to such an expression of all-encompassing happiness! Allow me to join that cacophony of praise for you one day in paradise.
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