Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bẩy Tuần thứ 6
Phục Sinh
Trong bài đọc thứ Nhất, chúng ta thấy,
ông Appôlô là người có học thức và có được cách ăn nói hùng hồn. Hai điều kiệm
rất quan trọng cho người đàn ông trong thế giới thời cổ đại. Ông đã được Chúa
Thánh thần nung đốt trong niềm tin vào Chúa Giêsu và rao giảng to dân ngoại về
Chúa Giêsu Kitô. Mặc dầu thế, sự hiểu biết về Tin Mừng và phép rửa của Chúa
Kitô của ông chưa được đầy đủ, và ông đã nhờ sự chỉ bảo của bà Priscilla và ông
Aquila để ông có thể hiểu biết vể Chúa hơn. Tài hùng biện hay sự thong minh của
một người không nhất thiết là đã hiểu biết tất cả về chan lý và sự thật.
Chúng ta không bao giờ có thể nghĩ
rằng chúng ta có tất cả những câu trả lời cho mọi thứ, và chúng ta nên cởi mở
vả sẵn sang, khiêm thốn để hõi hỏi nơi những người khác. Điều này cũng sẽ giúp rất
nhiều cho chúng ta để chúng ta có thể thừa nhận những sai lầm và sửa sai những
ý kiến của chúng ta. Không một ai có thể hiểu biết mọi thứ và có tất cả những
câu trả lời cho những thắc mắc của con người.
Trong bữa ăn tối sau cùng, Chúa Giêsu
nói với các môn đệ rằng ngày sẽ đến Chúa Giêsu sẽ phải trở về với Chúa Cha,
Ngày đó Ngài sẽ ban Chúa Thánh Linh xuông trên những ngưòi theo và Tin vào
Ngài. Họ có thể cầu xin Thiên Chúa bất cứ điều gì họ cần một cách trực tiếp
trong danh Ngài . Ngài đã kêu gọi họ nên trưởng thành trong tâm linh hơn là phụ
thuộc vào người khác như trẻ con hoặc thụ động.
Tất cả chúng ta đã được Chúa Giêsu ban
trao cho mỗi người quyền thiêng liêng như Ngài đã ban cho các môn đệ. Nhưng đây
không phải là một việc cho không, biếu không, chúng ta phải thực hiện những
điều cam kết với Chúa như các môn đệ để trở thành nhựng môn đệ thực sự của
Chúa. Chúa Giêsu sẽ rất vui mừng nếu chúng ta tiếp tục công việc mà Ngài đã bắt
đầu. Lạy Chúa, xin ban cho chúng con những hồng ân và ơn Chúa Thánh Thần của
Ngài để hướng Dẫn chúng con tiếp tục sống và thực thi ý Chúa.
Saturday Sixth Week of Easter
Apollos was educated and eloquent,
both of which were very important in the ancient world. He was on fire for his
new-found faith in Jesus. But his understanding was incomplete, and it was up
to Priscilla and Aquila to set him straight. Eloquence or brilliance are not
the same as truth. We should never think we have all the answers, and we should
be open to correction from others. It would also help immensely if we could
admit when we are wrong and revise our opinions. No one has all the answers.
At the last supper, Jesus told his
disciples that the day was coming when they would no longer ask him for
anything. At first, it sounded as if he was cutting them off, but that was not
the case. He was speaking of their empowerment. Since Jesus was returning to
the Father, he was empowering his followers with the Spirit. They would be able
to ask God directly in Jesus’ name for whatever they needed. He was calling
them to spiritual maturity rather than childish dependence or passivity.
We are offered the same spiritual
empowerment that he gave his disciples. But this is not a free pass — we have
to make the commitment to be real disciples. Jesus would be delighted if we
continued the work that he began and do even greater things than he.
Lord, grant me the gift of Your
Spirit.
Saturday
of the Sixth Week of Easter
“I have
told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer
speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the
Father.” John 16:25
When is
it that Jesus will speak clearly about the Father? When is that “hour” of which
He speaks? First, this “hour” can be understood to be the time after His death,
Resurrection and Ascension to Heaven. It is then when the Holy Spirit will come
upon them at Pentecost to open their minds to understand all that He has taught
with much greater insight and clarity. But in John’s Gospel, the “hour” is also
a reference to His death on the Cross. It is His hour of glory, the hour in
which the Son of Man saves us through His holy passion. Therefore, this
statement of Jesus should be read within the context of Him alluding to His
coming passion. Recall that this sermon Jesus gives is part of His “Last Supper
Discourse.” It is given immediately prior to Jesus going out to the Garden of
Gethsemane to be arrested.
When we
consider this “hour” to be the passion and death of Jesus on the Cross, we
should be aware of the fact that His act of dying is not only a saving act of
redemption, it is also one of the clearest ways in which He speaks about His
Father in Heaven. Jesus’ suffering and death does, in fact, reveal the Father
to the disciples in ways that His “figures of speech” could not reveal. Jesus’
veiled language was spoken as truth but as truth that could not be fully
communicated. However, Jesus’ freely embraced suffering and death does clearly
communicate the Father in the most profound way possible. The Cross is pure
love, and the Father is pure love. Jesus’ death on the Cross in obedience to
the will of the Father reveals to all that the Father loves us so much that He
was willing to sacrifice His only begotten Son so that if we but believe in
Him, we will inherit eternal life.
The
message of the Cross is a true teaching about the love of the Father. It’s a
teaching that took place through an act of the most pure and sacrificial love
imaginable. The Cross was Jesus speaking “clearly about the Father” insofar as
it reveals the depth of the Father’s love for all humanity. If you find this
difficult to understand, then you are not alone. The disciples themselves
struggled with this. That is why they ultimately needed the Holy Spirit to come
upon them to open their minds. We too need the Holy Spirit if the veil is to be
lifted and we are to comprehend this most powerful message of God’s infinite
love.
Reflect,
today, upon Jesus’ burning desire to lift the veil of His teaching and to
reveal to you, clearly, the depth of the Father’s love for you. Allow the Holy
Spirit to open your mind to this revelation as it is given through the
Crucifixion. Pray for that gift. Listen to Jesus tell you He desires to give
you this understanding and then await the grace you need to see and understand
the very heart of the Father and His divine love for you.
My
precious Jesus, Your hour of glory upon the Cross is the clearest and fullest
revelation of the Father’s love. On the Cross, You show us all how deeply we
are loved by You and Your Father in Heaven. Please do open my mind, dear Lord,
to all You wish to reveal to me, so that as I come to know You, I will also
come to know Your Father in Heaven. Jesus, I trust in You.
Saturday Sixth Week of Easter 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I thank you today for
introducing me through your Son and Spirit into your own divine life. I do not
in any way deserve this great gift and yet you generously offer it to me out of
love. I pray that all people may enjoy the gift of divine life.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Praying to the Father in Union with
Jesus and Animated by the Spirit: In the Gospel of John, Jesus focuses his Farewell Discourse on
the disciples’ life after his Resurrection from the dead and his Ascension into
Heaven. By reading the discourse during Easter, the Church looks forward to the
celebration of Pentecost and the sending of the Holy Spirit. Jesus has spoken
at length about the consoling activity of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17, 26;
15:26; 16:7-14) and how the disciple’s temporary grief will become lasting joy.
They will be filled with the supernatural joy of divine communion. “Through the
Holy Spirit, the risen Jesus will draw his disciples to share in his communion
with the Father, and an indication of this new relationship will be their praying
to the Father in Jesus’ name” (Martin and Wright, The Gospel of John,
272). When the disciples pray in union with Jesus, their prayers will be
answered. This is because it will not be a selfish prayer or a petition for
something outside of God’s loving will. It will be a prayer that the Father’s
will be done (Matthew 6:10). “By being united to Jesus and animated by the
Spirit of love and obedience, the disciples will know joy that is perfect and
complete, a joy that comes only from participating in the divine communion”
(Martin and Wright, The Gospel of John, 272).
2. From Figures about the Father to
Clarity: Jesus
contrasts how he spoke about and revealed the Father to his disciples and the
crowds during his public ministry and how he will do so after his Resurrection.
During his public ministry, Jesus used figures of speech and parables. We can
recall, for example, the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke’s Gospel, which
speaks in veiled language about the Father and his mercy. After his
Resurrection from the dead and Ascension into Heaven, Jesus will send the Holy
Spirit, who will guide the Church to the fullness of the truth about God. The
figures and allusions will be made clear through the teaching action of the
Spirit. Jesus came from the Father and now returns to the Father. This is the
path we are called to follow. We came from God and were created by God. We have
been introduced into the life of the Trinity through faith and Baptism. Only at
the end of our earthly lives will we enter the definitive fullness of divine
life. We come from the Father and return to the Father in the Spirit and
through the Son.
3. The Ministry of Apollos: The First Reading narrates the
beginning of Paul’s Third Missionary Journey (A.D. 53) and describes the
preaching of Apollos in the city of Ephesus during Paul’s absence and before
Paul’s arrival (Acts 19:1). Apollos had a Greek name but was a
Jew from Alexandria in Egypt. While Apollos was able to preach accurately about
Jesus, John’s preaching about preparing the way of the Lord, and the baptism of
John, he needed Priscilla and Aquila to explain the Way of God more accurately.
Apollos knew about some of Jesus’ deeds and sayings but not with the full truth
of Jesus’ identity as the Christ, Jesus’ mission, and the Sacrament of Baptism.
Priscilla and Aquila likely taught Apollos that “the Lord proclaimed by John is
the crucified and risen Lord Jesus and that ‘the Way of the Lord’ is the path
of discipleship that one enters through baptism into Christ” (Kurz, Acts
of the Apostles, 288). After this, Apollos left Ephesus and went to Corinth
in Achaia and proclaimed from the Scriptures that Jesus is the long-awaited
Messiah (the Christ). “The success of Apollos in establishing the faith was
noted by Paul (1 Corinthians 3:6), who said that Apollos had watered what Paul
had planted. A group of Christians, however, formed a separatist faction in the
Corinthian community in Apollos’ name. Paul did not consider Apollos at all
responsible for the formation of the faction (1 Corinthians 3:3-9; 4:6), as
Paul clearly respected Apollos as a fellow laborer. Instead Paul tries in 1
Corinthians to break down the divisions among the Corinthian Christians” (Hahn
(ed.), Catholic Bible Dictionary, “Apollos,” 58).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have revealed to
me the mystery of divine life and how I am called to share in that life. Teach
me to pray and converse with the Father in union with you. May the Holy Spirit animate
my prayer and inspire me to ask for good things from the heavenly Father.
Living the Word of God: Apollos and Paul each placed
their natural gifts and talents at the service of the Gospel. What gifts and
talents do I have from God that could benefit the extension of God’s Kingdom?
Saturday Sixth Week of Easter
Opening Prayer: Dear Jesus, as the
Church prepares to celebrate your Ascension into Heaven, allow me to listen to
your parting words with a profound desire to treasure them in my heart. Enable
me to enter into the Father’s heart and practice childlike confidence in his
love for me.
Encountering Christ:
Whatever You Ask the Father in My
Name, He Will Give You: Throughout his public ministry, Jesus spoke of his
relationship with the Father from a place of total security in the Father’s
love. A man like us, he lived his life in loving trust in the Father and in
absolute reference to him. He experienced unshakeable certainty that the Father
listened to his every prayer and would not deny him anything he asked. In the
last hours of his life, when every word counted, what was foremost on his mind
was his desire that his beloved Apostles might discover the joy of absolute
reliance on the Father whom he had always known. He invited them to “cast out
their nets” in faith, to dare to entrust their deepest needs and desires to
their heavenly Father in his name.
Ask and You Will
Receive, So That Your Joy May Be Complete: It is as though Jesus were begging
us to ask him to grant our hearts’ deepest longings. His heart longs to give to
us. He has created us capable of a relationship with him, and it is his greatest
joy that we should choose this relationship. He loves to see his children
finding and choosing the greatest source of joy that our hearts could ever
find. He opens his heart wide and cries to us, “seek, beg, ask… and you will
receive.” Our asking is the way we respond to God’s love, our heart’s reaching
out in faith and trust, our conscious decision to rely on God rather than
ourselves. And when we open our hearts in this way, asking God to lead us to
the fulfillment of our deepest desires, we can be sure that he will lead us to
the fullness of joy in him.
The Father Himself Loves You: At the
Last Supper, as he spent those last, intimate moments with his Apostles, Jesus’
heart burned with the desire to share that which was dearest to him with those
he loved. One of those things most on his heart was his desire that his own
might know the Father as he did, that he might be able to transmit to them his
unshakeable trust in his Father’s love. Gathered around the table in that upper
room, Jesus shared with them just how precious they were to the Father. He wanted
them to know that because they were his own, the Father looked upon them and
saw his Son, loving them with the same love with which he loved Jesus.
Conversing with Christ: Dear Jesus,
thank you for revealing the Father to me and for showing me the unthinkable
dimensions of his love for me. Grant me the faith to act on your words and
entrust my life and my deepest desires to the Father’s care. I want to discover
what it means to live in childlike trust and to rely on God as my Father, not
only in word but also in deed. Teach me, divine Master.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace,
I will present my most pressing needs and desires to the Father, asking him in
your name to take charge of those areas of my life which it is hardest for me
to entrust to him.
Suy Niệm Tin Mừng
Thứ Sáu Tuần thứ 6 Phục Sinh
Trong xã hội hôm nay, nhiều người trong chúng ta thừa nhận
rằng cuộc sống hiện tại đầy dẫy những khó khăn. Cho dù bất cứ trên các lĩnh vực nào, chính
trị, kinh tế, tôn giáo, xã hội, ở đâu dường
như cũng có quá nhiều bóng tối đang chực chờ hay đang bao trùm trên cả đất
nước và thế giới
của chúng ta. Vào những lúc như
thế này, một số người trong chúng ta có thể rất dễ
đâm ra chán nản, lo lắng,
hoặc mất di niềm hy vọng. Chúng ta cũng có thể đặt câu hỏi là liệu
chúng ta có nên tin tưởng vào Thiên
Chúa khi những lời cầu nguyện của chúng ta không được Ngài đáp trả vả ban cho như ý muốn
của chúng ta..?
Một lần nữa, hôm
nay, chúng ta được nhắc nhở là đức tin thực sự có
nghĩa gì?. Đức
tin là sự tin cậy nơi Thiên Chúa trong bất cứ hoàn cảnh, hay tình huống nào. Trong bài Tin Mừng, Chúa Giêsu đã nói với các môn đệ rằng sẽ
có lúc họ se phải
chịu những sự khổ cực và than
khóc. Tuy nhiên, nỗi buồn sẽ không bao giờ sẽ tồn tại mãi mãi, Thay vào đó, sự đau buồn đó sẽ được biến thành niềm vui, giống
như một người mẹ vui mừng sau khi đã sinh đứa con ra khỏi cung lòng, sau cơn đau
đón là hạnh phúc. Các môn đệ của Chúa đã tin tưởng rằng Chúa Giêsu sẽ giữ lời hứa của Ngài và Ngài sẽ vượt qua cái chết và sống lại.
Đó chính là
niềm tin đã thúc
đẩy Thánh Phaolô và các bạn đồng hành của ngài tiếp tục rao giảng Tin Mừng của Chúa Giêsu. Mặc dù có những
nguy hiểm và đau khổ mà các ngài đã phải trải
qua. Dưới sự khuyến
khích và thúc đẩy của Chúa Thánh
Thần, thánh
Phaolô đã chứng minh được những
gì có nghĩa cho
cuộc sống. đó là sự tin tưởng và niềm hy
vọng vào Chúa Giêsu, chứ không phải là phụ thuộc vào hoàn cảnh bên
ngoài. Cái chết và sự phục Sinh của Chúa Giêsu đã khắc phục được bóng tối, và bóng tối đã phải nhường chỗ cho ánh
sáng. Với niềm hy vọng mà
chúng ta cần phải tiếp tục trong sự tin tưởng vào Thiên Chúa vì Ngài là nơi nương náu của chúng ta, và là đấng nâng đở và bảo vệ của chúng ta. Vâng Chúa là người lôn tuân giữ những lời hứa của Ngài; Lạy Chúa, xin cũng cố lòng tin của
chúng con, giúp con có lòng tin tưởng
vào Chúa mà không phụ thuộc vào bất cứ những gì trong thế
gian….
Reflection:
These days, many people would admit, life is difficult. Whether it is on
the political, economic, religious or social sphere, there seems to be so much
darkness enveloping the nation and the world. At times like this, it is easy
for some of us to give in to discouragement, anxiety, or to lose hope. We may
even question whether we should trust God when our prayers do not seem to be
answered by Him.
Today, we are reminded
again what faith actually means. Faith is about trusting God regardless
the circumstances. In the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that there
will come a time of weeping and wailing. However, sorrow will not have the last
word. Instead, it will be turned into joy — just like a mother who rejoices
once her child is born. The disciples are to trust that Jesus will keep his
promise, that he will overcome death. It
is this conviction that drives Paul to continue proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus
inspire of the dangers and the suffering he undergoes. Under the prompting of
the Holy Spirit, he demonstrates what it means to believe and place his hope in
the Lord Jesus, regardless of the circumstances. This is why we celebrate the
Season of Easter. It is a reminder that death has been overcome, and that
darkness has given way to light. It is with this hope that we must keep
believing and trusting that God is our refuge, our provider and protector.
He has, and he will, fulfill his promises. Lord, I trust You
regardless of the circumstances.
Friday of the Sixth Sunday of Easter
“When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has
arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the
pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.” John
16:21
This truth can certainly be extended to any form of anguish we
experience for a good reason. Note that the pain experienced in childbirth is
pain for a good and holy reason. Therefore, the pain is forgotten, in a sense,
when the mother sees and holds her newborn child. That suffering is forgotten
in the sense that it is transformed into joy by the birth of a child.
There is much in life that can cause anguish. In today’s Gospel,
Jesus goes on to say to His disciples: “So you also are now in anguish.” He
says this because He had just finished speaking to them about His coming
departure to the Father and about the suffering that they would all experience
in the form of persecution. But then He says to them that after He departs and
they no longer see Him, they will then see Him again and will rejoice. And He
says, “On that day you will not question me about anything.” This is an
important line to understand.
Anguish, or any form of suffering, can tempt us to question our
lives and even to question God. It is clear that after Jesus was killed, the
disciples questioned everything. They were confused and frightened. All
appeared to be lost. Then, to a lesser degree, after Jesus ascended into Heaven
and prior to Him sending the Holy Spirit, the disciples would have also
experienced confusion. Why did Jesus leave them? Why didn’t He stay longer? Who
was going to lead them now? These and many other similar questions would have
arisen in their minds.
So also with us, when things do not go as planned, or when things
take a painful turn in our lives, we can immediately question and even doubt
the perfect plan of God. If things fall apart because of our sin, then
repentance is the remedy. But if things fall apart, in the sense that life
becomes difficult, then we should especially listen to the words of Jesus
today.
When anguish in life happens because we are fulfilling God’s will,
we must see that anguish as a means to a much greater good. Just as the pains
of childbirth lead to the gift of a child, so the pains of bringing forth God’s
will in our lives will lead to the presence of God Himself. Patient endurance
is a virtue that is especially important in this case. For example, the anguish
of overcoming an addiction, or of praying when we don’t feel like praying, or
of forgiving someone who hurt us are all examples of anguish turning into
blessings. Very often, combatting our own selfish will is difficult. But the
fruit of engaging in such a battle within us is joy. There is joy found in
victory over sin. Joy is found in persevering in prayer. Joy is found in every difficulty
we endure for the Kingdom of God. But the joy is not always our first
experience. It is only experienced when we patiently endure the situation.
Reflect, today, upon any form of anguish you are currently
enduring for the glory of God, or anything you are currently avoiding because
it seems difficult to do. Do not shy away from these difficulties. See them as
a means to a glorious end. Endure the “labor pains” of the purification and
mission God is calling you to by looking beyond the difficulties you initially
experience so that you will see the end result that awaits you.
My glorious Lord, You endured Your passion with perfect virtue.
You never wavered from fulfilling the will of the Father, and the fruit of Your
perseverance was the glory of the Resurrection. Please help me to patiently
endure the crosses in my life and give me hope to see that from them You will
bring forth the good fruit of eternal joy. Jesus, I trust in You.
Friday of the Sixth Sunday of Easter 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I trust in your Son’s
promise that my grief in this life will become joy. You are capable of all
things and can transform the pain of my suffering into the joy of love. I ask
you today for the grace and charity I need to be your faithful child.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Your Grief Will Become Joy: At the Last Supper, Jesus tells the
Apostles that their grief will become joy. This is a law of Christian life. We
will share in the passion and sufferings of Jesus and will rise with him to
glory. We are persecuted for our faith, yet we are consoled and comforted by
the presence of God. We live by faith, the beginning of the joy of the eternal
vision of God. We live by hope, look beyond the sufferings we endure in this
passing world, and are confident in Jesus’ promise of eternal life. We live
according to love, knowing it alone lasts beyond the grave
2. Paul in Corinth: The First Reading continues the story
of Paul’s Second Missionary Journey. We can date Paul’s time in
Corinth to A.D. 51 or 52 when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia. Paul spent a year
and a half with the Corinthians, preaching and teaching the word of God. He was
reassured by God in a dream or vision at night to continue his witness to Jesus
Christ and not be silent. Even though he will be brought before the governor by
the Jews, no one will attack Paul or harm him. The Jews accused Paul of
inducing people to worship God contrary to the law and brought him before
Gallio, who was indifferent to the complaints of the Jews. Gallio rejected
their case and drove them from the tribunal. Instead of attacking Paul, the
Jews seized Sosthenes, who is a synagogue official, and publicly beat him.
3. Priscilla and Aquila: The last line of the First Reading
mentions Priscilla and Aquila. They were a married couple who were expelled
from Rome by the Emperor Claudius. They encountered Paul in Corinth and
welcomed him into their home and worked together making tents. Priscilla and
Aquila welcomed into their home the Christians who gathered to hear the Word of
God and celebrate the Eucharist. Pope Benedict XVI reflected on this and
taught: “Every home can transform itself into a little church. Not only in the
sense that in them Christian love must reign... but still more in the sense
that the whole of family life, based on faith, is called to revolve around the
singular lordship of Jesus Christ” (Benedict XVI, February 14, 2007). Paul and
the early Christians suffered for their faith in Jesus Christ. They were
strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit and did not waiver under
persecution. They rejoiced that they had been found worthy to suffer something
for the name of Jesus. Their joy is not fleeting and is not based on their
whims or sentiments. It is based on the conviction that they have become sons
and daughters of God through Jesus Christ and will receive the divine
inheritance of eternal life. In prayer, we lift our hearts and minds to the
Father who will grant us our petitions when we ask for what we need in the name
of Jesus. God the Father knows what to give us his children and when to give
these good things to us.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, make my home and
household a little Church where you reign and where all of my family members
are united in a bond of true love. Help us to offer up our sufferings and
experience true and lasting joy.
Living the Word of God: What do I need to do to allow
Christ to reign more fully in my home? Is the Sunday celebration of the
Eucharist a high point during the week? Do we pray together as a family? Do we
serve the poor and needy in our local community as a family?
Reflection: Acts 18:
9-18 / Ps 47: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7/ Jn 16: 20-23
What is this about wailing and
weeping? Aren't we supposed to celebrate the joy of Easter today? When
Jesus talks about wailing and weeping, he is actually missing us. He could not
wait to be with us again. But he reassures us that when he comes back, we
will experience joy that no one can take away from us. Shouldn't our hearts be
full of joy? There is a promise of Jesus coming and so we can joyfully
anticipate this reunion.
In the meantime, while we live in
a world marked by conflict and pain, Jesus prepares us to hold fast to our
faith in him. Jesus compares our life experience to a woman about to give
birth. During the time of delivery she suffers greatly but is so happy once her
child is born. The joy of seeing her newborn child face to face is worth any
pain. In the same way, when we feel the grief of loneliness, or are overwhelmed
by suffering in life, the pain is obvious to us. But even in the midst of this
pain, we can remember Jesus' promise that our sorrow will turn to joy.
Our walk with God will not always
be a bed of roses. There will be trials, and sometimes persecution because of
what we do for God. However, Jesus reminds us that we can draw joy and
consolation in prayers said together. When we gather as a worshipping
community, we will experience his presence. Whatever we ask in his name the
Father will grant. The darkness in the world may grieve, but our hope will
remain strong because of the promise of Jesus love.
In spite of all the trials and
pain, let us continue to follow Jesus, for at the end there will be great
rejoicing in store for those who are faithful to him.
Reflection:
These days, many people would admit, life is difficult. Whether it is on
the political, economic, religious or social sphere, there seems to be so much
darkness enveloping the nation and the world. At times like this, it is easy
for some of us to give in to discouragement, anxiety, or to lose hope. We may
even question whether we should trust God when our prayers do not seem to be
answered by Him.
Today, we are reminded
again what faith actually means. Faith is about trusting God regardless
the circumstances. In the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that there
will come a time of weeping and wailing. However, sorrow will not have the last
word. Instead, it will be turned into joy — just like a mother who rejoices
once her child is born. The disciples are to trust that Jesus will keep his
promise, that he will overcome death. It
is this conviction that drives Paul to continue proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus
inspite of the dangers and the suffering he undergoes. Under the prompting of
the Holy Spirit, he demonstrates what it means to believe and place his hope in
the Lord Jesus, regardless of the circumstances. This is why we celebrate the
Season of Easter. It is a reminder that death has been overcome, and that
darkness has given way to light. It is with this hope that we must keep
believing and trusting that God is our refuge, our provider and protector.
He has, and he will, fulfill his promises. Lord, I trust You
regardless of the circumstances.
Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Năm Tuần thứ 6
Phục Sinh
Bình thường chúng ta nghĩ rằng, khi
Chúa Giêsu Lên Trời, Ngài vào thiên đàng, và Ngài bỏ chúng ta lại ở dưới thế
này. Thật sự thì Chúa Giêsu đã rời bỏ thế giới này, nhưng điều đó không có
nghĩa là Ngài bỏ rơi chúng ta.
Hôm nay chúng ta mừng kính lễ Chúa lên
Trời, và mỗi năm chúng ta nên lợi dụng cớ hội này để suy gẫm vả phản ánh về mối
quan hệ của Chúa Giêsu với chúng ta, về sự hiện diện lâu dài của Ngài ỡ giữa
chúng ta và ở trong chúng ta.
Khi Chúa Giêsu đã sống lại từ cõi
chết, Ngài đã hiện ra với các môn đệ và những người đã tin tưởng và yêu mến
Ngài như những người phụ nữ thân tín của Ngài. Mục đích Chúa hiện ra sau khi
sống lại trong 40 ngày là để giúp cho các môn để và những người theo Ngài được
hiểu rõ là qua cái chết, và sự sống lại Chúa Giêsu, Ngài đã sống lại trong cách
sống mới nhưng Ngài vẫn luông ấp ủ mối quan hệ của Ngài với chúng ta, mặc dù
bây giờ đã được thể hiện theo một cách mới.
Việc Chúa về Trời cũng là một trong
những phần mà Chúa đã hiện ra, đâ là lần cuối cùng và cũng là lúc mà Ngài thiết
lập mối quan hệ không phải chỉ với những người đã gặp gỡ Ngài trong cuộc sống
trần thế của Ngài, nhưng là với tất cả những người trong mọi lứa tuổi, những
người sẽ đến và tin vào Ngài và trong Giáo Hội.
Chúa Giêsu đã sinh ra để làm “Thiên
Chúa ở cùng chúng ta” (Immanuel), Ngài sẽ là đấng Immanuel, Thiên Chúa ở cùng
chúng ta mãi mãi.
Lạy Chúa Giêsu, Xin ở cùng với chúng
tôi trong tất cả và mãi mãi, Xin Chúa mang chúng con đến với niềm vui trong
cuộc sống đời đời với Ngài trong sự hiện diện của Chúa Cha muôn đời.
Reflection
It is normal to think that, at his
Ascension into heaven, Jesus left us. It is true that Jesus left this world but
that does not mean that he left us. At the feast of the Ascension each year we
have a good opportunity to reflect on Jesus' relationship with us, his enduring
presence among us and within us.
When Jesus rose from the dead, he
spent forty days appearing to his disciples, those who knew him before his
death and believed in him and loved him. The purpose of these appearances was
to bring them to understand that though he had died he was alive in a new way
and still cherished his relationship with them, though it was now expressed in
a new way. His ascension into heaven was part of this series of appearances,
the last one and the one which would establish his relationship, not only with
those who had seen him in his earthly life but all those throughout the ages
who would come to believe in him in the Church. Born to be Immanuel, he would
be Immanuel, God-with-us, forever.
Lord Jesus, present with us in all
ages, bring us joyfully to eternal life with You in the Father’s presence
forever and ever.
Reflection:Acts 18: 1-8 / Ps 98: 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
/ Jn 16: 16-20
Jesus often did or said things that
appeared strange, radical or even contradictory to the disciples. Even if he
assured the disciples that he was coming back again, bidding farewell in the
above gospel reading was a puzzle to them and worse, Jesus was not helpful in
his explanation. Instances like these of course ideally would give anyone the
opportunity to exercise the virtue of faith. If Jesus actually said he would
resurrect, the disciples would not understand it because in the first place
they never even thought he was going to die. Nobody had resurrected before
aside from those whom Jesus himself brought back to life. So then who would be
able to bring a dead Jesus back to life? But primarily, how can the anointed
savior himself die? This was why when Jesus actually died, the disciples
started to have doubts as to whether they had chosen to follow the wrong
messiah.
Saying goodbye at that point was not
easy. It was easier for Jesus to say 'goodbye for now but not to worry because
I am coming back soon anyway'. That is how departing parents usually soothe a
crying child being left behind: that they are coming back right away and will
be bringing a gift even. Often works too.
It is also a good area for reflection
to imagine the different groups of people who were supposed to be joyful when
Jesus left and who were to be sorrowful. It is not a difficult exercise
actually. The better exercise would be to put a different twist to our
reflection and ask: when it is time for us to leave, whether we have time to
say our goodbyes or not, how many will be sorrowful and how many will be
joyful? Scary and morbid isn't it? But all of us all are going that way anyway.
It would not hurt to have especially deeper thoughts to keep us on our toes.
More especially if we are not given the chance to say our goodbyes... most
especially to those who will be sorrowful.
Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter
So some of his disciples said to one another, “What does this mean
that he is saying to us, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a
little while and you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” So
they said, “What is this ‘little while’ of which he speaks? We do not know what
he means.” John 16:17–18
How about you? Do you know what Jesus means? Or do you find that
you are confused by what He said just like these disciples were? Though pride
may tempt you to claim that you fully understand all that Jesus taught, the
humble and honest truth is that you are probably very much like these disciples
in their confusion. And that is not necessarily a bad place to be.
First, the confusion of these disciples shows they took Jesus
seriously. They were not indifferent. They cared, were interested, wanted to
understand, and must have had some level of faith in Jesus. Otherwise, they
would have ignored Him. But they didn’t. They listened, tried to understand,
discussed His teaching, thought about His words and humbly concluded that they
didn’t understand.
Jesus is not critical of their confusion. He sees that they are
trying and that they have some level of faith. And even though these disciples
are confused, Jesus continues to speak to them in figures of speech rather than
directly and clearly. One of the reasons that Jesus speaks in figurative
language is because the message that He is teaching is profound and deep. It’s
not something that can be quickly and easily understood and mastered. The
mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven are so deep, vast, profound and mystical
that the only way to begin to understand them is to first have faith. Faith
does not mean you fully understand everything. Faith is a supernatural gift by
which you come to believe without fully seeing and understanding. The certainty
comes for God, not from your own reasoning ability. But faith always leads to
deeper understanding. Therefore, as these disciples professed their faith, they
also came to understand. And even though Jesus speaks in this figurative way,
these disciples ultimately made the choice to believe. Later in this chapter
they conclude, “Now we realize that you know everything and that you do not
need to have anyone question you. Because of this we believe that you came from
God” (John
16:30).
If you find yourself confused about various matters of faith, God,
morality, and the like, or if you find yourself confused about the various
mysteries of life itself, or your life in particular, do not be afraid to admit
to this confusion. Admitting confusion is the humble admittance of the truth,
and this humility will be a helpful step toward the gift of faith.
Reflect, today, upon whether you struggle at all with indifference
toward the mysteries of life. If so, commit yourself to be more like these
disciples who intentionally grappled with all that Jesus spoke. Do not be
afraid to admit your confusion and to place that confusion before our Lord.
Strive to have the gift of faith and allow that spark of faith to become the
pathway for your deeper understanding of the many mysteries of life.
My mysterious Lord, You and all the mysteries of the Kingdom of
Heaven are so deep and profound that no one will ever fully comprehend their
depth, breadth and beauty. Please open my mind, dear Lord, to a deeper
understanding of You so that I may profess my faith in You and in all that You
have chosen to reveal. I do believe, my God. Help my unbelief. Jesus, I trust
in You.
Reflection Thursday Sixth Week of
Easter
Opening Prayer: My Jesus, help me to
silence the clamor of my thoughts, worries, and preoccupations as I enter into
my heart to encounter you. May your words find fertile soil in my heart where
they might germinate and grow, bringing forth fruits of an ever-increasing
faith, hope, and love. Even when your words find resistance in the brokenness
of my mind and heart, I want to offer you my humble desire to be transformed by
you.
Encountering Christ:
1. A Little While and You Will No
Longer See Me: Jesus addressed these words to his Apostles in immediate
reference to his impending death and Resurrection. They were about to
experience the greatest sorrow of their lives: the loss of their teacher, friend,
and master; the one they had come to believe was the Savior of the world. They
were to question everything that they had come to hold as true. All of their
hopes and beliefs were to be shaken to the core under the shadow of the cross.
For a short time, they were to be capable only of utter desolation,
disillusion, and anger with themselves and those who had perpetrated Jesus’
crucifixion. Perhaps they were even angry with Jesus himself, who apparently
had let them down, betraying them and betraying the hope they had placed in
him. How often in our own lives have we felt that Jesus is hidden from sight,
dashing our hope in him and in his promises?
2. Again a Little While Later and You
Will See Me: Time and again, Jesus announced to his Apostles that his suffering
and death would not be the end. He would be taken from them for a short time,
but afterward, he would rise and be restored to them in glory. Death would not
have the final word. Yet in the face of tremendous suffering, human nature can
become blinded. Our eyes see only darkness, which seems to swallow up every
present and future possibility of light. The truth of the darkness that envelops
us takes on absolute proportions, acquiring greater weight even than God’s
promises. During these times, we would be wise to do as Psalm 46:11 recommends:
“Be still and know that I am God!”
3. In Light of the Ascension: This
coming Sunday, we celebrate the liturgical feast of the Ascension, when, forty
days after his Resurrection, Jesus was once again taken from the Apostles’
sight. In the light of the Resurrection, their faith had been strengthened, and
as they stood looking up to Heaven, they knew that they would, in fact, be
united with him once again. They were still in need of the strength of the Holy
Spirit, however, to fortify their faith and sustain them in every trial. We
have been privileged to be sealed by the grace of the Holy Spirit from the time
of our Baptism. While we walk in the darkness of faith, unable to enjoy Jesus’
physical presence on earth, we rest in the knowledge of the Resurrection,
having received the living presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus has promised that
in a little while more, we will see him again, glorious in Heaven and awaiting
the arrival of those who persevere in hope. In the meantime, we are called t o
be witnesses of hope to those whose suffering blinds them to the greater
picture of the victory he has won for us.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, as
I approach the feast of your Ascension, help me to dwell not so much in your
physical departure as in the promise of the life that you have prepared for me.
I have been privileged to be a witness to your Resurrection, and my life is
called to bear its mark. Enable me to live the moments when you seem to
disappear from view in the certainty of faith in your victory, and may I be
able to be a witness to hope for my fellow pilgrims here on earth as we look
forward to the fulfillment of all of your promises in Heaven.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace
I will reach out to someone in my life who is struggling with significant
suffering, striving, even without words, to be a witness to hope.
Thursday Sixth Week of Easter 2024’Opening Prayer: Lord God, you exalted your Son at your right hand.
You accepted his sacrifice on the Cross and now attend to his priestly
intercession. Look kindly upon me and grant that I may approach with confidence
the throne of grace and there obtain your mercy.
Encountering the Word of God]
1. Christ’s Royal Priesthood: The mystery of Christ’s Ascension into Heaven celebrates
the mystery of his royal priesthood. Jesus is the Lord who, in his humanity,
reigns at the right hand of the Father. He is the high priest of the New
Covenant who intercedes for us before the Father, the mediator who assures us
of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit and gives us the hope of one day
reaching the heavenly place he has prepared for us (Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 132). Christ’s kingship is mentioned in
the First Reading. Jesus, we are told, spoke about the Kingdom of God during
the forty days between his Resurrection from the dead and his Ascension into
heaven. As they gather around Jesus before his Ascension, the disciples are
eager to know when the kingdom of Israel would be restored. The disciples could
be referring to Jesus’ promise in Luke 22:30 which says that they will sit on
thrones. In response to their question, Jesus “discourages speculation about
timing (v. 7), but does describe the means by which the kingdom will be
restored, namely, through the Spirit-inspired witness of the apostles
throughout the earth (v. 8)” (Hahn, “Christ, Kingdom and Creation in
Luke-Acts,” 185). In fact, the Acts of the Apostles tells the story of how the
kingdom spreads from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.
2. Sending the Spirit: Christ’s elevation to the right hand
of the Father is linked especially to the descent of the Holy Spirit. Only
through the Ascension does Christ receive the Holy Spirit from the Father to
pour it out on the Apostles as he had promised. The Apostles do not yet
understand the full meaning of the Kingdom, and only through the gift of the
Holy Spirit do the Apostles definitively become aware of the kingdom that
Christ announced from the beginning. The Holy Spirit will correct any
nationalistic, earthly views of the kingdom and lift their eyes toward the
universal, heavenly Kingdom of God. At Pentecost, the Apostles become witnesses
to the Kingdom that will have no end (see John Paul II, April 12, 1989). Jesus
reigns now in heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. This action
signifies the inauguration of his kingdom, the fulfillment of the prophet
Daniel’s vision concerning the Son of Man: “To him was given dominion and glory
and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his
dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom
one that shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14) (see CCC, 664).
3. How Jesus Reigns in Heaven: The Psalm proclaims that Jesus, true
God and true man, “mounts his throne amid shouts of joy,” he “reigns over the
nations” and “sits upon his holy throne.” Jesus’ Ascension marks the entry of
his humanity into divine glory. Jesus departed from this world, not to leave us
orphans, but to open up the way to the Father’s house for us. Christ is not
only our King but also our High-priest and the Mediator of the New Covenant in
which we share. Today Jesus enters “not into a sanctuary made by human hands...
but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf”
(Hebrews 9:24). He enters the heavenly sanctuary not with the blood of animals,
but with his own blood shed on the Cross. In heaven, Christ permanently
exercises his priesthood, interceding for those who draw near to God through
him (see CCC, 662). Before leaving to prepare a place for us in his
Father’s house, Jesus sends out his disciples to all nations. They will be his
witnesses and will bring men and women, through the Sacrament of Baptism, into
communion with God and into his Kingdom. Jesus goes away, yet remains with us
in the Eucharist and in the Church. This is why he can console his disciples,
saying to them and to us: “I am with you always.” The disciples, then, are not
saddened by Jesus’ Ascension, rather they return to Jerusalem with great joy
(Luke 24:52). They rejoice because Jesus now reigns in heaven and the effects
of his reign – righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17)
– are manifested in our lives.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the Head of
the Church and have ascended into heaven to prepare a place for me, a member of
your Body. Turn my eyes from the world and lift up my gaze toward my heavenly
home, where you sit enthroned in glory at God’s right hand.
Living the Word of God: Do I truly believe that Jesus
reigns over all things? Or do I give into despair, a temptation from the devil,
and believe that God has abandoned the world and me? Does the contemplation of
Jesus’ Ascension into heaven fill me with hope?Reflection Thursday
Sixth Week of Easter
You
will grieve, but your grief will become joy. (John 16:20)
The
apostles were probably confused when Jesus told them that their grief would
turn to joy (John 16:20). After all, he had just informed them that he would
soon be leaving them (16:5). But just as Jesus prophesied, their grief at his
crucifixion turned to joy when they encountered him as the risen Christ.
What Jesus says here also applies to us. We might grieve
as we see the evil still at work in the world, but one day, at the Second
Coming, our grief will also turn to joy. That’s when the present world will
pass away and all will be made right in the kingdom of God. Just think: no more
broken relationships with family or friends, no more poverty or racism or
abortion, no more illness or pain of any kind.
And yet we don’t have to wait for the Second Coming to
experience foretastes of that kingdom. That’s because the risen Christ is still
here with us. He is present and at work every time a parent and a child resolve
their differences and reconcile. When a friend is healed of cancer, it’s
because Jesus is there as the source of all healing. When a woman in a crisis
pregnancy receives support that will help her to care for her baby, Jesus is
walking with her and giving her strength. In good times and in bad, the kingdom
of God will continue to break through because Jesus hasn’t abandoned us this
side of heaven.
Yes, this life is a mixture of light and shadows. But
Jesus knows what it’s like to walk through both. And he lets his disciples—all
of us—know ahead of time that we will face our own ups and downs. But he also
tells us it’s not the end. If the grief that he experienced in his passion and
death did not have the final word, neither will our own.
So today, whatever might be troubling you, hold fast to
Jesus’ promise. Believe that the glimpses of the kingdom of heaven that you see
and experience in this life are only a pale reflection of the joy that awaits
you!
“Jesus,
I will hold fast to your promise of eternal joy.”
Acts 18: 1-8 / Ps 98: 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4 / Jn
16: 16-20
Jesus often did or said things
that appeared strange, radical or even contradictory to the disciples.
Even if he assured the disciples that he was coming back again, bidding
farewell in the above gospel reading was a puzzle to them and worse, Jesus was
not helpful in his explanation. Instances like these of course ideally would
give anyone the opportunity to exercise the virtue of faith. If Jesus actually
said he would resurrect, the disciples would not understand it because in the
first place they never even thought he was going to die. Nobody had resurrected
before aside from those whom Jesus himself brought back to life. So then who
would be able to bring a dead Jesus back to life? But primarily, how can the
anointed savior himself die? This was why when Jesus actually died, the
disciples started to have doubts as to whether they had chosen to follow the
wrong messiah.
Saying goodbye at that point was
not easy. It was easier for Jesus to say 'goodbye for now but not to worry
because I am coming back soon anyway'. That is how departing parents usually
soothe a crying child being left behind: that they are coming back right away
and will be bringing a gift even. Often works too.
It is also a good area for reflection to
imagine the different groups of people who were supposed to be joyful when
Jesus left and who were to be sorrowful. It is not a difficult exercise
actually. The better exercise would be to put a different twist to our
reflection and ask: when it is time for us to leave, whether we have time to
say our goodbyes or not, how many will be sorrowful and how many will be
joyful? Scary and morbid isn't it? But all of us all are going that way
anyway. It would not hurt to have especially deeper thoughts to keep us on our
toes. More especially if we are not given the chance to say our goodbyes...
most especially to those who will be sorrowful.
Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Năm Chúa Lên
Trời.
Bình
thường chúng ta nghĩ
rằng, khi Chúa Giêsu Lên Trời, Ngài
vào thiên đàng, và Ngài bỏ
chúng ta lại ở dưới thế này. Thật sự thì Chúa Giêsu đã rời bỏ thế giới này, nhưng điều
đó không có nghĩa là Ngài bỏ rơi chúng
ta.
Hôm nay chúng ta mừng kính lễ
Chúa lên Trời, và mỗi năm chúng ta nên lợi dụng cớ hội này để suy gẫm vả phản
ánh về mối quan hệ của Chúa Giêsu với chúng ta, về sự hiện
diện lâu dài của Ngài ỡ giữa
chúng ta và ở trong
chúng ta.
Khi Chúa Giêsu đã sống lại từ cõi chết, Ngài đã hiện ra với
các môn đệ và những người đã tin tưởng và yêu mến Ngài
như những người phụ nữ thân tín của Ngài. Mục đích Chúa hiện ra sau khi sống lại trong 40 ngày là để
giúp cho các môn để và những người theo Ngài được
hiểu rõ là qua cái chết, và sự sống lại Chúa Giêsu, Ngài đã sống lại trong cách sống
mới nhưng Ngài vẫn luông ấp ủ
mối quan hệ của Ngài với chúng ta, mặc
dù bây giờ đã được thể hiện theo một cách mới.
Việc Chúa về Trời cũng là một trong những
phần mà Chúa đã hiện ra, đâ là lần cuối cùng và cũng là lúc mà Ngài thiết lập mối quan hệ không phải chỉ với những người đã gặp gỡ Ngài trong cuộc sống trần thế của Ngài, nhưng là với tất cả
những người trong mọi lứa
tuổi, những
người sẽ đến và tin
vào Ngài và
trong Giáo Hội.
Chúa Giêsu đã sinh
ra để làm “Thiên Chúa ở cùng chúng
ta” (Immanuel), Ngài sẽ là đấng Immanuel,
Thiên Chúa ở cùng chúng ta mãi mãi.
Lạy Chúa Giêsu, Xin ở cùng với chúng tôi trong tất cả và mãi mãi, Xin Chúa mang chúng con đến với niềm vui trong cuộc
sống đời đời với Ngài trong sự hiện diện của Chúa Cha muôn đời.
Reflection
It
is normal to think that, at his Ascension into heaven, Jesus left us. It is
true that Jesus left this world but that does not mean that he left us. At the
feast of the Ascension each year we have a good opportunity to reflect on
Jesus' relationship with us, his enduring presence among us and within us.
When Jesus rose from the dead, he
spent forty days appearing to his disciples, those who knew him before his
death and believed in him and loved him. The purpose of these appearances was
to bring them to understand that though he had died he was alive in a new way
and still cherished his relationship with them, though it was now expressed in
a new way. His ascension into heaven was part of this series of appearances,
the last one and the one which would establish his relationship, not only with
those who had seen him in his earthly life but all those throughout the ages
who would come to believe in him in the Church. Born to be Immanuel, he would
be Immanuel, God-with-us, forever.
Lord Jesus, present with us in all ages, bring us joyfully to eternal
life with You in the Father’s presence forever and ever.
Ascension of Our Lord (Year B)
Jesus said to his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim
the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:15–16
We celebrate today one more step in the completion of the mission
of the Son of God. Humanity had sinned at the beginning of time and fallen from
Original Innocence. God immediately began to prepare the world for the gift of
eternal redemption by establishing a covenant with Noah, Abraham and Moses. He
raised up various prophets and kings to further prepare His people for what was
to come. And then, when the time was right, God entered our world through the
Blessed Virgin Mary. Jesus, the Son of God, eventually entered into His public
ministry, teaching, performing miracles, gathering the faithful to Himself,
dying, rising and then appearing to His disciples in preparation for the
Ascension. The Ascension completes the mission of the Son of God. Today we
honor that definitive moment when God the Son, in His transformed and
resurrected Human nature, ascends by His own power to the Father, bringing with
Himself our humanity so that all humanity may ascend with Him.
As we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus, we must first see all that
led up to that moment and seek to unite ourselves with all of those preceding
events. We must listen to the words of the patriarchs and prophets of the Old
Testament. We must especially listen to the teachings of Jesus in the New
Testament and embrace His words without hesitation. And we must unite ourselves
with His own death, dying to sin, so that we may also share in His
Resurrection. Today, we must further see the invitation we are all given to
ascend with Jesus to the Father. We must understand that where Jesus has gone,
we are invited to follow if we only believe, embrace and live all that took
place leading up to this glorious moment.
The Ascension was the end of Jesus’ life on Earth but also the
beginning of our sharing in the life of Heaven. As Jesus ascended, He
commissioned His disciples to go forth and “preach the gospel to every
creature.” They were to preach to all about the saving plan of God that began
at the time of Adam and Eve and was completed with the Ascension.
Reflect, today, upon your calling to not only share in this
glorious moment of Jesus’ Ascension but also your calling to go forth and to do
all you can to draw others into this new life. Reflect upon Jesus, Who also
speaks to you today to invite you to bring others to that mountain. By teaching
friends, family and all with whom God has entrusted to you to share the Gospel,
you fulfill Christ’s mission to “go into the whole world” to gather the
scattered people into the one fold of Christ so as to ascend with Him one day
into eternity.
My ascended Lord, all things throughout history were but a
preparation for the moment when You drew fallen humanity into Heaven to be with
Your Father forever. Help me to always heed Your holy words, so that I, too,
will share in Your Ascension. Use me, dear Lord, to also go forth and to draw
many others to You so that the Kingdom will be filled with all those whom You
have called. Jesus, I trust in You.
Ascension of the Lord 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you exalted your Son
at your right hand. You accepted his sacrifice on the Cross and now attend to
his priestly intercession. Look kindly upon me and grant that I may approach
with confidence the throne of grace and there obtain your mercy.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Christ’s Royal Priesthood: The mystery of Christ’s Ascension into
Heaven celebrates the mystery of his royal priesthood. Jesus is the Lord who,
in his humanity, reigns at the right hand of the Father. He is the high priest
of the New Covenant who intercedes for us before the Father, the mediator who
assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit and gives us the hope
of one day reaching the heavenly place he has prepared for us (Compendium of
the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 132). Christ’s kingship is mentioned
in the First Reading. Jesus, we are told, spoke about the Kingdom of God during
the forty days between his Resurrection from the dead and his Ascension into
heaven. As they gather around Jesus before his Ascension, the disciples are
eager to know when the kingdom of Israel would be restored. The disciples could
be referring to Jesus’ promise in Luke 22:30 which says that they will sit on
thrones. In response to their question, Jesus “discourages speculation about
timing (v. 7), but does describe the means by which the kingdom will be
restored, namely, through the Spirit-inspired witness of the apostles
throughout the earth (v. 8)” (Hahn, “Christ, Kingdom and Creation in
Luke-Acts,” 185). In fact, the Acts of the Apostles tells the story of how the
kingdom spreads from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.
2. Sending the Spirit: Christ’s elevation to the right hand
of the Father is linked especially to the descent of the Holy Spirit. Only
through the Ascension does Christ receive the Holy Spirit from the Father to
pour it out on the Apostles as he had promised. The Apostles do not yet
understand the full meaning of the Kingdom, and only through the gift of the
Holy Spirit do the Apostles definitively become aware of the kingdom that
Christ announced from the beginning. The Holy Spirit will correct any nationalistic,
earthly views of the kingdom and lift their eyes toward the universal, heavenly
Kingdom of God. At Pentecost, the Apostles become witnesses to the Kingdom that
will have no end (see John Paul II, April 12, 1989). Jesus reigns now in heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father. This action signifies the
inauguration of his kingdom, the fulfillment of the prophet Daniel’s vision
concerning the Son of Man: “To him was given dominion and glory and kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall
not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14) (see CCC, 664).
3. How Jesus Reigns in Heaven: The Psalm proclaims that Jesus, true
God and true man, “mounts his throne amid shouts of joy,” he “reigns over the
nations” and “sits upon his holy throne.” Jesus’ Ascension marks the entry of
his humanity into divine glory. Jesus departed from this world, not to leave us
orphans, but to open up the way to the Father’s house for us. Christ is not
only our King but also our High-priest and the Mediator of the New Covenant in
which we share. Today Jesus enters “not into a sanctuary made by human hands...
but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf”
(Hebrews 9:24). He enters the heavenly sanctuary not with the blood of animals,
but with his own blood shed on the Cross. In heaven, Christ permanently
exercises his priesthood, interceding for those who draw near to God through
him (see CCC, 662). Before leaving to prepare a place for us in his
Father’s house, Jesus sends out his disciples to all nations. They will be his
witnesses and will bring men and women, through the Sacrament of Baptism, into
communion with God and into his Kingdom. Jesus goes away, yet remains with us
in the Eucharist and in the Church. This is why he can console his disciples,
saying to them and to us: “I am with you always.” The disciples, then, are not
saddened by Jesus’ Ascension, rather they return to Jerusalem with great joy
(Luke 24:52). They rejoice because Jesus now reigns in heaven and the effects
of his reign – righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17)
– are manifested in our lives.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the Head of
the Church and have ascended into heaven to prepare a place for me, a member of
your Body. Turn my eyes from the world and lift up my gaze toward my heavenly
home, where you sit enthroned in glory at God’s right hand.
Living the Word of God: Do I truly believe that Jesus
reigns over all things? Or do I give into despair, a temptation from the devil,
and believe that God has abandoned the world and me? Does the contemplation of
Jesus’ Ascension into heaven fill me with hope?
Ascension of the Lord
Opening Prayer: Dear Lord, we rejoice in your Ascension! You are the king
of glory and the king of my life. You show me that there is meaning in our
suffering. You have gone before us to give us peace and hope in this life. Help
me to be a witness of this peace and hope to others.
Encountering Christ:
The Glory of God: Christ's Ascension marks the definitive entrance of
Jesus's humanity into God's heavenly domain. Jesus Christ, the head of the
Church, precedes us into the Father's glorious kingdom so that we, the members
of his body, may live in the hope of one day being with him forever (Catechism
of the Catholic Church 665 and 666). For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then
face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12). Every time we receive the Eucharist, we
receive a “taste of heaven,” which by God’s grace can deepen our faith and our
holy anticipation of eternity.
Fidelity to His Will: Pope Francis said that “entering the glory of God demands daily
fidelity to his will, even when it demands sacrifice and sometimes requires us
to change our plans.” It is known that Jesus’s ascension happened on the Mount
of Olives where he had prayed to the Father before the Passion. It was Our
Lord’s love of his Father that enabled him to endure suffering and death, and
then return to the place of encounter to be raised into heaven. Through our
relationship with the Father, we also receive the grace to be faithful to God’s
will, and may we one day reap the benefits—eternity with him. With Jesus, we
say, “Not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
Never Alone: Pope Francis adds,“The Ascension does not point to Jesus’s absence, but
tells us that he is alive in our midst in a new way. He is now...present in
every space and time, close to each one of us. In our life we are never alone:
we have this Advocate who awaits us, who defends us.” Before Jesus died on the
cross, he promised that he would send the Holy Spirit to be with his people to
accompany them. It is through this gentle Spirit that we perceive the presence
of God and receive comfort, consolation, and wisdom to prepare us for our
eternal destiny.
Conversing with Christ: Dear Jesus, thank you for always being with me.
Without the power of your Spirit in my life, I can do nothing. While I am still
here on earth, help me to conform my will to your Father’s will. Help me endure
hardships with love for you. Let the thought of heaven with you console my
heart deeply.
Resolution: Lord,
today by your grace I will offer up a prayer for a friend or family member who
has been feeling hopeless.
