Preparing for the Mass - May 24, 2009

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
May 21 or 24, 2009

Seventh Sunday of Easter
May 24, 2009

The Readings

Note: there are two sets of readings from which to choose for this Sunday:

• Seventh Sunday of Easter
• Ascension of the Lord

For this post I am choosing the readings for the Ascension of The Lord

Reading 1
Acts 1:1-11
". . . . . he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, "Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven."

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.

Reading II
Eph 1:17-23 or Eph 4:1-13 or 4:1-7, 11-13 or Eph 1:17-23
". . . . live in a manner worthy of the calling
you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace . . . "


Gospel
Mk 16:15-20
" . . . . . So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,
was taken up into heaven
and took his seat at the right hand of God.
But they went forth and preached everywhere,
while the Lord worked with them
and confirmed the word through accompanying signs."

These reading excerpts are from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.

First, For the children.

Now for us BIG KIDS:

• (Acts 1:1-2) connects Acts with the Gospel of Luke, shows that the apostles were instructed by the risen Jesus (Acts 1:3-5), points out that the parousia or second coming in glory of Jesus will occur as certainly as his ascension occurred (Acts 1:6-11)
  

• A comparison: In the gospel of Luke the ascension of Jesus is connected with the resurrection. Luke describes the ascension on Easter Sunday evening (Luke 24:50-53). What should probably be understood as one event (resurrection, glorification, ascension, sending of the Spirit--the paschal mystery) has been historicized by Luke when he writes of a visible ascension of Jesus after forty days and the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost. For Luke, the ascension marks the end of the appearances of Jesus except for the extraordinary appearance to Paul. With regard to Luke's understanding of salvation history, the ascension also marks the end of the time of Jesus (Luke 24:50-53) and signals the beginning of the time of the church. source USCCB

• A comparison: All that I have commanded you: the moral teaching found in this gospel, preeminently that of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). The commandments of Jesus are the standard of Christian conduct, not the Mosaic law as such, even though some of the Mosaic commandments have now been invested with the authority of Jesus. Behold, I am with you always: the promise of Jesus' real though invisible presence echoes the name Emmanuel given to him in the infancy narrative; see the note on Matthew 1:23. End of the age: see the notes on Matthew 13:39 and Matthew 24:3.

This information has been gathered for my personal Catholic Notebook. Full sourcing is included

sources:
Center for Liturgy