Vol. 37 No. 32             MAY  16,   2010           Cycle C  THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD You are my witnesses ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ENTRANCE ANTIPHON   Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking in the sky? The Lord will return, just as you have seen him ascend, alleluia. PENITENTIAL RITE When Florence Nightingale was giving a special care to a dying soldier, the soldier looked up at her and murmured: “You are Christ to me.” Mission to witness is the theme of today’s liturgy. Today we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord Jesus to the right hand of his Father in heaven. He has given us a task to perform; to proclaim the Good News to the whole creation. We are invited to reflect on our Christian living: in what way are we witnessing to Christ? As we celebrate this Eucharist, let us be sorry for our failure to bear witness to Christ in our daily lives. (Pause) I confess... Glory to God ... OPENING  PRAYER God our Father, make us joyful in the ascension of your Son Jesus Christ. May we follow him into the new creation, for his ascension is our glory and our hope. We ask this... FIRST READING (This reading portrays Jesus’ ascension into heaven, after he had given the Apostles his final instructions. He commands them to be witnesses of his Kingdom to the ends of the earth and promises them the help of the Holy Spirit to empower them in their mission.) A reading from the Acts of the Apostles     (1:1-11) In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “You heard from me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” This is the Word of the Lord PSALM    (46) Response: God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with       trumpet blast.   All peoples, clap your hands, cry to God with shouts of joy! For the Lord, the Most High, we must fear, great king over all the earth. R./ God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast. Sing praise for God, sing praise, sing praise to our king, sing praise. R./ God is king of all the earth. Sing praise with all your skill. God is king over the nations; God reigns on his holy throne. R./ SECOND READING (The author of the Letter to the Hebrews presents to us the new and eternal priesthood established by Jesus Christ by sacrificing his life for many.) A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews    (9:24-28;10:19-23) For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION   (Mt 28:19-20) Alleluia, alleluia! Go, make disciples of all nations; I am with you always, to the close of the age. Alleluia! GOSPEL (The risen Christ before his ascension commissions his disciples to proclaim the salvific message to all the nations and asks them to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes upon them.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke     (24:46-53) Jesus said to his disciples, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high.” Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God. This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe in God,/the Father Almighty,/ Creator of heaven and earth./ I believe in Jesus Christ,/his only Son, our Lord./ He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit/ and born of the Virgin Mary./He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/was crucified, died, and was buried./He descended to the dead./On the third day he rose again./He ascended into Heaven,/and is seated at the right hand of the Father./He will come again to judge the living and the dead./I believe in the Holy Spirit,/the Holy Catholic Church,/the communion of saints,/the forgiveness of sins,/the resurrection of the body,/and the life everlasting./ Amen. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear friends, let us pray in the name of Jesus who now sits at the right hand of the Father in glory and who intercedes for us, that we may bear witness to him in a world marked by violence and terror. Response: Lord, grant us your grace to be your witnesses today. 1. Lord, we pray for our Holy Father, bishops, priests, religious and all lay leaders: that by their lives they may bear witness to Christ and build up your Kingdom on earth. R./ 2. Lord, bless the leaders of all nations: that they may prepare themselves to sacrifice their time, energy and all the resources for the betterment of all sections of people. R./ 3. Lord, we pray for the Christians all over the world: that they may be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and help them to live a genuine Christian life so as to bear witness to your Kingdom of love and peace. R./ 4. Lord, we pray for all those who are working for a just and peaceful world: strengthen them by the power of the Holy Spirit. R./ 5. Lord, give us today your gifts of wisdom and understanding: that we may reach out to the people in their different kinds of needs and help them experience your redemptive love. R./ (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: God our loving Father, through his ascension your Son Jesus has become Lord of the universe, to stand above all powers and authorities as judge, and above all failures and sin as forgiveness and love. In your mercy grant all our prayers through the same Christ our Lord. PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, receive our offering as we celebrate the ascension of Christ your Son. May his gifts help us rise with him to the joys of heaven, where he lives and reigns forever and ever. PREFACE    (P 26) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. Today the Lord Jesus, the king of glory, the conqueror of sin and death,  ascended to heaven while the angels sang his praises. Christ, the mediator between God and man, judge of the world and Lord of all, has passed beyond our sight, not to abandon us but to be our hope. Christ is the beginning, the head of the Church; where he has gone, we hope to follow. The joy of the resurrection and ascension renews the whole world, while the choirs of heaven sing for ever to your glory: All: Holy, holy, holy… COMMUNION ANTIPHON I, the Lord, am with you always, until the end of the world, alleluia. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Father, in this Eucharist we touch the divine life you give to the world. Help us to follow Christ with love to eternal life where he is Lord for ever and ever.     LITURGY  AND  LIFE     Today we celebrate the feast of the Ascension of the Lord. It is the final affirmation of resurrection of Christ and his entry into heaven. Jesus leaves his disciples to go to the heavenly Father and promises to return. He concludes his ministry, and the mission of the Church begins. Jesus Christ came to fulfil his Father’s will of establishing the Kingdom on earth, a kingdom that is different from a political kingdom. He commissions his disciples to establish his Kingdom and pledges its fulfilment. Our role here is to build his Kingdom by bearing witness to Christ to the extent of sacrificing our life for others. All the Readings of today’s liturgy tell us that bearing witness is a radical commitment to the eternal priesthood established by Jesus. Today’s Second Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews very succinctly describes the radical priesthood of Jesus Christ, which differs from that of the temple priest. There are three ways in which Christ’s sacrifice is superior to that of the temple priest. Firstly, unlike the temple priest, Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by human hands rather into heaven itself appearing in the presence of God on our behalf (9:24). Secondly, the temple sacrifice was limited in its effect, hence it was offered constantly year after year. Christ’s sacrifice was once and for all (9:25-26). Finally, the temple priest offered the blood of lambs, but Christ has offered “the sacrifice of himself” (9:26). Ultimately his life was a total sacrifice of himself for the redemption of humanity and to make this world a better place to live in. We Christians are called to bear witness to the redemptive mission of Christ the eternal high priest. It is here the question of angels finds its relevance: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” It may imply the following: Go and be living witnesses of my mission and message, that is, sacrifice your life to build the Kingdom of God. There is a sense of urgency about it all, the emphasis being on the need for action rather than speculation. It is not an easy way to live the mission of Jesus. That is why Jesus has sent us the Holy Spirit to empower us. Luke’s Gospel concludes with Jesus promising to send his Spirit upon us and then being taken to heaven. There is a legend about Apostle Peter. It seems that when persecution of the Christians began in Rome by Emperor Nero, Peter hastily beat a retreat and hurried out of town as fast as he could. As Peter hurried along the Apian way away from the eternal city, he was met by Christ going towards the city. Peter asked Jesus, “Where are you going?” Jesus replied back, “I am going to Rome to be crucified with my people.” Realizing his failure to be a witness to Christ, Peter cried aloud in bitterness. And then he committed his whole life to live and die for Christ. In this busy world with all our material comforts and convenient beliefs we find it very difficult to be witnesses to Christ in our Christian living. The question Jesus asks us today is: What are you today? Are you ready to give your life for me, by giving yourself for others so to build God’s Kingdom? And we believe that as the Spirit made the beginning of the Church, the same Spirit empowers the community of believers today. –Bro. A. Emmanuel Mariyan, (JDV)     ============================================================= May 2010             READINGS  OF  THE  WEEK                Psalter Week 3 17  Mon (W)      Act 19:1-8; Ps 67:2-3,4-5a&c,6-7ab; Jn 16:29-33 18  Tue (W)      Act 20:17-27; Ps 67:10-11,20-21; Jn 17:1-11a 19  Wed (W)    Act 20:28-38; Ps 67:29-30,33-35a,35b-36c; Jn 17:11b-19 20  Thu (W)      Act 22:30;23:6-11; Ps 15:1-2a&5,7-8,9-10,11; Jn 17:20-26 21  Fri (W)      Act 25:13b-21; Ps 102:1-2,11-12,19-20ab; Jn 21:15-19 22  Sat (W)     Act 28:16-20,30-31; Ps 10:4,5,7, Jn 21:20-25   ==============================================================