The Ascension of the Lord
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
By now, most, if not all, states have adopted graduated driving licenses for teens, initially restricting, for example … the hours when they can drive … how many people can be in the vehicle with them … lower blood alcohol levels for them to be charged with DUI … and / or the minimum ages of their passengers. These restrictions were identified as major factors in teen car accidents. The restrictions are lifted in phases, usually before a new driver turns 18. States that have enacted these phased-in drivers’ licenses have experienced significant decreases in teen accidents.
At the Vigil Mass:
Entrance: Ps 68(67):33, 35 – “You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; praise the Lord, who ascends above the highest heavens; His majesty and might are in the skies, alleluia.”
First Reading: Acts 1:1-11 – “As the Apostles were looking on, Jesus was lifted up.”
Psalm: Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 – “God mounts His throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.”
Second Reading: Eph 1:17-23 – “God seated Jesus at His right hand in the heavens.”
Alleluia: Mt 28:19a, 20b – “Alleluia, alleluia. Go and teach all nations, says the Lord; I am with you always, until the end of the world. Alleluia, alleluia.”
Gospel: Mt 28:16-20 – “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”
Communion: Heb 10:12 – “Christ, offering a single sacrifice for sins, is seated for ever at God’s right hand, alleluia.”
At the Mass during the Day:
Entrance: Acts 1:11 – “Men of Galilee, why gaze in wonder at the heavens? This Jesus whom you saw ascending into heaven will return as you saw Him go, alleluia.”
First Reading, Responsorial Psalm, Second Reading, Alleluia, and Gospel are the same as for the Vigil Mass.
Communion: Mt 28:20 – “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, alleluia.”
In one way, the Ascension of Jesus began an intermediate phase in the life of the Apostles. Jesus had taught them for three (3) years before His death and then again after Easter. After Jesus’ Ascension, the Holy Spirit had more to teach them. Even after Pentecost, they still had much to learn. Unlike new teen drivers who usually can’t wait to move through the intermediate phases necessary to acquire an unrestricted license, Jesus’ Apostles had to be coaxed and prodded to accept new phases of their mission to preach the Good News by word and example. They succeeded in doing this, not by grit, determination, or the power of positive thinking, but through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Apostles will meet new Jewish people to whom they must preach the Gospel. When Jesus says in this weekend’s Gospel that the Apostles must “make disciples of all nations,” what they probably heard was “preach My Good News to Jewish people everywhere.” That’s the world that they knew best and where they felt most comfortable. All the Apostles were from Galilee, but they were to also preach in Judea. Even from the beginning, the stakes were going up. The Apostles even preached the Good News in Samaria, where Jews had intermarried with pagans 700 years earlier and had developed a hybrid form of Judaism ... rejected by Jews in Galilee and Judea. Jesus even shocked His listeners by making a Samaritan the hero of the story involving the man attacked by robbers along the road (Lk 10:29-37). The Acts of the Apostles tells us that, after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Apostles went out to preach to international Jewish visitors who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish Pentecost, a feast commemorating God’s gift of the law to Moses at Mount Sinai. The Apostles also preached to Jewish people in nearby countries such as modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. Travelers soon brought Christianity to Rome and other parts of the Empire.
The Apostles eventually accepted the Gentiles as their equals in terms of following Jesus. That was much easier said than done, as the letters of Saint Paul and Chapter 15 of Acts of the Apostles indicate! Even 25 years after Jesus’ Ascension, this was still a controversial issue in the early Church. Persecution by Jewish authorities in Jerusalem drove Jewish Christians into cities that had large Gentile populations ... for example, Antioch in Syria and Alexandria in Egypt. Acts of the Apostles tells us that in new cities Saint Paul always began preaching in the local synagogue but was soon thrown out because his listeners considered his message incompatible with living as an observant Jew. And as a result, Gentile Christians soon joined Paul’s Jewish Christians. This raised questions about whether Gentile Christians must observe the Jewish dietary laws and accept the custom of circumcision. Can Jewish Christians marry Gentile Christians? Not all Jewish Christians gave a positive response to that question. In point of fact, the only restriction that remains of those early rules and regulations is that marriage must be the lawful union between a man and a woman. The Holy Spirit sustained and guided the early Church through these and other controversies in the first century. And the Spirit has continued to offer that guidance down to our own day … here in 2026.
By our Baptism, and even more so after our Confirmation … because at that time we each “confirm” the promises that were made for us at Baptism … we are charged to spread the Good News. Like the Apostles, however, maybe we are sometimes slow to take the next step in that process. We take this step first in our families. The biggest challenge lies not in finding the right words to talk about Jesus and His Good News, but rather in making decisions that reinforce our fine words that we profess each and every Sunday in the Nicene Creed. Over time, our faith must grow or it will not be enough to sustain us as we move from the crises of childhood and our teen years into the challenges that always face an adult faith.
When I participated in Baptismal Prep classes and even when I celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism, I often tell parents that they are the first, best teachers of their children. And without breaking the seal of the Confessional, I also tell children that their Dad and their Mom are their first, best teachers. So, face it Dad and Mom, the example you set for your children by what you say, by what you do, and by how you treat others, is crucial. Attending Mass each and every week is essential … it is the Source and Summit of our faith. That is also true in our neighborhoods. Our friends and neighbors are either drawn toward the Good News or put off by it ... rarely because of words, but more often by any actions that might undermine our words. And consider this. In time, being a Catholic Christian … our following of Jesus, involves how we also participate in civil society … and I am not saying by identifying which political party to join … or which candidates and issues to support … but by allowing our Baptism and our Christian Tradition (capital “T,” not small “t”) to influence our choices, we promote the common good of society. We can’t and shouldn’t be cafeteria Catholics … picking what teachings of Jesus and the Church we want to believe and that we want follow. It isn’t that simple. It isn’t about accepting only the stuff we like … it’s all about accepting everything that Jesus taught both by Word and by example and by following the Tradition of the Church we have received from the Apostles. We are not an either / or religion. We are both / and.
Face it. We weren’t with the Apostles to hear Jesus’ last words in today’s Gospel, but we hear those words within today’s Eucharist and last week’s Eucharist and next week’s Eucharist and in the Eucharist that is celebrated each and every day. Jesus left us the Eucharist as a source of strength and encouragement ... to continue spreading His Good News by Word, and perhaps even more importantly, by example. Brothers and sisters, my question for all of you to consider is this. Do you live your faith when you exit the church doors and enter the real world or is it left on the doorstep of this building? As I’ve asked before, if Christianity, if Catholicism were to suddenly become illegal and you were arrested on suspicion of being a Catholic Christian, would they have enough evidence to convict you or would you be acquitted? Not guilty due to lack of evidence. It is my prayer … it is my hope that each and every one of you is found guilty.
Thank you for this reflection.