GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Friday - Sunday - May 29, 2022

  Sunday - May 29, 2022

Most amiable Queen, I, a miserable sinner, also love thee, but I love thee too little. I desire to obtain a greater and more tender love for thee. Obtain this for me; because to love thee is a great sign of predestination and a grace which God does not grant except to those whom He will save ... If thou dost not assist me, I shall be lost. No. No one can be lost who recommends himself to thee. In thy hands, therefore, do I place my eternal salvation and to thee do I consign my soul, which was lost, but which thou wilt save by thy holy intercession.

 

-St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori

May 29, 2022

 

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD

Lectionary: 58

 

Reading I     

                                                                                    Acts 1:1-11

 

In the first book, Theophilus,

I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught

until the day he was taken up,

after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit

to the apostles whom he had chosen.

He presented himself alive to them

by many proofs after he had suffered,

appearing to them during forty days

and speaking about the kingdom of God.

While meeting with them,

he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,

but to wait for “the promise of the Father

about which you have heard me speak;

for John baptized with water,

but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

 

When they had gathered together they asked him,

“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons

that the Father has established by his own authority.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,

and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,

throughout Judea and Samaria,

and to the ends of the earth.”

When he had said this, as they were looking on,

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 (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.

 

All you peoples, clap your hands,

            shout to God with cries of gladness,

For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,

            is the great king over all the earth.

R God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:  a blare of trumpets for the Lord.

 

God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;

            the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.

Sing praise to God, sing praise;

            sing praise to our king, sing praise.

R God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:  a blare of trumpets for the Lord.

 

For king of all the earth is God;

            sing hymns of praise.

God reigns over the nations,

            God sits upon his holy throne.

R God mounts his throne to shouts of joy:  a blare of trumpets for the Lord.

 

Reading II    

                                                                                    Eph 1:17-23

 

Brothers and sisters:

May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,

give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation

resulting in knowledge of him.

May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,

that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,

what are the riches of glory

in his inheritance among the holy ones,

and what is the surpassing greatness of his power

for us who believe,

in accord with the exercise of his great might:

which he worked in Christ,

raising him from the dead

and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,

far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,

and every name that is named

not only in this age but also in the one to come.

And he put all things beneath his feet

and gave him as head over all things to the church,

which is his body,

the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

 

OR:

 

Heb 9:24-28; 10:19-23

 

Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,

a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,

that he might now appear before God on our behalf.

Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,

as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary

with blood that is not his own;

if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly

from the foundation of the world.

But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages

to take away sin by his sacrifice.

Just as it is appointed that men and women die once,

and after this the judgment, so also Christ,

offered once to take away the sins of many,

will appear a second time, not to take away sin

but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

 

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus

we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary

by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,

that is, his flesh,

and since we have "a great priest over the house of God,"

let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,

with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience

and our bodies washed in pure water.

Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,

for he who made the promise is trustworthy.

 

Alleluia                                              Phil 2:8 Mt 28:19a, 20b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;

I am with you always, until the end of the world.

R. Alleluia

 

Gospel                                                           Lk 24:46-53

 

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer

and rise from the dead on the third day

and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,

would be preached in his name

to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

You are witnesses of these things.

And behold I am sending 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,

raised his hands, and blessed them.

As he blessed them he parted from them

and was taken up to heaven.

They did him homage

and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

and they were continually in the temple praising God.

 

**********************************

The Continuing Presence of Our Lord

 

“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 28:19-20 (Year A)

 

Jesus completes His mission on Earth and ascends into Heaven to take His seat on His glorious throne for all eternity.  Or does He?  The answer is yes and no. Yes, He does take His seat on His glorious throne, but no, He does not complete His mission on Earth. The Ascension is both the end and the beginning.  It’s a transition to the next phase in the perfect plan of the Father.  And understanding the way this plan unfolds should leave us in wonder and awe.

 

Sure, the Apostles were probably somewhat frightened and confused.  Jesus was with them, then He died, then He rose and appeared various times, and then He ascended to the Father before their eyes.  But He also told them that it is good that He goes.  In fact, He said that it’s better that He goes.  They must have been confused.  Jesus also told them His Advocate would come to lead them into all Truth.  So the Apostles went from joy, to fear, to relief and more joy, to confusion and sorrow, to curiosity and uncertainty. 

 

Sound familiar?  Perhaps that’s the way some find their lives to be.  Ups and downs, twists and turns, joys and sorrows.  Each phase reveals something new, something challenging, something glorious or something sorrowful.  The good news is that the Father’s plan is unfolding perfectly.

 

The part of the perfect plan we find ourselves in with this solemnity is the part where Jesus begins to direct His mission of establishing the Kingdom of God from Heaven.  His throne is, in a sense, the driver’s seat of our lives.  From Heaven, Jesus suddenly begins to descend continuously into our lives fulfilling His mission in and through the Apostles, as well as all of us.  The Ascension does not mean Jesus is gone; rather, it means Jesus is now present to each and every person who turns to Him and surrenders their life to His mission.  From Heaven, Jesus is able to be present to all.  He is able to live in us and invites us to live in Him.  It’s the new beginning of the Church.  Now all the Apostles need to do is wait for the Holy Spirit to descend. 

 

Reflect, today, upon the abiding and intimate presence of our Lord in your life.  Know that Jesus invites you to share in His mission.  From His glorious throne He wants us to “preach everywhere.”  He wants to invite each one of us to do our part.  The part of the Father’s plan entrusted to each one of us is not entrusted to another.  We all have a share in that plan.  What is your part?  How does Jesus direct His mission through you?  Ponder this question today and know that He accompanies you as you say “Yes” to your part in the glorious unfolding of His perfect plan.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord, I do find that my life is filled with many ups, downs, twists and turns.  There are joys and sorrows, moments of confusion and clarity.  In all things, help me to continually say “Yes” to Your plan.  Jesus, I trust in You.

 

 

 

God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”