GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY : Thursday - May 26, 2022

   Thursday - May 26, 2022

I therefore command all my Brothers, those living now and those to come in the future, to venerate the Holy Mother of God, whom we always implore to be our Protectress, to praise her at all times, in all circumstances of life, with all the means in their power and with the greatest devotion and submission.

-St. Francis of Assisi 

May 26, 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.

 

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

Sorrow to Joy

“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”  John 16:20

 

Grief, mourning and even weeping is a part of life.  Children will often weep at the slightest difficulty, but all of us face grief and sorrow throughout life. 

 

In this passage above, Jesus informs His Apostles that sorrow and grief will be a part of their lives.  This is a very sober but realistic statement on the part of our Lord.  It’s an act of love, on His part, to be up front with His Apostles about the coming hardships they will face.

 

The good news is that Jesus follows this statement with the hopeful news that their “grief will become joy.”  This is the most important part of what Jesus says.

 

The same is true in our lives.  Jesus does not promise us that our lives will be free from hardship and pain.  He does not tell us that following Him means that all will be easy in life.  Instead, He wants us to know that we will follow in His footsteps if we choose to follow Him.  He suffered, was mistreated and ultimately killed.  And this would be tragic if He did not ultimately rise from the dead, ascend into Heaven and transform all prior grief and pain into the very means of the salvation of the world.

 

If we follow in His footsteps, we need to see every bit of grief in our lives as potentially a means of grace for many.  If we can face the hardships of life with faith and hope, nothing will ultimately keep us down and everything will be able to be used for God’s glory and will result in great joy.

 

Reflect, today, upon these words of Jesus.  Know that He was not only speaking them to His Apostles, but also to you.  Do not be scandalized or shocked when life deals you some difficulty.  Do not despair when suffering is placed before you.  Surrender all things to our Lord and let Him transform it into the joy that He promises in the end.

 

Today's Prayer

 

Lord of all hopefulness, I surrender to You all suffering in my life.  My grief, hardships, sorrow and confusion I place in Your hands.  I trust that You are all-powerful and desire to transform all things into a means of Your glory.  Give me hope in times of despair and trust when life is hard.  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!”