SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Go, make disciples of all the nations.
I am with you always; yes, to the end of time. MT 28:19,20

ACTS 1:1-11 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

It is is good for us to remember that Luke was not one of the Twelve, nor did he meet You but having heard Paul preach and teach of You he became a believer. A physician by profession he gave up everything to become a full-time disciple of Paul. He assisted him on his missionary travels and was granted the singular privilege and grace of being one of the evangelists. As a close companion and friend of St. Paul he was also gives us firsthand account of all that Paul accomplished as he travelled to different places to preach the Gospel. 

From the life of St. Luke we see that if we give up anything for Your sake and the sake of the Gospel You bless us more generously than we can ever conceive or imagine. The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles will convert and draw souls to You until You return again in glory to claim us all for Yourself for ever.

Today, as the Church celebrates the feast of Your Ascension into heaven in various parts of the world, we also give thanks for Luke's account of this event received from the Apostles.

Today's first reading is a timely reminder not to obsess about the time of Your return but rather to busy ourselves with being authentic witnesses to the Good News by our lives. We cannot do the work entrusted to us unless we are filled with Your Holy Spirit. 

The Apostles stood transfixed as they gazed at You ascending into heaven but the angels brought them quickly to earth saying: ‘Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same way as you have seen him go there.’

You will return, we don't know when, however we can look at the signs of the times and prepare ourselves for it. As long as today lasts we must accomplish all that God desires of us with the help of the Holy Spirit. May we not waste time in worthless speculation but hasten that wonderful day by the witness of lives that are conformed to You.

PSALM 47:2-3,6-9 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

At Your ascension into heaven the Apostles were told that just as You went up You will return again but this time in glory, splendor, and majesty. You came into the world unknown, hidden, born in a cave in Bethlehem but when You return the whole world will know it, the very foundations of the earth will be shaken.

In order to be the people of God described in today's psalm we must first yield our whole being to the Holy Spirit. He alone can help us to grow in grace, purity, and holiness. The more we allow ourselves to become like You the greater will be our joy and longing as we prepare for Your coming.  

Help us Lord to realize how much we need the Holy Spirit without whom it is impossible to please God. He alone can fills us with a great thirst, hunger, and longing for all that is true, good, and beautiful. Grant us a full measure of Your Spirit in order that He may draw us to You and into You and make us one with You in spirit and truth. 

EPHESIANS 4:1-13 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

To be Your prisoner is be a prisoner of love. If we who are baptized had only this one wish and sought ardently to be enslaved to You with every fiber of our being, we would soon establish Your Kingdom on earth.

It is not easy to life as St. Paul exhorts us to in his letter to the Ephesians unless we are filled with Your Holy Spirit. He urges us as Christians worthy of our calling to: Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience.

We can only be united when we are one in the Spirit of God who is our peace and our comfort. We are generally more occupied with tearing each other down rather than building up Your Body. Grant us wisdom O Lord that we will do everything in our power to live in harmony with our brothers and sisters.

May we all come to the full knowledge and understanding of this truth: Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all.

MARK 16:15-20 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

The mandate and mission given to the Apostles is not only
restricted to them and their successors but to all who are members of Your Body.

‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned.' 

The apostles worked powerful miracles in Your Name. Signs and wonders were necessary then as they helped enormously in the building of the nascent Church. However, in our age, although miracles happen all the time, they are not as common as they were. A faith that needs a constant stream of miracles to sustain it is no faith at all. You said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." 

The power of the Holy Spirit is seen far more wondrously in the words of encouragement we speak to each other, the love we share, the kindness and compassion we show one another simply because we recognize our common humanity. These are the signs that point to Your indwelling in us.

Our lives must be a witness to the Good News that God so loved the world He sent His only Son not to condemn the world but to save it. It is Your love expressed through us that will make disciples of all nations.