The Lord's Ascension - World Communications Day

First reading: Acts 1:1-11
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 47
Second reading: Ephesians 4:17-24
Gospel reading: Mark 16:15-20

"Jesus was taken up into heaven and took His seat at God's right
hand."

The account of the Lord's ascension in the gospel of Mark is very
brief. It begins with Jesus appearing to His Eleven apostles and
commanding them to undertake a global mission of evangelization
and baptism. Jesus adds, that belief in the Good News will save
all those who accept the Gospel, but the refusal to believe in the
same, will condemn the unbelievers. The sign by which those who
will believe, will know that they are indeed faithful to the
Gospel, and truly follow Christ, are these: they will have the
power to expel demons; to speak new languages; to handle serpents
without them being harmed; to be unharmed also from poison; and to
heal the sick, and bring them to recovery. After saying all these
things to His Eleven apostles, Jesus ascended into heaven and
seated at the right of His Father. The work of Christ now was to
be continued by the Eleven, and the message they will give to all
people, will be accompanied by the power Jesus granted them to
perform in His name.

The Kingdom of God is not a political power or state. It is a
spiritual force by which the Church journeys to God, by her love
and compassion for humanity. Because of the mission entrusted to
the Eleven, they are sent to bring humanity back to Christ, by
their preaching and baptizing. These Eleven apostles will then
receive the full power of the Holy Spirit, when the Spirit
descends upon them at Pentecost, and lead them to all truth - the
truth about Jesus, & the Kingdom Christ was to establish among us.
Jesus had to ascend up into heaven, so that the Father can send
the Holy Spirit, to be with all His apostles and disciples until
the end of time (in which Jesus will come a second time).

In this mystery of Christ's Ascension, we catch a glimpse of the
glory of God, as it is revealed in Jesus sitting at God's right
hand. The Eleven witnessed this, and we believe in this mystery
also by our faith in the gospel and the traditions of the Church.
When Jesus left His earthly ministry to the responsible hands of
the Eleven apostles, these apostles in turn, share their mission
and ministry with us. The glory that the apostles witnessed in
the ascension of Jesus, will be the glory that we will also share
with Christ, if we accept our share of the responsibility, in the
mission and ministry of the Church, to build the Kingdom of God.
Let us therefore thank the Father, give Him praise and honor
forever, for gifting us with His Son Jesus, that we may share too
in their life of glory - a life of grace that we had lost since
the sin of our first parents. With Jesus, there is always hope
again for all of us.

5th Sunday of the Year, Year B

5th Sunday of the Year, Year B

First reading: Job 7:1-4, 6-7
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 147
Second reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Gospel reading: Mark 1:29-39

"That is what I have come to do."

This 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we continue learning about
Jesus and His ministry. The passage of the Gospel clearly speaks
of Him as a Healer: first, healing Simon's (Peter) mother-in-law
from fever; and then as evening drew on, He continued to heal the
ill and those possessed by demons. Rising the next morning, He
went off to the desert to pray. Simon sought Him, and when he
did, he reported that many people were intently looking for Him.
But Jesus replied by saying that they were to move to the
neighboring villages, to proclaim the Gospel there also. He said,
"that is what I have come to do."

The Lord reveals Himself to us as a Healer and Proclaimer of the
Good News. If we read the gospel again, we can learn a part of
what His Christian ministry is all about: healing, proclaiming
the Good News, and praying. Although Jesus was an active
missionary and an itinerant preacher, He never forgets to go off
to a lonely place in the desert to pray and relate with the
Father - from whom He gets His mission to heal and proclaim the
Good News and the coming of the Kingdom.

If this is what the Lord did in His life and ministry, then as
His followers and disciples, we are called to do the same: to
impart healing words and actions; to proclaim the Good News by
our good example in the family and our work environment; and
most important of all, never to forget to set some time for
solitude, silence, prayer, meditation, contemplation and
spiritual reading. It is in our life of prayer (in the manner
of Christ), that we can receive the Lord's Spirit as we follow
what He was called to do in our respective states of life,
professions, and parish communities. Let us not forget where
to receive fully Christ's Spirit for the mission: the
sacraments of the Church, especially Eucharist and the
sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.