For nearly past two weeks, we have read from Jesus' farewell discourse, given during Last Supper (John 14:1-16:33). It is to prepare us to celebrate the Ascension of the Lord so that we will be truly ready for Pentecost to conclude 50 day celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord.
The Scripture Readings for the Liturgy of the Word
on the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord on Cycle B are :Acts 1:1-11; Psalm
47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9; Ephesians 1:17-23 or 4:1-13; Mark 16:15-20.
It is hoped that we appreciate these readings in connection to the farewell discourse (John 14:1-16:33) today, in remembering the commissioning of the disciples on the day of the Lord's Ascension to be ready to be sent on their apostolic mission, empowered by the Holy Spirit and fully endowed with many gifts of the Holy Spirit.
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When he finished the living bread of life
discourse (John 6:32-58), Jesus asked the disciples if his teaching on eating
his flesh as the living bread of life to have eternal life (John 6:51-58) had
also offended them, he also asked them what if they see the Son of Man ascend
to where he came from (John 6:62). It was also when Jesus made it clear that
the Holy Spirit gives life and the words spoken by him are, in essence, the
Holy Spirit (John 6:63). Jesus had already addressed his Ascension and the Holy
Spirit way back in Galilee, when he spoke of himself as the Living Bread of
Life.
The Holy Spirit is the power (Acts 1:8; Ephesians
1:19), exerted in Jesus at his resurrection (Ephesians 1:19), as we will
reflect more on Pentecost Sunday, which follows this Sunday, Ascension Sunday.
Upon the descent of this Holy Spirit, the disciples turn into the apostles and
are sent out in the world on their apostolic missions to make disciples of all
nations, as Jesus remains with them always (Matthew 28:19-20), in the Holy
Spirit (John 14:18,28). But, for this to happen, Jesus must complete his
three-fold glorification process through his Ascension (John 16:7).
From Friday of the Fourth Week until Saturday of the
Sixth Week of Paschaltide, we have read from Jesus’ farewell address (John
14:1-16:33) to see how Jesus’ desire to prepare his disciples for their
commissioning on the day of his Ascension so that they would be ready to be
send out on their apostolic mission on the day of the Holy Spirit’s descending
on Pentecost.
Ever since he chose them, Jesus had been teaching
the disciples through the power of the Holy Spirit, until the day of his Ascension
(Acts 1:2). And he taught even more for 40 days from his Resurrection until his
Ascension (Acts 1:3), as the disciples were quite not yet to ready to be
commissioned and to be sent out when Jesus resurrected. They were not able to
recognize his resurrection but reacted in the state far from joy, though he
wanted them to rejoice over his resurrection (John 16:20-22 (i.e. Mark 16:10; Luke
24:36-40; John 20:19). They were not able to recognize risen Jesus immediately
(i.e. Luke 24:13-28). So, Jesus had to spend 40 days to give the disciples more
teaching and assurance before his departure in Ascension to open their eyes of
faith the Christological truth, as spoken by him, , 31-32). He even had to
rebuke them for their hardness of heart due to disbelief after his Resurrection
(Mark 16:14).
Because of the Holy Spirit, working through Jesus,
even upon his Resurrection (John 20:22), the disciples became ready to be
commissioned on the day of his Ascension.
So, according to Mark, these are the words of Jesus
in commissioning his disciples:
Go
into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever
believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out
demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents [with their
hands], and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will
lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark
16:15-18).
Proclaim the Good News that Jesus had taught the
disciples by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:2) to every child of God,
regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, native language, and so forth. This
is what Jesus meant by proclaim to “every
creature” – every being created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). And,
the disciples are commissioned not only to proclaim his Gospel but also to
baptize so that those who come to believe will be saved. The signs to accompany
them on their apostolic missions
reflects the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10), including the
gift of healing powerful enough to exorcise, and the gift of tongues. The gift
of healing is strong enough to drive demons out because it comes with the Holy
Spirit, powerful enough to raise Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11; Ephesians
1:19). And, through the Holy Spirit to receive on Pentecost, they have what the
Father has given to Jesus (John 16:13-15). Therefore, as Jesus exorcised by the
power of the Holy Spirit (i.e. Matthew 12:28-29), so can certain disciples upon
receiving the Holy Spirit (Mark 16:17), such as Paul (Acts 19:11-12). And the Holy
Spirit can affect “every creature”,
whether Jews or Gentiles, enabling them to speak in tongues (Acts 10:44-47),
for God does not play favoritism (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11).
Another set of sign that comes upon receiving the Holy Spirit is to be able to pick up serpents and being immune to its poisonous venom (Mark 16:18a). This gift was manifested in Paul when he was in Malta, on his way to Rome (Acts 28:3-6).
To see how the commissioned disciples performed on
their apostolic missions, as empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Acts of the
Apostles gives rather chronicled accounts. Basically, the Acts of the Apostles
follows the accounts of the canonical Gospels.
The Acts of the Apostles, as penned by Luke,
originally, as the sequential book to the Gospel that he wrote, of course, as
truly inspired by the Holy Spirit. And, Luke wrote this to dedicate it to Theophilus
(Acts 1:1), as he dedicated his Gospel book to this person (Luke 1:3).
Who is Theophilus? Luke did not specify. But, this
name literally means “lover of God”, “one who loves God”. Therefore, Luke meant
to say that he dedicate both the Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the
Apostles to those who love God, as God’s beloved children. And that is us.
The Acts of the Apostles begins by describing the
day of Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:11), followed by the narrative on selecting
Matthias to fill the place that was vacated by Judas’ betrayal and suicide
(Acts 1:12-26). Then, the Acts of the Apostles proceeds to describe the day of
Pentecost (Acts 2:1-41), including Peter’s speech to “net” 3,000 followers of
Jesus to join the nascent Church on her “birthday” as his speech made the
audience cut to their hearts (Acts 2:14-36).
To have better appreciation for today’s First
Reading (Acts 1:1-11) in light of today’s solemnity, the Ascension of the Lord,
it is helpful to read the Gospel accounts of the post-resurrection days:
Matthew 18:1-20 (Commissioning of the disciples on
the day of Ascension: vv.16-20)
Mark 16:1-20 (Commissioning of the disciples on the
day of Ascension: vv. 15-20)
Luke 24:1-53 (Commissioning of the disciples on the
day of Ascension: vv. 44-49, when risen
Jesus appeared in the Upper Room, eating fish), Jesus ascended while blessing
the disciples Luke 24:51)
No description of the Ascension in John, but
commissioning Peter (John 21:15-23)
Not to mention, it is of great importance to review
Jesus’ farewell discourse (John 14:1-16:33), as it gears toward the
commissioning and sending the disciples on their apostolic mission, empowered
by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. For this reason, we have read this discourse
from Friday of the Fourth Week to Saturday of the Sixth Week of Paschaltide, to
prepare for this day to commemorate the day of the disciples’ commissioning and
the Ascension of the Lord.
As read in the Gospel Reading yesterday (Saturday of
the Sixth Week of Paschaltide)(John 16:23b-28), as he concluded his farewell
discourse, Jesus said to his disciples clearly:
I
came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world
and going back to the Father (John 16:28).
And in today’s Gospel Reading (Mark 16:15-20), Mark
affirms that the resurrected Jesus returned to the Father to seat at His right
hand in his Ascension, upon commissioning (Mark 16:19). And this is also as
Jesus said to the high priest with his “I
am” response with reference to his Parousia
at the end of time (Mark 14:62) in response to his questioning if he was the
Messiah.
Are
you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”(Mark
14:61)
I
am; and “you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and
coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62).
By seating at the right hand of the Father in
heaven, Jesus remains in his authority, given by the Father. Though he is at Father’s
right hand in heaven (Mark 16:19), he is always with us (Matthew 28:20), as the
Holy Spirit is sent upon us on Pentecost, as another Parakletos (Advocate)(John 14:16), as he promised to come to us
(John 14:18, 28), since he himself is the Parakletos
(Advocate)(1 John 2:1). Literally, “Parakletos”,
means not just an advocate but the Advocate who is called to be with us right
besides us. Jesus was called by the Father to be our Parakletos, upon incarnation of the Theos-Logos (John 1:1, 14), as He so loves us (John 3:16), and he
remains to be our Parakleltos through
another Parakletos (John 14:16). This
way, as written in Mark 16:17-18, the commissioned disciples become the
apostles on their missions and they are enabled to bring salvific signs, as
Jesus himself did by the power of the Holy Spirit.
For today’s Second Reading, there are options (Ephesians
1:17-23 or 4:1-13), it is about the Holy Spirit, to reminds us that the
Ascension of the Lord is to focus on our apostolic life, empowered by the Holy Spirit
and loaded with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, beginning on Pentecost. So,
whichever the option may be read for Mass, we appreciate the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is as powerful as the power of the
Resurrection (Ephesians 1:19).
The Holy Spirit is for our unity (Ephesians 4:3) so
that we become one body of Christ with many fully functioning parts, many
gifts, as the Church (1 Corinthians 12:1-31), reflecting Jesus’ desire for true
unity (John 17:20-23).
After Jesus ascends to the Father and the Holy
Spirit descends and brings the power and gifts, as Jesus appropriate it
(Ephesians 7:7-8), in reflection to Psalm 68:19.
For all of these benefits of the Holy Spirit, Jesus
needs to ascend to the Father (John 16:7), besides he needs to keep himself
busy working on our place in the house of the Father (John 14:2-4).
Therefore, this day to commemorate Jesus’ departure
is not a day to grieve but to rejoice – rejoice for him to adorn the heavenly
throne, as the King of the Universe, seating as the right hand of the Father.
So, we sing today’s Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9) with this
joyful refrain:
God
mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord
(Psalm 47:6).
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