Dear brothers and sisters, The Ascension of our Lord means we have to begin our mission work as Christians. No fooling around.  Fr. Cielo

1. Welcome to our Bible Study
Solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension C
8 May 2016
In preparation for this Sunday’s liturgy
As aid in focusing our sharing and homilies
Prepared by Fr. Cielo R. Almazan, OFM
Catholic Communication’s Day

2. 1st
reading: Acts 1,1-11
 1 In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
2 until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the
holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 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. 4
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; 5 for John baptized with water, but in a few days
you will be baptized with the holy Spirit." 6 When they had gathered
together they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the
kingdom to Israel?" 7 He answered them, "It is not for you to know the
times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.
8 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." 9 When he had said this, as they were
looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. 10
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly
two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. 11 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."
The focus is on the ascension of Jesus.

3. 1st
reading: Acts 1,1-11
Introduction: Flashback, summary
 1 In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught 2 until
the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the holy Spirit to the
apostles whom he had chosen.
Jesus after the resurrection
 3 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. 4
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; 5 for
John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy
Spirit."
The community of the apostles
 6 When they had gathered together they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time
going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He answered them, "It is not for you
to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own
authority. 8 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."
The ascension of Jesus and the apostles watching
 9 When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud
took him from their sight. 10 While they were looking intently at the sky as he
was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. 11
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."
A simple outline!

4. Textual Context of Acts 1,1-11
I. Introduction to the Beginning of the Church (1)
A. The Lord Prepares the Disciples (1:1-11)
1. The Reaffirmation of the Promise (1:1-5)
2. The Re-orientation to the Program (1:6-8)
3. The Ascension and Predicted Return (1:9-11)
B. The Lord Re-Establishes 12 Apostles (1:12-26)
1. The Apostles and Others Gathered in Jerusalem (1:12-14)
2. The Motion of Peter to Choose Another Apostle (1:15-26)
a. Judas' apostatizing fulfilled Scripture (1:15-20)
b. The criteria for an apostolic replacement (1:21,22)
c. The Method of choosing (1:23-26)

5. 1st
reading: Acts 1,1-11
Introduction: Flashback,
summary
 1 In the first book, Theophilus, I
dealt with all that Jesus did and
taught 2 until the day he was
taken up, after giving instructions
through the holy Spirit to the
apostles whom he had chosen.
Jesus after the resurrection
 3 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. 4
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;
5 for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be
baptized with the holy Spirit."
Commentary
 In vv.1-2, the author, Luke,
recalls his first book (the Gospel of
Luke); Theophilus is the same
addressee of his gospel.
 The focus of his first book is
Jesus, his words and deeds till
his ascension.
 In vv.3-5, Jesus, the risen One,
makes himself present to his
apostles by:
 many proofs (showing his
wounds)
 appearing for 40 days
 speaking of God’s kingdom
 commanding them (not to
depart, but to wait for the
H.Spirit, for their baptism).

6. 1st
reading: Acts 1,1-11
The community of the apostles
 6 When they had gathered together they
asked him, "Lord, are you at this time
going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7
He answered them, "It is not for you to
know the times or seasons that the Father
has established by his own authority. 8
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."
The ascension of Jesus and the apostles
watching
 9 When he had said this, as they were
looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud
took him from their sight. 10 While they
were looking intently at the sky as he was
going, suddenly two men dressed in white
garments stood beside them. 11 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."
 V.6 indicates that the
apostles are still operating
on the old concept of Jesus’
mission (to restore the
kingdom of Israel: political)
 In v.8, Jesus announces that
the apostles will be
empowered by the Holy
Spirit and become
witnesses.
 V.9 describes how Jesus
ascends: he is lifted up, a
cloud takes him.
 In vv.10-11, two angels (men
dressed in white), appear
announcing Jesus’ glorious
return in the near future.

7. Reflections on the first reading
 What is the meaning of the ascension of Jesus?
 For the author himself, the meaning is to recall in summary form the
words and deeds of Jesus in his earthly life.
 The author, Luke, recalls also the name of his addressee, Theophilus
(friend / beloved of God, first mentioned in Luke 1,1-4).
 For Jesus, ascension means the cessation of his earthly life and going
back to his Father in heaven. Before ascending, Jesus continues doing
wonders, as proofs of his resurrection.
 Jesus does not fail to strengthen his apostles who are still weak at this
point.
 In their weakness, Jesus assures them of the coming of the Holy Spirit,
to empower them to become his witnesses in the world.
 For the apostles, the meaning of ascension is the restoration of the
kingdom of Israel (political, a kingdom like that of King David in the OT… the
Israelites in full control of their country, wrong!).
 For the angels, the ascension is not for ever the physical absence of
Jesus but his return, re-appearance in glory.

8.  For us, the ascension is an occasion to reflect
on the words and deeds of Jesus.
 We re-root ourselves to Jesus of Nazareth,
who ministered to the people, rich and poor.
 We don’t waste our time and energy looking
up into the skies for signs.
 Like the apostles, we have received the
power of the Holy Spirit. Now we have to do
our part: evangelize

9. Resp. Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
 R. (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of
trumpets for the Lord.
 2 All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with cries
of gladness,
 3 For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome, is the great
king over all the earth.
 6 God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy; the LORD,
amid trumpet blasts.
 7 Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king,
sing praise.
 8 For king of all the earth is God; sing hymns of praise.
 9 God reigns over the nations, God sits upon his holy throne.

10. Resp. Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
 R. (6) God mounts his throne to
shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets
for the Lord.
 2 All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
 3 For the LORD, the Most High, the
awesome, is the great king over all
the earth.
 6 God mounts his throne amid shouts
of joy; the LORD, amid trumpet
blasts.
 7 Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
 8 For king of all the earth is God; sing
hymns of praise.
 9 God reigns over the nations, God
sits upon his holy throne.
Commentary
 The psalm is classified as Royal
Psalm of the Lord the King.
 In v.2, the psalmist exhorts all
peoples to praise God with joy.
 V.3 gives the reason why:
 God is king over all.
 In v.6, God sits on his throne
amidst a loud applause.
 In v.7, the psalmist exhorts
again to praise the God-king.
 V.9 also gives the reasons why:
 God’s reign covers all the
nations.
 He sits on his throne (also in
v.6).

11. Reflections on the Psalm
 God is not inert.
 God is active in our history.
 We should recognize him as king of all.
 As a king, he deserves all our applause and
recognition.
 We should not be acting as inert people (lacking
power to move), unable to respond to his rule.
 Our minds are inert if his kingship does not
mean anything to us.
 Active participation in the liturgy is the best way
as a people to recognize God.

12. 2nd
reading: Ephesians 1,17-23
 17 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. 18 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, 19 and what is the
surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in
accord with the exercise of his great might, 20 which he
worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating
him at his right hand in the heavens, 21 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. 22 And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23
which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all
things in every way.
The focus is on God’s spirit of wisdom and revelation.

13. 2nd
reading: Ephesians 1,17-23
 17 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.
 18 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, 19
 and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who
believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, 20 which he
worked in Christ,
 raising him from the dead and
 seating him at his right hand in the heavens, 21 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.
 22 And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over
all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of the one
who fills all things in every way.
The text is re-indented to understand it better.

14. Textual Context of Ephesians 1,17-23
OUTLINE OF THE LETTER OF THE EPHESIANS
1. Opening Address (1:1-2)
2. Doctrinal Exposition (1:3-3:21)
A. Divine Origin of the Church (1:3-14)
B. Prayer for the Church (1:15-23)
C. Building Up the Church (2:1-22)
D. Mystery of the Church (3:1-13)
E. Prayer for the Church (3:14-21)
3. Moral Exhortation (4:1-6:20)
A. Unity of the Church (4:1-16)
B. Moral Maturity in the Church (4:17-5:20)
C. Household Life in the Church (5:21-6:9)
D. Spiritual Warfare in the Church (6:10-20)
4. Closing Farewell (6:21-24)

15. 2nd
reading: Ephesians 1,17-23
 17 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.
 18 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, 19
 and what is the surpassing
greatness of his power for us
who believe, in accord with the
exercise of his great might, 20
which he worked in Christ,
 raising him from the dead and
 seating him at his right hand in
the heavens, 21 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.
 22 And he put all things
beneath his feet and gave him
as head over all things to the
church, 23 which is his body,
the fullness of the one who fills
all things in every way.
Commentary
 There are two things that the author
(Paul’s disciple) wishes for us Christian
believers:
 That the Father may give us the spirit of
wisdom... V.17
 That our hearts be enlightened. V.18
 The author states the reasons why:
 That we may know him. V.17
 That we may know what is in store for
us in heaven. Vv.18-19
 Vv.20-23 state how God exercised his
mighty power upon Jesus:
 He raised him from the dead. V.20
 He made him sit at his right hand. V.21
 He put all things under his feet. V.22
 He assigned him as head of the
Church. V.23
 We are saved through the mighty works of
God through Jesus Christ.

16. Reflections on the second reading
 Knowledge of God is indispensable to our faith.
 Each Christian must seek to know more about God and
his plans for us.
 We can’t develop a life of gratitude if we are not aware
of his wonderful deeds.
 Bear in mind that God works wonders for us in and
through his Son.
 We know more about God through his Son.

17. Gospel reading: Luke 24,46-53
 46 Jesus said to his disciples, "Thus it is written that
the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on
the third day 47 and that repentance, for the
forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You
are witnesses of these things. 49 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." 50 Then he led them (out) as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them. 51 As he
blessed them he parted from them and was taken up
to heaven. 52 They did him homage and then
returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and they
were continually in the temple praising God.
The focus is on the ascension of Jesus.

18. Gospel reading: Luke 24,46-53
Fulfillment of scriptures
 46 Jesus said to his disciples, "Thus it is written that the
Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day
47 and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be
preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from
Jerusalem.
Mission of the apostles
 48 You are witnesses of these things.
Promise of the Holy Spirit
 49 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."
The ascension of Jesus and response of the apostles
 50 Then he led them (out) as far as Bethany, raised his hands,
and blessed them. 51 As he blessed them he parted from them
and was taken up to heaven. 52 They did him homage and
then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and they were
continually in the temple praising God.
A simple outline!

19. Gospel reading: Luke 24,46-53
Fulfillment of scriptures
 46 Jesus said to his disciples, "Thus
it is written that the Messiah would
suffer and rise from the dead on the
third day 47 and that repentance, for
the forgiveness of sins, would be
preached in his name to all the
nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Mission of the apostles
 48 You are witnesses of these
things.
Promise of the Holy Spirit
 49 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."
The ascension of Jesus and response
of the apostles
 50 Then he led them (out) as far as
Bethany, raised his hands, and
blessed them. 51 As he blessed
them he parted from them and was
taken up to heaven. 52 They did him
homage and then returned to
Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and
they were continually in the temple
praising God.
Commentary
In v.46, Jesus tells his disciples that everything
that had happened to him (paschal mystery:
passion, death and resurrection) is in
accordance with the holy scriptures.
V.47 recalls the themes of the preaching of
John the Baptist at the start of the gospel:
repentance, forgiveness.
In v.48, Jesus reminds that his disciples are
witnesses of the mystery of Jesus. The disciples
must disseminate, proclaim, announce,
communicate the person of Jesus in his totality.
In v. 49, Jesus asks his disciples to wait for a
very important element (assistance) in their
mission: the Holy Spirit, without which they
won’t succeed.
Vv.50-51 describe the ascension of Jesus,
blessing his disciples.
Vv.52-53 describes the response of the disciples:
homage, joy, continually praising God in the Temple.

20. Reflections on the gospel reading
 The scene of the ascension brings out many elements of our
faith.
 The fulfillment of the scriptures (OT and NT)
 The preaching of repentance and forgiveness
 The mission of the apostles to communicate as witnesses.
 The disposition of the apostles: joy, always praying.
 What is the meaning of the ascension of Jesus here in the text?
 First of all, it means the return of Jesus to where he belongs (to
his Father). His mission is accomplished and he has to go back
home. He cannot be with his disciples forever.
 Second, it means the beginning of our mission and
evangelization. What happened to Jesus (Christ-event) must be
communicated to all peoples. It must not be kept secret.
 Third, it means the continuation of the preaching of repentance
and forgiveness.
 Lastly, it calls for the joyful and prayerful disposition of a
Christian.

21. Tying the 3 readings and Psalm
 The first reading is about the ascension of Jesus.
 The psalm talks about God being enthroned in
heaven.
 The second reading is about the knowledge of God,
who works wonders through Jesus, who is now
(enthroned) in heaven.
 The gospel reading is about the ascension of Jesus.
The 1st
reading and the gospel are interrelated with one another.
They also show common themes like the coming of the Holy Spirit,
repentance (purification), forgiveness, and mission.

22. How to develop our homilies/sharings
 Begin by telling what a loved one usually says
before he/she leaves or departs (goes abroad or
dies).
 Many reminders (to follow up, to take care)
 Words of wisdom
 Adjustments to make
 Gives assurances

23.  The ascension / departure of Jesus brings about
changes in the life of the apostles.
 Now they are not mere disciples, learners, and
followers but teachers and leaders.
 Now they have to take responsibilities.
 The main responsibility of the apostles / disciples is
the proclamation of the life of Jesus, to bear witness.

24.  The purpose of their mission is to bring people to
Christ.
 Precisely, the Holy Spirit comes down to them, after
his ascension, to strengthen and give them courage.
 The ascension of Jesus means work for us, hard
work, no fooling around. We let the Holy Spirit work in
us. (1st
reading and gospel)

25.  We communicate God’s message to the world.
 This Sunday is Catholic Communication’s Day.
 We are now living in a digital world.
 We have to make use of high technology (information
technology) to speed up the work of evangelization.
 The present Pope and his predecessors recognize
the legitimacy of computers, internet and the like in
the spread of the Word of God.

26.  Christians, especially the young ones, should not stop
at being experts in IT.
 They must also study their faith so that they can have a
better formulation of what they are supposed to
communicate through the e-mails, YouTube, Facebook
and the like.
 They must be able to put soul into this amazing but
otherwise mere electronic operations (1010110 process).
 We still need to study humanities, to be critical of their
use. We avoid studying pure technology.
 We do not stop at a nice lay outing of our newsletters or
Webpages.
 We must take care, most of all, to formulate the
contents (Correct grammar, logical, touches the heart, not only
the mind, conforms to the gospel values, brings about change),
otherwise, it will all be garbage.

27.  The problem with Catholics today is that they don’t even
feel they have an obligation to evangelize.
 Even those who belong to the religious associations or
congregations, who are receiving sufficient formation, do
not have the courage to evangelize.
 These Christians remain forever children in faith, they
are actually retarded in faith, good for nothing. Or they
are just lazy. They need some (electronic) shock.
 They demand from priests to say mass for them, to
preach retreats to them… but do not feel obliged to
evangelize, in turn.
 This solemnity of the Ascension should remind us to take
seriously our mission to proclaim God’s kingdom.

28.  In the eucharist, Jesus makes himself present
among us in the forms of bread and wine.
 In the eucharist, we are reminded that the
best message that our Information
Technology can carry is Jesus’ message.
 This sacrament, together with the power of
the Holy Spirit, propels us to bear witness to
him in our family, in our community, in society
and in the world, in a modern way.

29. Our Context of Sin and Grace
 Use of computers strictly
for business (money making)
 Misuse of information
technology (pornography, online
gambling, computer theft)
 Too much
commercialization of
information technology
 Irresponsible use of
gadgets
 Mediatization
 Digital divide
 Propaganda
 Mission
 Taking responsibility
 Time to be adult in faith
 Responsible use of
computers and Internet to
communicate
 Proper use of Tri-media
(radio, TV and newspaper)
 Catholic TV and radio
stations
 Word Exposed
 Good programs

30. Suggested Songs
 Follow Christ of Sebastian Temple
 Go Tell Everyone
 Come Build My Church
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZugkzkgjDk

31.  Dear brothers and sisters,
 The Ascension of our Lord means we have to
begin our mission work as Christians. No
fooling around.
 Fr. Cielo