Ascension A

Welcome to our Bible
Study
Solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension A
45th World Day of Social Communications
1 June 2014
In preparation for this Sunday’s Liturgy
In aid of focusing our homilies and sharing
Prepared by Fr. Cielo R. Almazan, OFM

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 the Lord.

Recalling the gospel
 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 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.
Jesus before ascension
 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."
Jesus’ ascension
 9 When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took
him from their sight.
The Angels
 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!

Recalling the gospel
 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 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.
Commentary
 V.1 recalls Luke’s first book, the
gospel.
 The gospel is about the deeds
and teachings (words) of Jesus
till his ascension. V.2
 The addressee is Theophilus. He
must be a good reader. He is not
a man on the street, but a man of
high reputation (Oh excellency, Lk
1,3).
 V.3 describes the activities of
Jesus:
 He proves to be alive
 He appears to the apostles
during 40 days
 He preaches the kingdom of
God.

Jesus before ascension
 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
 In v.4, Jesus commands his disciples to
stay put in Jerusalem and to wait for the
promise (the Holy Spirit).
 Within a few days (50 days), they will
receive the Holy Spirit.
 V.5 recalls the baptism of John. It was
with water.
 When Jesus was baptized, he received
the Holy Spirit.
 V.6 reveals still the nationalistic (patriotic)
tendency of the apostles.
 The restoration of the kingdom of Israel
(something like that of the
Hasmoneans, freedom from the
Greeks), this time freedom from the
Romans.
 In v.7, Jesus does not reveal the time of
their narrow nationalism/freedom. They
are not entitled to know the times and
seasons (chronos or kairos, both Greek
words are used)… ordained by God.
 In v.8, Jesus is more interested in their
reception of the power of the Holy Spirit
and their being witnesses.
 Their scope:
Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and ends of

Jesus’ ascension
 9 When he had said this, as
they were looking on, he was
lifted up, and a cloud took him
from their sight.
The Angels
 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.9 briefly describes the ascension
of Jesus.
 Take note that like the crucifixion
and resurrection, the author does
not write many details about it.
 V.9 contains “theological passive”
(he was lifted up). The actor is
understood as God.
 V.10 presents two men (maybe
angels) in white garments. (They first
appear in Lk 24,4 at the tomb.)
 In v.11, they address themselves to
the apostles calling them as “men
of Galilee.” They know where the
apostles come from.
 They inform the apostles that
Jesus is taken up to heaven and
will return to them in the same way
as they have seen him go up to
heaven.

Reflections on the 1st reading
 Jesus’ ascension signals the end / completion /
perfection of his earthly presence.
 Mission accomplished. No unfinished agenda.
 For the apostles, his ascension means standing by
until they receive the Holy Spirit.
 After the Holy Spirit descends on them, missionary work now
begins.
 They will do exactly what Jesus did (preaching, healing, and
forgiving).
 For us, Christians, ascension means continuation of
the works of the apostles, since we have received the
Holy Spirit.
 Do you know your mission?

Resp. Ps 27:1, 4, 7-8
 R. (13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the
land of the living.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
 4 One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
 7 Hear, O Lord, the sound of my call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
8 Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.

Resp. Ps 27:1, 4, 7-8
 R. (13) I believe that I shall see the
good things of the Lord in the land
of the living.

1 The LORD is my light and my
salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
 4 One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness
of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
 7 Hear, O Lord, the sound of my
call;
have pity on me, and answer me.
8 Of you my heart speaks; you my
glance seeks.
Commentary
 The psalmist must be troubled and
in need of help.
 In v.1, the psalmist articulates his
faith in God as he takes refuge in
him.
 God is my light and my salvation.
 V.4 contains the prayer of the
Psalmist:
 To dwell in God’s house, to gaze
on God’s loveliness and to
contemplate
 In v.7, the psalmist pleads to God
that he may hear him, have mercy
on him.
 V.8 tells us of the psalmist’s
preoccupation (God).

Reflections on the Psalm
 Like the psalmist, we must seek God when in
trouble.
 It is important to have a sacred space, where
we can commune with God
(chapel, room, temple, church, field).
 We, Christians, must learn how to pray well.
 We pray when we recognize our
poverty, inadequacy and incompetency.
 We cannot pray well if we are in the state of
denial.

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.

 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
The focus is on wisdom and knowledge from the Lord.

 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
Text indented for
easier reading.

 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
 Vv.17-18 express the wishes of
the author to the Christian
believers:
 That God may give you a spirit
of wisdom and revelation…
 that the eyes of your hearts be
enlightened.
 The end result of his wishes:
 that you may have knowledge
of him // that you may know…
What?
 Future hope, riches, greatness
of us who believe
 The wonders God has done to
his Son
 He raised from the dead
 He seated him at his right hand
 He put all things under his feet
 He made him head over all to
the church, his body

Reflections on the 2nd reading
 The author wishes well the Christian believers.
 Jesus is now in heaven (since he has ascended).
 We, Christians, must know what is in store for us.
 We, too, will join Jesus in his glory.
 The Christ, we are believing in, is not an ordinary
being.
 He is pre-eminent among all beings.
 What kind of Christ are you worshipping?
 Are you stuck up with the Christ Crucified?
 We must not trivialize Christ, by being a lousy
disciple, without energy and enthusiasm, in front of
our loved ones and people of other religions.

Gospel reading: Matthew 28:16-20
 16 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the
mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. 17
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they
doubted. 18 Then Jesus approached and said
to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. 19 Go, therefore, and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that
I have commanded you. And behold, I am with
you always, until the end of the age."

 16 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the
mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. 17
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they
doubted. 18 Then Jesus approached and said
to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. 19 Go, therefore, and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that
I have commanded you. And behold, I am with
you always, until the end of the age."
The focus is on the great commissioning of the apostles.

The 11 apostles in Galilee
 16 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain
to which Jesus had ordered them. 17 When they saw
him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Jesus’ commissioning
 18 Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power
in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you.
Jesus’ assurance of presence
 And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the
age."
A simple outline!

 16 The eleven disciples went to
Galilee, to the mountain to which
Jesus had ordered them. 17
When they saw him, they
worshiped, but they doubted.
 18 Then Jesus approached and
said to them, "All power in
heaven and on earth has been
given to me. 19
Go, therefore, and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of
the holy Spirit, 20 teaching
them to observe all that I have
commanded you.
 And behold, I am with you
always, until the end of the age."
Commentary
 Matthew has a different view on the
ascension of Jesus.
 The ascension happens in Galilee.
We don’t know the exact spot
where Jesus ascended into
heaven. V.16
 Luke assigns Jerusalem (at Mt.
Olivet) as the place of ascension.
 In the first readings (Acts
1,4), Jesus forbids his disciples to
go to Galilee. They stay put in
Jerusalem until they receive the
holy Spirit.
 V.17 indicates the disciples’
response at the sight of him: they
worshipped, they doubted
 The commissioning starts with
Jesus’ acknowledgment of all
power given him. V.18
 “Heaven and earth” is
merismus, meaning all, everything.

 16 The eleven disciples went to
Galilee, to the mountain to which
Jesus had ordered them. 17
When they saw him, they
worshiped, but they doubted.
 18 Then Jesus approached and
said to them, "All power in
heaven and on earth has been
given to me. 19
Go, therefore, and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of
the holy Spirit, 20 teaching
them to observe all that I have
commanded you.
 And behold, I am with you
always, until the end of the age."
 In v.19, Jesus is transferring to
them his full powers to make
disciples of every race /nation
known at that time.
 This is done through:
 Baptism in the name of the
Holy Trinity
 Teachings to observe
commandments. V.20
 In v.20b, Jesus assures them of
his spiritual presence until the
end.

Reflections on the gospel reading
 Before Jesus goes up to heaven, he commissions
his disciples.
 We, Christians, are also sent to make disciples of
Christ.
 We must not forget two important tasks:
 Baptizing (catechizing the prospects, incorporating them
into our Christian community)
 Teaching (explaining who Christ is and the proper behavior
of a believer, following up the baptized)
 Disciples must be intelligent and must have a strong
sense of community (Church).

Tying the 3 readings and the Psalm
 The first reading explicitly talks about the ascension
of Jesus.
 The psalm talks about taking refuge in God.
 The second reading talks about the greatness of
Jesus (who has ascended into heaven).
 The gospel reading is about the command of Jesus to
make disciples (after his ascension).
We must develop the theme of ascension along with apostleship
(sent with a commission).

How to develop your homily / sharing
 What is the meaning of Jesus’ ascension into heaven?
 For Jesus, it is the end of his earthly presence.
 There will be no more appearances, no more
teachings, preachings and healings on the part of
Jesus.
 The Holy Spirit is close at hand.
 For the apostles, it is the beginning of the mission.
 Now, the apostles have to roll up their sleeves and keep
busy.

 The gospel reading talks about the mission
of the apostles.
 The apostles are to multiply / reproduce the
disciples of the Lord by baptizing them.
 Even if they do not have any formal training on
missiology, the 11 apostles will exert effort to
sell Christ.
 We, too, are commissioned, by virtue of our
baptism, to make good Christians and teach
them how to center their lives on Christ.

 The second reading tells us who Christ, the
one commissioning, is.
 He is a big man. God worked hard with him to
save us. Christ is an accomplisher. He
delivered the services expected of him.
 Christ is a missionary par excellence.
 As his true witnesses, we can share in his
dedication, mission and destiny.
 Jesus’ ascension signals that there is
something to hope for, somewhere, after
faithfully doing our mission.
 How many people have you encouraged to live
their faith?

 The first reading challenges us to focus our
attention on our fellow human beings and to
invite them to become Jesus’ disciples.
 We can better do our mission, by being down to
earth (being realistic), rather than, by looking up in
the sky (being idealistic).
 We can do this if we are living in the now: if we
accept people considering their present
concerns, and not to look for what is non-
existent.

 We, Christians, of today are commissioned missionaries
(apostles) of our own times.
 We have better facilities now. We can do more, if we
make use of them.
 We have new challenges because of the new
situations, cultures, mentalities facing our people today.
 In the church, there is no place for idle talks, for
backbiting, recalling old bad experiences, rather, let us
discern on how best we can respond to God’s call.
 As Christians, who love the Church and Christ, we waste
no time doing nothing, but do our share in God’s work.
 The ascension of Jesus enjoins us to do our part, in
giving witness to the kingdom of God, to make disciples.

 The eucharist celebrates the ascension of the Lord.
 The eucharist is a living memory of Jesus, who
ascended into heaven.
 The eucharist is a celebration that binds
us, disciples, together in mission until the end of
times.
 If we love the eucharist, we will feel compelled to
encourage others to receive the same.

Our Context of Sin and Grace
 Hopelessness
 Missionless
 Purposeless
 Visionless
 No sense of
responsibility in Church
 No sense of a better
future
 Uncommitted
 Abuse of technology
 Active Missionaries
 Christian Responsibility
 Discipleship
 Faith in Heaven
 Catechists
 Bible Facilitators
 Pastoral Workers
 Witnessing to Christ
 Proper and regulated
use of technology

Suggested Songs
 Maghandog ng Alay
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPws8drK4MA

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