20160505 BEING HIS WITNESSES TO THE KINGDOM IN THE POWER OF THE
HOLY SPIRIT
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
These
readings are for the Vigil Mass on the evening before the feast:
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First reading
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Acts 1:1-11 ©
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In my earlier work,
Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the
beginning until the day he gave his instructions to the apostles he had chosen
through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. He had shown himself alive
to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had
continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God. When he had
been at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait
there for what the Father had promised. ‘It is’ he had said ‘what you have
heard me speak about: John baptised with water but you, not many days from now,
will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’
Now
having met together, they asked him, ‘Lord, has the time come? Are you going to
restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know times or
dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, but you will receive
power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not
only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of
the earth.’
As he
said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from
their sight. They were still staring into the sky when suddenly two men in
white were standing near them and they said, ‘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.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 46:2-3,6-9
©
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God goes up with
shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.
or
Alleluia!
All peoples, clap
your hands,
cry to
God with shouts of joy!
For the Lord, the
Most High, we must fear,
great
king over all the earth.
God goes up with
shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.
or
Alleluia!
God goes up with
shouts of joy;
the Lord
goes up with trumpet blast.
Sing praise for God,
sing praise,
sing
praise to our king, sing praise.
God goes up with
shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.
or
Alleluia!
God is king of all
the earth,
sing
praise with all your skill.
God is king over the
nations;
God
reigns on his holy throne.
God goes up with
shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.
or
Alleluia!
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Second reading
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Ephesians 4:1-3 ©
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1 I,
the prisoner in the Lord, urge you therefore to lead a life
worthy of the vocation to which you were called.
2
With all humility
and gentleness, and with patience, support each other in love.
Gospel
Acclamation
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Mt28:19,20
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Go, make disciples of
all the nations.
I am with you always;
yes, to the end of time.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 24:46-53 ©
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Jesus said to his
disciples, ‘You see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the
third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the
forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from
Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.
‘And now
I am sending down to you what the Father has promised. Stay in the city then,
until you are clothed with the power from on high.’
Then
he took them out as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and lifting up his hands
he blessed them. Now as he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried
up to heaven. They worshipped him and then went back to Jerusalem full of joy;
and they were continually in the Temple praising God.
BEING
HIS WITNESSES TO THE KINGDOM IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [ ACTS 1:1-11;
EPH 4:1-3; LK 24:46-53 ]
Today
we celebrate the feast of the Ascension, forty days after Easter. Why is
this feast so important that the Church makes this day a holy day of
obligation? This is because we are celebrating our destiny, not only ours, but
that of the whole of creation. For in the feast of the Ascension, we
celebrate Jesus’ exaltation at the right hand of the Father. Whereas the
feast of the resurrection celebrates the new life given to Him after His death,
the feast of the Ascension celebrates the glory that He received from the
Father upon His return. Thus, the feast of the Ascension completes
Easter. It is a symbol of Jesus’ assuming the full authority and powers
of God.
Hence,
the Feast of the Ascension is a celebration in principle that Jesus has won
victory over sin and death. This is what St Paul tells us in the
second reading. “This you can tell from the strength of his power at work
in Christ, when he used it to raise him from the dead and to make him sit at
his right hand, in heaven, far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or
Domination, or any other name that can be named, not only in this age, but also
in the age to come. He has put all things under his feet, and made him, as the
ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body, the fullness of
him who fills the whole creation.”
But we
are not simply celebrating His triumph over sin and death; we are also
celebrating ours as well. Where Jesus is, we who are His body, are all called
to follow Him. Already in death, we will return to the Father and
share His glory as well; and at the end of time, we will share in the
resurrection of the body. So if the feast of the Ascension is so
important for us, it is because we are celebrating our destiny, for the
Ascension is our hope and glory.
How is
this destiny revealed to us? In the death, resurrection and ascension of
Christ! Jesus is the revelation of the plan of God. Through His death,
resurrection and ascension, Jesus shows us the way to the Father. Hence, after
His death and resurrection, Jesus told the disciples, “You see how it is
written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.” If we
want to find life, we too must follow the way of Jesus, recognizing our need
for forgiveness and the unconditional love of God manifested in Jesus,
especially in His death on the cross.
We are
thus called to be His witnesses to the whole of creation. We are called
to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sin in His name. We are to
make Jesus known to all of creation so that His kingdom is established on
earth. Indeed, Jesus told His disciples, “It is not for you to know times or
dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, but you will receive
power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not
only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of
the earth.” Indeed, Christ’s sovereignty must be established in the whole
of creation so that the world is filled with the fullness of Christ.
But how
are we to be His witnesses? Since Christ is no longer physically seen
after His ascension to the Father, we are now called to be His personal
presence in the world. Indeed, we are called to be the sacrament of Jesus
in the world. This explains why the Church is called the sign and
sacrament of unity for the world.
We are
now called to proclaim His presence in word and deed. It is not
enough to change individuals, even though it is presupposed, but we must change
society and its structures, values and cultures as well. The arena of our
mission is the world. Salvation of the world entails our commitment
to the world. It is to this world that salvation is directed, for “God so
loved the world that he sent his only begotten son…” The realization of the
kingdom involves establishing the reign of God on earth. God reigns when
everyone submits to the rule of Christ.
Instead
of looking towards heaven, waiting for something to happen, we must begin the
work of bringing heaven to earth. For when the gospel says that the
“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”, the author is telling us
that heaven is not so much up there in the sky but heaven is to be with
God. So Christ’s reunion with the Father and His coming in a new way in
the Holy Spirit brings heaven to earth in our hearts. Thus, it is not
quite correct to say that Jesus has gone to heaven and is away from us. Rather,
He has gone to bring down heaven to us by coming to live in us with His Father
in the Holy Spirit.
But
like the apostles, before we can speak of our mission to change the world and
its structures, we must first look within ourselves. We must preach
repentance to ourselves first. In other words, we must seek personal
conversion in our own lives, fighting the battle against sin and evil in
us. Secondly, we must work where we are, in the community we are
already in, our homes, our offices, our Christian community, indeed, wherever
we are placed, for that is where the arena of our mission is located.
But how
can this be done effectively? The good news is not just about us having
been given this revelation of our destiny, but that Christ will supply us the
means to share in His glory as well. Indeed, upon His return to the
Father, He gave us the power to give life to all by sending the Holy Spirit.
He said, “And now I am sending down to you what the Father has promised.”
In another text, He said, “John baptized with water but you, not many days from
now, will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.” What does the Holy Spirit do
for us?
Firstly,
He will give us the Spirit of His Father which He Himself received. This
means that we will share His heart and mind and receive the power of
witnessing. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus comes to us in a new
way. Isn’t this what St Paul prayed? “May the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what
is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. May he enlighten the eyes
of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories
he has promised the saints will inherit and how infinitely great is the power
that he has exercised for us believers.” So the Holy Spirit will
enlighten us and bring us to full knowledge of our hope in Christ so that we
can rely on the power of Christ at work in our life and ministry.
Secondly,
through the Holy Spirit, the Church of God is established. The
Holy Spirit builds His Church by making us all members of the Body of
Christ. As St Paul envisaged, “He has put all things under his feet, and
made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his
body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.” As Church, through the
Sacrament of Jesus, the world comes to know Christ. Through the
proclamation of the gospel, in word and deed, we demonstrate that the Church is
already the budding of the kingdom of God.
Consequently,
from now until the Feast of Pentecost, we are called to prepare for the coming
of the Holy Spirit actively so that He can renew our faith and empower us for
the ministry of witnessing.
Like
the early Christian community, we too need to wait and pray for the coming
of the Holy Spirit. The gospel says, “Now as he blessed them, he
withdrew from them and was carried up to heaven. They worshipped him and then went
back to Jerusalem full of joy; and they were continually in the Temple praising
God.” Like the early Church who gathered round Mary after the Ascension
of Jesus in prayer, we too must pray as a community awaiting expectantly for an
infilling of the Holy Spirit who will fill us with His gifts and power for
witnessing. In this way, the responsorial psalm that God will reign over
all creation would be finally fulfilled at the end of time when Christ will
hand over the kingdom to the Father and God will be all in all.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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