Solemnity of the ASCENSION OF THE LORD

Solennita’ tat-TLUGH IL-MULEJ FIS-SEMA

Messalin C 223

Reading 1                             Acts 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 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. 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; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”  When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. 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.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. 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.”  This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni   -  Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Atti tal-Appostli 1, 11

Fl-ewwel rakkont tiegħi, Teofilu, tkellimt fuq dak kollu li  Ġesu' kien għamel u għallem minn mindu beda sal-jum li  fih kien meħud fis-sema, wara li, permezz tal-Ispirtu s- Santu, ta l-ordnijiet tiegħu lill-appostli li hu kien għażel. Wara l-passjoni tiegħu dehrilhom u tahom ħafna provi li  hu ħaj;  f'erbgħin jum rawh kemm-il darba u kellimhom  fuq il-ħwejjeġ tas-Saltna ta' Alla.   Meta kien għadu  magħhom, ordnalhom biex ma jitilqux minn Ġerusalemm,  imma joqogħdu jistennew sa ma sseħħ il-wegħda tal-Missier, "li fuqha – qalilhom – smajtu x'kont għedtilkom: Ġwanni  għammed bl-ilma, imma intom, fi ftit jiem oħra titgħammdu  bl-Ispirtu s-Santu.  Kif kienu flimkien staqsewh:  "Mulej, hu dan iż-żmien li fih  int se terġa twaqqaf is-Saltna ta' Iżrael?"   Hu weġibhom:   "Mhijiex biċċa tagħkom li tkunu tafu l-waqt u ż-żmien li  l-Missier għażel bis-setgħa tiegħu.   Imma meta jiġi  fuqkom l-Ispirtu s-Santu, intom tirċievu l-qawwa, u tkunu  xhieda tiegħi f'Ġerusalemm, fil-Lhudija kollha u s-Samarija u  sa truf l-art." Wara li qal dan huma u jħarsu lejħ, kien meħud 'il fuq, u sħaba  ħaditulhom minn quddiem għajnejhom.  Waqt li kienu  b'għajnejhom   fis-sema jħarsu lejh sejjer, f'daqqa waħda dehru  ħdejhom żewġt irġiel libsin l-abjad, u qalulhom:  "Irġiel tal- Galilija, x'intom tħarsu lejn is-sema?  Dan Ġesu' li kien  meħud  minn magħkom lejn is-sema, għad jerġa jiġi kif rajtuh sejjer." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej 

Responsorial Psalm                      PSALM:2-3, 6-7, 8-9

R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.                                         R/

God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.                                        R/
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.                                  R/

 Salm Responsorjali    -   Salm 46(47)

R/   Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Popli kollha, ċapċpu jdejkom,

għajtu b'leħen ta' ferħ lil Alla!

Għax il-Mulej, l-Għoli, hu tal-biża',

sultan kbir fuq l-art kollha.                                          R/

Tela' Alla b'għajjat ta' ferh

Il-Mulej bid-daqq tat-trombi.

Għannu lil Alla, għannu,

għannu lis-sultan tagħna, għannu.                          R/

Għax Alla s-sultan tal-art kollha;

għannulu bis-sengħa għanja sabiħa.

Isaltan Alla fuq il-ġnus kollha,

Joqgħod Alla fuq it-tron imqaddes tiegħu.          R/

Reading 2                             Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:19-23

Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear before God on our behalf.  Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own; if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world.  But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice.  Just as it is appointed that men and women die once, and after this the judgment, so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him. Therefore, brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus  we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary  by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,  that is, his flesh, and since we have Aa great priest over the house of God, “  let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,  with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience  and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,  for he who made the promise is trustworthy. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Qari   -    mill-Ittra lill-Lhud 9, 24-28; 10, 19-23

Kristu ma daħalx f'santwarju magħmul b'idejn il-bniedem l i hu biss xbieha tas-santwarju veru, imma daħal fis-sema stess,  biex issa jidher għalina quddiem Alla.  U daħal hemm mhux  biex minn żmien għal żmien joffri lilu nnifsu bħalma l-qassis  il-kbir jidħol kull sena fis-santwarju biex joffri demm ħaddieħor.   Li kieku kien hekk, kien ikollu jbati ħafna drabi sa mill-ħolqien tad-dinja. Iżda issa deher darba għal dejjem, meta waslet il-milja taż-żminijiet,  biex ineħħi d-dnub bis-sagrifiċċju tiegħu innifsu.   U kif hu miktub  għall-bnedmin li għandhom imutu darba biss, u wara dan isir il-ġudizzju,  hekk ukoll Kristu, wara li offra, lilu nnifsu darba biss biex jitgħabba  bid-dnubiet tal-kotra, għad jerġa' jidher darb'oħra, mhux biex ineħħi  d-dnubiet, imma biex isalva lil dawk li qegħdin jistennewh bil-ħerqa. Ladarba, ħuti, għandna l-fiduċja li nidħlu fis-Santwarju bis-saħħa  tad-demm ta' Ġesu' billi ngħaddu mit-triq, ġdida u ħajja, li hu  fetħilna  'l ġewwa mill-velu, li hu l-ġisem tiegħu stess;  u ladarba  għandna dan il-qassis il-kbir imqiegħed fuq il-familja ta' Alla,  ejjew nersqu b'qalb sinċiera u b'fidi sħiħa, bi qlubna mnaddfin  minn kuxjenza ħażina  u l-ġisem tagħna maħsu b'ilma safi.  Inżommu sħiħ fl-istqarrija qawwija tat-tama tagħna, għax ta'  Kelmtu huwa dak li għamlilna l-wegħda. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                       Luke 24:46-53

Jesus said to his disciples: “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer  and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations,  beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.  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.” Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.  This is the Word of the Lord.

Evanġelju  -  Għeluq tal-Evanġelju skont San Luqa 24,  46-53

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: "Hekk kien   miktub, li l-Messija jbati u fit-tielet jum iqum mill-imwiet,  u li l-indiema għall-maħfra tad-dnubiet tixxandar f'ismu  lill-ġnus kollha, ibda minn Ġerusalemm.  Intom xhud ta' dan.    U jiena, araw, nibgħat fuqkom lil dak li wiegħed Missieri. Imma intom ibqgħu fil-belt, sa ma Alla jkun libbiskom bil-qawwa tiegħu." Imbagħad ħadhom sa ħdejn Betanja, u rafa' jdejh  u berikom.    U ġara li, huwa u jberikom, infiried minnhom u kien meħdu  fis-sema.  Huma nxeħtu fl-art jagħtuh qima, u mimlijiin  b'ferħ kbir reġgħu lura lejn Ġerusalemm, u qagħdu l-ħin kollu  fit-tempju jbierku lil Alla.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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COMMENTARY by Fr Thomas Rosica

Ascension of the Lord: “Space Travel” of the Heart

Matthew’s Gospel for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord presents us the majestic, final scene in Galilee that brings the evangelist’s account to a fitting conclusion. In perfect harmony with his presentation of Jesus, Matthew has chosen to end his Gospel not with a visual or pictorial representation of Jesus’ new heavenly power, nor with sharing bread or touching his body, but with a profoundly simple scene featuring the words of Jesus, the great teacher and master (23:8-10). The ascension scene is the goal to which the Gospel tends and a provocative synthesis of its fundamental message.

Sunday’s passage is divided into two parts: the appearance of the risen Christ to the disciples in Galilee (16-18a), as promised in 28:7, and the instructions of Jesus, which conclude the Gospel (18b-20). The disciples go to the mountain Jesus had commanded, a reminder of three earlier mountains: the mountain (5:1-2) where Jesus gives the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7); the high mountain (17:1) where he was transfigured and his passion prediction (16:21) was ratified; and the Mount of Olives (24:3), the location of his eschatological discourse (chapters 24-25).

Matthew’s eleven

Let us consider the reality of this small group of apostles and disciples commissioned on the mountain in Galilee. Could any group of people be more human, more ordinary, more dysfunctional, more unpromising? How much more obvious could human frailty be than in this group… in the midst of treachery, cowardice, denial to name but a few of the weak points of those who would become the “pillars” of our Church! Only when the one called “Rock” realized the full significance of his denial would the ministry of church leadership and unity be placed on his shoulders. Two of them, James and John, displayed such naked ambition. Some would ask questions that clearly revealed their profound ignorance of the master’s message and life. Such pathetic frailty and brokenness… . Yet Matthew’s Gospel cuts through all of it by telling us that “the eleven disciples” made their way to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. No longer the twelve, that symbolic number that gave them continuity with the long history of Judaism, but the eleven, recalling the tragic defection of Judas Iscariot who would fail miserably. Yet in spite of such blatant humanity and brazen failure, the eleven are entrusted with the dream and mission of the Risen Lord.

A universal mission

In verse 18, the Risen Jesus claims universal power in heaven and on earth. Since this universal power belongs to the Risen Lord, he gives the eleven a mission that is universal. They are to make disciples of all nations. While “all nations” is understood by some scholars as referring only to all Gentiles, it is probable that it included the Jews as well. Baptism is the means of entrance into the community of the Risen One – the Church. The end of Matthew’s Gospel also contains the clearest expression in the New Testament of Trinitarian belief. It may have been the baptismal formula of Matthew’s church, but primarily it designates the effect of baptism, the union of the one baptized with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The words “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (20) have a special ring to them. They send us back to the beginning of Matthew’s account when Jesus is given the name “Emmanuel.” In that name we find the answer to humanity’s deepest longings for God throughout the ages. Emmanuel is both a prayer and plea (on our behalf) and a promise and declaration on God’s part. When we pronounce the word, we are really praying and pleading: “God, be with us!” And when God speaks it, the Almighty, Eternal, Omnipresent Creator of the world is telling us: “I am with you” in Jesus.     It is the Eucharist that confirms these words.  Christ said to his Apostles, “Go forth . . . and teach all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” From Christ the way of Christian initiation leads directly to the Eucharist: “I am with you,” “I am with every one of you.” “I become part of your flesh and blood.” “I share your very existence.”

Touching the Risen Lord

If we enter fully into the essence of our Christian life, then we really do touch the risen Lord, and then we really do become fully ourselves. Touching Christ and ascending belong together. And let us not forget that for John the place of Christ’s “exaltation” is his Cross and that our own ever-necessary “ascension”, our “going up on high” in order to touch him, has to be traveled in company with the crucified Jesus. Christ, at the Father’s right hand, is not far away from us. At most we are far from him, but the path that joins us to one another is open. And this path is not a matter of space travel of a cosmic-geographical nature: it is the “space travel” of the heart, from the dimension of self-enclosed isolation to the new dimension of world embracing divine love.”

“Christ has come so close to us”

Only in his physical separation from the historical scene can Jesus’ spiritual union with the entire world for all time be complete. Jesus left the world one day in order to be available to all people throughout all time. He had to dissolve bonds he had made with his friends, in order to be available for everybody. We move towards heaven to the extent that we approach Jesus.

This, indeed, is our state at present; we have lost Christ and we have found Him; we see Him not, yet we discern Him. We embrace His feet, yet He says, “Touch Me not.” How is this? it is thus: we have lost the sensible and conscious perception of Him; we cannot look on Him, hear Him, converse with Him, follow Him from place to place; but we enjoy the spiritual, immaterial, inward, mental, real sight and possession of Him; a possession more real and more present than that which the Apostles had in the days of His flesh, because it is spiritual, because it is invisible.”

Christ, the reason for our joy

Finally, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI leaves us with a consoling image of the Risen Lord who never leaves us. From his book  “Jesus of Nazareth – From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection” he writes:  “Because Jesus is with the Father, he has not gone away but remains close to us. Now he is no longer in one particular place in the world as he had been before the “Ascension”: now, through his power over space, he is present and accessible to all—throughout history and in every place. There is a very beautiful story in the Gospel (Mk 6:45–52 and parallel passages) where Jesus anticipates this kind of closeness during his earthly life and so makes it easier for us to understand.”

After the multiplication of the loaves, the Lord makes the disciples get into the boat and go before him to Bethsaida on the opposite shore, while he himself dismisses the people. He then goes “up on the mountain” to pray. So the disciples are alone in the boat. There is a headwind, and the lake is turbulent. They are threatened by the power of the waves and the storm. The Lord seems to be far away in prayer on his mountain. But because he is with the Father, he sees them. And because he sees them, he comes to them across the water; he gets into the boat with them and makes it possible for them to continue to their destination.

This is an image for the time of the Church—intended also for us. The Lord is “on the mountain” of the Father. Therefore he sees us. Therefore he can get into the boat of our life at any moment. Therefore we can always call on him; we can always be certain that he sees and hears us. In our own day, too, the boat of the Church travels against the headwind of history through the turbulent ocean of time. Often it looks as if it is bound to sink. But the Lord is there, and he comes at the right moment. “I go away, and I will come to you”—that is the essence of Christian trust, the reason for our joy.”

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