Seven Sunday of Easter - Solemnity of The Ascension of the Lord - Year B
May 17, 2015
Gospel : Mk 16:15-20
Jesus said to 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 (1). These signs (2) will accompany (3) 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.” So then the Lord
Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at
the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the
Lord worked with them and confirmed (4) the word through accompanying signs.
The difficult words
(1) To condemned means judged as
guilty and worthy of punishment.
(2) Signs are miracles.
(3) To accompany means to go together with something.
(4) To confirm
means to prove some true.
This week’s spotlight
The Ascension
When we pray the Our
Father, we say that God is "in heaven." Where is "heaven"?
Heaven is not the place in the sky where the birds fly, but rather the
invisible place where God is! At the time of his ascension, Jesus returns to
the heavenly realm where his Father dwells. Even though we can no longer see
him, we believe that Jesus is always with us and watches over us alongside God
the Father.
The kingdom of heaven
In the Bible, the
“kingdom of heaven" and the "kingdom of God” mean the same thing. The
first expression is used in Matthew's Gospel, which follows the Jewish
tradition of never pronouncing God's name. The kingdom is not a place - it is a
way of life, a way of loving God and obeying his commandments. No one sees the
kingdom because we are living in it already when we live according to God’s
word. Whenever we follow God’s will, we allow him to reign over us like a king
rules over his realm. When we pray “Thy kingdom come," we are praying that
all people will accept God as their king.
Reflection
Go out into the world
For forty
days after Jesus' resurrection, he appeared to many people, including Mary
Magdalene, the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and the apostles. During this
time, the disciples continued to feel Jesus’ presence. They talked to him,
learned from him, and also got used to living without seeing him face-to-face.
Even when they didn’t see him, they knew he was near when they shared stories
about his life and celebrated the Eucharist. Today we remember Jesus’ ascension
into heaven, his going home to his Father.We can no longer see him as his first
disciples did, but we do know this for sure: Jesus Christ rose from the dead
and is alive for ever. He is always with us! Although someone your age can't go
out on the road and preach like Jesus' disciples, you can share the Good News
in very simple ways. Today, just as in Jesus’ time, there are many children and
adults who don’t really know the good news of his love. Let’s all be his
messengers!
Discussion
questions
1.What did Jesus say to the disciples?
2.What happened after that?
3.Who will be saved?
4.Who will be condemned?
5.What can those who believe in God do?
6.What did the disciples do after the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven?
7.Who worked with them?
Praying after Communion
After receiving Holy Communion, you can
say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in
communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. We have
heard and understand the mission that your Son Jesus has entrusted to us. May
this communion in his body and his blood give us the strength also to announce
the Good News that we have received.
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