The Ascension of the Lord
My dear parishioners,
God is Good!!! All the time!!! And all the time!!! God is Good!!!
Luke carries forward his narrative of salvation with this second volume. After “dealing with all that Jesus did and taught” he now turns his attention to the work of the Lord’s apostles. As readers will discover however, the most significant work is done by the Holy Spirit who drives the apostles to step beyond their chosen limits.
Most scholars are in agreement that the Gospel of Mark ends at Mk 16:8. Because that ending was not clearly understood and appeared too many to be no ending at all, additional endings were composed later on and subsequently added to this Gospel. This material is taken from other Gospels and it differs from the authentic Mark in vocabulary as well as theme. Nevertheless, the Church considers this material to be canonical and inspired and thus a legitimate part of the New Testament. Since this year the Church is using Cycle B (Mark) the story of the Ascension is taken from an additional ending of that Gospel.
The commissioning of the disciples. Today’s Gospel begins with Jesus commissioning his disciples. Their mission is to be universal. They are to go into the whole world and they are to proclaim the Gospel to every creature. This commissioning is very similar to what we find at the end of Matthew’s Gospel. Those who believe the Gospel and are baptized will be saved while those who do not will be condemned. This emphasis does not reflect either the teaching of Jesus or that of the authentic Gospel of Mark. It might reflect the frustrations the early Church experienced with its less than successful evangelizing efforts.
Signs of the saved. Believers are accompanied by certain signs. Casting out demons and speaking in new languages are mentioned in other Gospels as well as the Acts of the Apostles. Serpent handling and drinking poison are not mentioned otherwise in the New Testament as signs of a believer.
The Ascension of the Lord Jesus. The point that the liturgy is interested in is the brief one-line description of Jesus’ ascension. “So, then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God” (Mk 16:19). This description is in basic agreement with what is found in Matthew and Luke. Jesus has now returned to the Father. The preaching of the Gospel must now be taken over by the disciples. Here we are told that “the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.” What this means is that the disciples were not left alone in their task of preaching the Gospel. In a variety of ways, the Lord’s presence supported and confirmed the work of the disciples
Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Aloysius