Forever and Ever

The Ascension of the Lord 28 May  2017

First reading                                                                                      Acts 1: 1-11

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.’

Responsorial Psalm                                                            Psalm 46(47):2-3,6-9                  

God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.

Second reading                                                                         Ephesians 1:17-23 

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. 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.

Gospel                                                                                           Matthew 28:16-20

The eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated. Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’

Reflection

by Ms Fely Santiago

“And behold I am with you always until the end of the age”

Yes! Kay Lord may forever!

     It is so consoling and heartwarming to be assured by God that He will be with us until the end of time. He did not promise us a trouble-free life with no challenges along the way. But we are offered the peace in our hearts that Jesus longs to give us.

As we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord, we are commissioned go out to the world to share the good news of His unconditional love. Let us contemplate on this scene and ponder what the Ascension means to us today. It simultaneously celebrates loss and hope – the loss of Jesus on earthand the hope that He remains with us forever.

      This is so relevant on this season of Graduation when many graduates experience a bittersweet combination of moving on from the beloved familiar to a new chapter of their lives. And just like what the disciples experience, we are scared of facing the unknown. What would be life after graduation? Will I find a job immediately? Will I get into a good company? What if after 1 year I still could not find a job? What will happen to me? Doubts may start to sink in. However, let us hold on to the promise of Jesus that “I am with you always, until the end of age”. Let us put our trust that Jesus will remain with us no matter where life takes us. And rest assured that He has the best plans for us. The best is yet to come!

        In some days we may really feel anything but peace in our hearts. We need to stay in faith. That is the time to pause and open our hands and hearts to our Lord. Just a simple physical act of opening our hands can send a signal to our hearts that the Lord is in charge and there is no reason to be afraid. We can stop thinking and start feeling the love that Jesus has for us.

        We can start each day as soon as we wake up,  to be aware of the sacredness of the day ahead of us and ask for peace, courage, guidance and anointing of the Lord. On our way to work or while we take care of our family, cooking or running errands, we can stop for the briefest moment and ask again: “Lord help me to feel how much You love me and that You will never leave me. Help me to accept and carry that love and carry it to all those You send into my life today.”

         At the end of each day, we can pause again at the side of our bed, reflect for a moment and offer thanks for the times when we felt in our hearts the love of Jesus. And we can ask that tomorrow we can feel the Lord’s own love and compassion for us – and beg that we can pass that along so others may see Jesus in us and experience His love.

Prayer

Dear Jesus. You may not be physically with us but we know You are always there to love us no matter what! That is all I need. Help me to be Your light to others that they will see the good things You do and praise Your Father in heaven! May Your light in each of us continue to shine in our lives. In Your mighty name we pray. Amen.