A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 6, n. 23)
Ascension of the Lord, Year A – May 1, 2008
“Taken Up From You …”
BIBLE READINGS
Acts 1:1-11 // Ephes 1:17-23 // Mt 28:18-20
N.B. Series 6 of BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year A from the perspective of the First Reading. For another set of reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year A, please go to the PDDM Web Archives: WWW.PDDM.US and open Series 3.
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
The feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ is a celebration of his “new presence” through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Easter gift. Harold Buetow comments: “We come together on this feast of our Lord’s Ascension not to commemorate a departure, but to celebrate the living and lasting presence of him who at his birth was called Emmanuel – “God with us”. Jesus, the living head of his body the Church, remains always with us as he promised – now in a new way. In fact, by this celebration we proclaim that the risen Jesus enters into the fullness of the glory given him by his Father. For those who follow him, his presence with us can make our earth, our daily life, a heaven.”
The solemn feast of the Lord’s Ascension is an affirmation of the ultimate triumph of the wondrous God-centered and Spirit-animated life that resulted from the paschal suffering and glorification of the Servant-Son of God, Jesus Christ. This Sunday’s First Reading (Acts 1:1-11) presents Jesus as giving instructions to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, the living memorial of his paschal mystery. Luke’s account also tells us that while meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit – the promise of the Father – who will give them power to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. The Holy Spirit who anointed Jesus at his baptism in the Jordan for his messianic task of preaching and healing is the same Spirit who would anoint his disciples with power on the day of Pentecost for their mission of preaching and healing to the ends of the earth.
Jesus’ Ascension conferred the power of the Holy Spirit upon all those who would follow him. The new presence of Christ through his power-filled and life-giving Spirit impels his disciples to go out into the whole world to preach the Gospel. The biblical scholar Eugene Maly asserts: “The power that Jesus has given to us so that we might indeed lead the victorious life of grace must eventually become vocal. This way of life must lead to a proclamation of the word of life. The same holds true for the Church herself; through the power of God the entire Church must be evangelized and evangelizing. The Church and each member need not only be faithful and dedicated to the glorified Christ, but must also be seen and heard by those who do not yet know Christ. The ascending Christ has given us this charge.”
One of our PDDM Sisters in Fresno, Sr. Mary Agape Saccone, 85 years old, passed away last Monday, on April 28, 2008. Sr. Mary Agape was a pious Christian disciple who took to heart the Lord’s missionary charge to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Aglow with warmth and joy, so characteristic of the people of Sicily, her birthplace, she served as a zealous missionary in Canada and the United States for 60 years. In her life of religious consecration and service, she was animated with limpid faith and youthful enthusiasm. On November 19, 1992, while preparing for her 50th anniversary of religious profession, she wrote to Mother General, Mother Maria Lucia Ricci: “I have given much praise to our Divine Master who has led and guided me to this point. Through our apostolate I will seek to proclaim the Word of God throughout the world.”
The following personal account of Sr. Mary Agape concerning her experience in 1965, during her second trip to the United States after visiting her family, illustrates her fidelity to the command of the ascended and glorified Jesus to proclaim the Gospel of hope, especially in dire and difficult situations.
“We had a reservation on the ship “Nuova Raffaello”, a beautiful ship traveling to America. (…) After sailing for five days, at around 2:00 P.M., I went to the upper balcony to contemplate the sea and the immensity of the ocean and enjoy the beautiful view. All of a sudden I heard a noise like an explosion. After a short while, I became aware that the crewmembers were hurrying back and forth, and seemed to be worried. Later I learned that one of the engines of the “Nuova Raffaello” had caught fire. The captain was forced to advise the passengers that the ship had to return to port for mechanical reasons. When the crew began the maneuvers to turn around, there were other noises and the ship began to shake. Everyone was worried. I sought to help others remain calm and to encourage them during those terrible moments. I recall that I took the Gospel and read the passage about the calming of the sea to the other passengers. Finally, on November 6, we arrived safely at the port of Genoa. From there we left for New York once again, this time in an airplane. Once again we thanked God for his help.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
Why is the feast of the Lord’s Ascension a celebration of his presence and not of his absence? What is the role of the Holy Spirit in making the person of Jesus Christ and his saving messianic event present to us in the here and now?
What is our response to Christ’s command to go out to the ends of the earth to be his witnesses? Do we allow ourselves to be invested with the power of the Holy Spirit for the task of witnessing, healing and evangelizing?
Do we trust that the ascended and glorified Jesus is present and remains with his chosen people in a “new way” - that is, through the power of the Holy Spirit? Do we contemplate with love the glorification of Jesus Christ who, in the mystery of the ascension, entered into the fullness of God the Father’s glory? Do we embrace Christ’s spiritual and sacramental presence to transform and give us a glimpse of the beauty and glory of heaven?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Loving Father,
we contemplate the mystery of the ascension
of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven.
He is present to us in a “new presence”
through the power of the Holy Spirit, his Easter gift.
Christ passed beyond our sight,
not to abandon us, but to be our hope.
Instructed by Jesus through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit,
the living memorial of his paschal mystery,
we allow ourselves to be filled with spiritual power
for the messianic task of healing and preaching
in today’s anguished, troubled world.
Make us signs of the newness of life.
Help us to give glory to your beloved Servant-Son Jesus
by the witness of our life
and by our service to our needy brothers and sisters.
We love you and adore you.
We praise and glorify you,
now and forever.
Assembly: Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“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.” (Acts 1:11)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
ACTION PLAN: Meditate on the “new presence” of the ascended and glorified Lord Jesus. By your profound life witnessing and service of healing and evangelization to the sick and broken hearted, make alive the presence of the Risen Christ in their lives and enable them to experience the gift of hope and the strength of the Holy Spirit.
ACTION PLAN: To help us experience more deeply the “new presence” of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the PDDM WEB site (www.pddm.us) for the EUCHARISTIC ADORATION THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR (Vol. 4, n. 23): A Weekly Pastoral Tool.
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US