A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 8, n. 25)
Ascension of the Lord, Year C – May 16, 2010 *
“He Ascended into Heaven”
BIBLE READINGS
Acts 1:1-11 // Heb 9:24-28; 10:19-23 // Lk 14:46-23
(N.B. Series 8 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 C from the perspective of the Second Reading. For reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year C based on the Gospel reading, please scroll up to the “ARCHIVES” above and open Series 2. For reflections based on the Old Testament reading, open Series 5.)
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
In this Easter season we continue to relish the saving effect of Christ’s paschal mystery and his abiding presence. Today’s feast of the Ascension of the Lord celebrates his exaltation as the Risen Lord and its significance for us. It is not a feast of the Church’s farewell to Jesus, but of hope. It is a celebration of the Risen Lord’s presence among us in a new and wonderful way – far beyond the power of the human eye but within the loving grasp of a believing heart.
Harold Buetow remarks: “Ascension Day is a day of mystery. Jesus leaves his disciples to go to the heavenly Father and promises to return. He concludes his ministry, and the mission of the Church begins. He commissions his disciples to establish his kingdom and pledges its fulfillment. And we are all called to this great hope … His leaving in a cloud, a biblical symbol of the presence of God who can be seen only by faith, is the story not about Jesus being taken away from us, but Jesus being given to us for all time and for all places as a matter of faith. And his presence to us right now brings him – and his warmth, his care, his love – ever closer to each than we are to each other … Whereas the ascension marked an ending – an ending of ‘the days when Jesus was a flesh and blood person with them – it was equally a beginning. The age of the Holy Spirit, the fulfillment of the Father’s promise was dawning. The Spirit fills the cooperating individual with greater strength and with a stronger, more personal, and more appreciative union with Jesus than before … Today’s liturgy calls us to be bold witnesses to the passion, death, resurrection and exaltation of Jesus – witnesses, in other words, of Gospel joy to the world. We can not just keep looking up to heaven. We have a mission from Jesus.”
Today’s Second Reading (Heb 9:24-28; 10:19-23) delineates the meaning of Christ’s enthronement and the benefits of the Lord’s exaltation and ascension into heaven. We now have access to God himself in the heavenly sanctuary through the sacrifice of Christ. The priestly offering of Jesus surpasses that of the high priest entering the sanctuary of the Holy of Holies at the Jewish feast of the Atonement. Through his “once-for-all” sacrifice Christ has effectively made salvation available in the here and now, although the full blossoming and fruition will be at the end time.
The biblical scholar Albert Vanhoye explains: “Christians possess the right to enter the true sanctuary by the blood of Christ, that is to say, thanks to his violent death transformed into a generous offering. In order to have access to the sanctuary they now have a new and living way that is the glorified humanity of Jesus. Moreover, Christians have the very person of Christ, their priest, as guide. They are invited to remain in the dispositions corresponding to the dynamism of their privileged situation: sincere faith in relation to baptism, unwavering hope based on the promise of a faithful God, and effective love in generous deeds and regular participation in ecclesial assemblies.”
The saving event of the Lord’s ascension is a mystery of hope. We cling to his promise of salvation because he is trustworthy. The saving hope is at the root of the apostolic mission and witness. Jesus calls us to lead others to him that we may all share in the glory of eternal life. In the following story, a Christian believer gives an example of openness to divine will and courageous witnessing – of an attitude sustained by faith, hope and love in Jesus Christ ascended into heaven (cf. Jeff Cavins, “Refueling with God” in Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al., West Chester: Ascension Press, 2004, p. 250-252).
My heart leaped with joy upon learning I had just landed a job as manager at a gas station in Pella, Iowa. To some, it might seem like an odd vocation for a college graduate, but for one seeking to evangelize, a gas station was fertile ground. People from all walks of life – Christian and non-Christian – would be walking through the door of the station. I would be there to meet them, get to know them, and look for opportunities to lead them to Christ. I had just recently quit my job as an announcer at a Christian radio station. Instead of preaching to the choir, I yearned to get out into the world and evangelize among people who did not know Christ.
The job turned out to be everything I had hoped it would be. By being friendly and interested in people, I got to know many of the regular customers. There had been many opportunities to befriend people, listen to their problems, and often lead them closer to Christ. I came to enjoy the early morning routine at the station. Arriving at 5 a.m. to do the inventory each morning provided me with quiet time to pray and reflect before opening at 6 a.m. One such morning, I was surprised to see a customer at the pump station just after I opened.
As I watched the young man pump gas into his car, I suddenly had the strong impression that I should say something to him about Jesus when he walked in to pay. Now, even though this was the reason I was working at the gas station, it was not my style to hit people with Christianity in such a direct manner. I had worked there three months and had never done anything like that. I usually befriended people over time and got to know them before sharing my faith with them.
When the thought first came to me, I said to the Lord: “I don’t want to do this. It’s not the normal way to greet people. I don’t want to seem weird.” Yet, as I watched this professional looking man in business suit, the feeling grew stronger that God wanted me to say something to him such as, “Sir, Jesus loves you.” I argued with God: “Let me get to know him first, then I’ll say something.” But the feeling only grew stronger. I had the impression that if I did not do this, I would be disobedient to what the Lord was asking of me. Although I am not the nervous type, I started getting nervous. The man looked “no-nonsense” and appeared to be in a hurry. He paced about while he waited for his tank to fill. I thought, “If this feeling is from the Lord, there is only one way I’m going to know and that is to go ahead and say something.” (…)
The guy finished filling his car and made his way to the station. I swallowed hard as he opened the door. Forcing myself to look him in the eyes, I took a deep breath and said, “Sir, Jesus loves you.” There was a silent pause that seemed to last an eternity. The man looked puzzled but then anger clouded his face. I became even more nervous imagining that he might come across the counter and knock me out. But then, he stopped and shook his head back and forth as if to say, “What is going on here?” The man proceeded to tell me that even though it was only six in the morning, already four people had told him that day that Jesus loved him. “What is going on?” he asked. “Well”, I answered, “maybe God is speaking to you.” He then softened and explained that he had stopped walking with the Lord some time ago and perhaps God was calling him back home. We stood there in silence for a moment before he thanked me and said, “This has given me something to think about.” He then turned and left.
I never saw him again but I prayed that the hound of heaven would continue to chase him until he gave his life to Christ. I may never know what happened in the end but I do know that he encountered the love of God that day. I pray that I will meet him one day in heaven. God gives us all opportunities to preach the gospel and share His love, but with that opportunity there comes risk. If we will respond to that risk in faith and love, we will be surprised what God can do through us.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
Do we believe that the mystery of the Lord’s ascension is a mystery of hope and glory? Do we experience that the Lord ascended into heaven is present to us in a new and exceedingly profound way? Are we open to receive the promised power of the Holy Spirit?
Do we contemplate deeply the paschal event of Christ’s death and rising, his ascension and glorification, and make it the touchstone of our faith? Do we dedicate ourselves to the task of proclaiming the gospel of salvation, confident that the power of the one ascended into heaven is with us?
Are we filled with praise and thanksgiving for the new and living way that Christ opened for us through his priestly offering? Do we allow the hope of salvation to animate our mission and Christian witnessing? Do we hold unwaveringly to our Christian faith, knowing that God who made the promise of salvation is trustworthy?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Lord Jesus, you ascended into heaven.
Extolled by the Father, you are our Risen Lord.
You continue to be present to us as priest, prophet and king.
You are our intercessor before God.
You are with us through the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are filled with saving hope
for by your priestly sacrifice
you have opened a new and living way
to the heavenly sanctuary.
Be with us as we proclaim the Good News of salvation
in the “here and now”.
Make us your faithful witnesses
so that we may lead our brothers and sisters to you.
Bring us all to heaven.
May we relish the infinite goodness of God
and the eternal bliss he has prepared for us.
We love and serve you.
We extol 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.
“Christ has entered into heaven itself that he might appear before God on our behalf.” (Heb 9:24)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
ACTION PLAN: Pray that our celebration of the Lord’s ascension may enable us to focus on our vocation to hope and glory. By your acts of compassion and charity for those who are wavering in faith and have lost hope, help them through the “new and living way” that Christ opened through his death and glorification.
ACTION PLAN: That we may better worship and glorify Christ “ascended into heaven”, 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: A Weekly Pastoral Tool (Year C, vol. 6, # 25).
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