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HOMILIES ARCHIVE
HOMILIES
Dear Audience,For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!
The Ascension of the Lord (Year C)
4046
5
3First Reading
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (1:1-11)
In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for "the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
When they had gathered together they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He answered them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. "When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood and beside them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? 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."
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms of David (47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9)
(R) Good mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with cries of gladness; for the Lord, the Most High, the awesome, is the great king over all the earth. (R)
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy; the Lord, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise. (R)
For king of all the earth is God; sing hymns of praise. God reigns over the nations, God sits upon his holy throne. (R)
Second Reading
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians (1:17-23)
Brothers and sisters: May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might: which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things beneath Christ's feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Gospel
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (24:46-53)
Jesus said to his disciples: "Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to these things. And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."
Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.
(P) The Gospel of the Lord.(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Homily
One day a man opened the morning newspaper and was dumbfounded to read in the obituary column that he had died. He quickly phoned his best friend and asked him, "Did you read the paper? They say I died." His friend replied, "Yes, I saw it!" but now tell me, "Where are you calling from?"
Where is Jesus who rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples? Our belief is that Jesus Christ, after his resurrection, stayed on earth for forty days to demonstrate to His followers that He is truly alive, and to teach them and prepare them for the task of spreading the good news, has ascended into heaven, the event we celebrate today.
Today's second reading is taken from the letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians. The letter is different compared to many other letters he wrote. It was written not so much to address any problem or conflict in the community but to explain the basic doctrines of Christian faith and God's work in the Church. In today's text we read a special prayer of Saint Paul for the Ephesian church, a prayer that is relevant for the whole church. Why does Paul pray for the Church? He prays for the Church because it is the mouthpiece for God's words to us.
He prays, "May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of Him." Paul's request to God the Father to grant us wisdom and revelation, is not to enable us to predict anyone's future but to have a better knowledge of God. He prays for wisdom that leads us deeper and deeper into the knowledge of eternal truths. It is important for us to know and understand not only who we are but it is more important to know who God is. As Henry Alford, a 19th century English churchman, scholar, poet and writer says, "For philosophy comes to man with the message, Know thyself; the Gospel comes to him with the far more glorious and fruitful watchword, Know thy God." But to know or to discover God, it is necessary that we personally think our way to God. The Church preaches or explains the mystery of God. Teachers of the Faith help us improve our understanding of God through scripture studies, sermons and community worships. However, we should study, discuss and reflect on the scriptures ourselves. The more we get to know God, the better our everyday life will be. Someone has rightly said, "A friendship which does not grow closer with the years, tends to vanish with the years. And it is so with us and God." Let us therefore, use the scriptures (if you do not own a Bible please get one) to know God and strengthen our friendship with God.
Saint Paul continuing his prayer for the church says, "May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened; that you may know what is the hope that belongs to His call, what are the riches of glory in His inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe." In other words, Paul prays that we may know and understand everything that God has given us in Jesus Christ. What do we usually pray for? We tend to pray for health, security, material things and success. But Saint Paul prays that we may understand His call to freedom from sin, to light from darkness and to life from death. Then he prays that we may understand the precious grace to be part of his inheritance despite our unworthiness. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, "All people are called to holiness, and having extraordinary gifts does not make someone a greater saint than another. Holiness is not a luxury. It is not the privilege of a few, something unattainable for a normal person." Holiness, he said, "is the common destiny of all people called to be children of God; it is the universal goal of all the baptized." Have you ever thought of becoming a saint?
And then Paul prays that we may understand the greatness of God's power over those who believe in Him. His prayer ends with his description of the great power of God. God's power has raised Jesus Christ, "far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named." In other words, Paul sees the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the supreme proof of God's existence. It proves that God's purpose cannot be stopped by any action of human beings. In essence, Paul's prayer is that we may well realize that God is in control of all things, making everything conform to His own plan, purpose and will.
Finally, Paul describes where the great power has placed Jesus. "And He put all things beneath Christ's feet and gave him as head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fullness of one who fills all things in every way." The power of resurrection has placed Jesus above all things. It sets him as head over all things, including His Church. For her faithful obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Church is filled with every grace and blessing.
Friends, Paul prayed for wisdom, revelation and enlightenment because they were attributes important to have. In the same way, let us ask the Lord our God, for ourselves and all believers, the same attributes, wisdom, revelation and enlightenment so that we may grow in knowledge and in grace of God. The more we know God, the more we know about His desires for our lives, and the more we obey Him, the more we are blessed.
(P) Amen.God Bless You!
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