Ascension Sunday C:

 Michel de VerteuilGeneral Textual comments

The Ascension of Jesus was an essential stage in his relationship with his followers. He had walked with them in their moments of strength and of weakness, and now he was leaving them.

Ascension 2021

Starters: From Fr. Tony Kadavil:

Anecdote 1) God’s love in action: The disciples who completed Puccini’s opera Turandot. The Italian composer Giacomo Puccini wrote La Boheme, Madama Butterfly and Tosca.

Ascension 2020 - Liturgical Prayers

Solemnity of the ASCENSION of the Lord

A. Absent, Yet Present
B. I Go; Now I Send You

Readings:
Acts 1:1-11; Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
Eph 1:17-23; Mt 28:16-20


Greeting
    Be my witnesses to the ends of the earth,
    says the Lord.
    Know that I am with you always,
    till the end of time.
    May the Lord Jesus be always with you
    R/ And also with you.

Ascension 2020

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From Fr. Tony Kadavil’s Collection of Stories: 

1: The disciples who completed Puccini’s opera Turandot.   

The Italian composer Giacomo Puccini wrote La Boheme, Madama Butterfly and Tosca.  It was during his battle with terminal cancer in 1922 that he began to write Turandot, which many now consider his best work. He worked on the score day and night, despite his friends' advice to rest, and to save his energy. When his sickness worsened, Puccini said to his disciples, "'If I don't finish Turandot, I want you to finish it." He died in 1924, leaving the work unfinished. His disciples gathered all that was written of Turandot, studied it in great detail, and then proceeded to write the remainder of the opera. The world premier was performed in La Scala Opera House in Milan in 1926, and Toscanini, Puccini’s favorite student, conducted it. The opera went beautifully, until Toscanini came to the end of the part written by Puccini. He stopped the music, put down the baton, turned to the audience, and announced, "Thus far the master wrote, but he died." There was a long pause; no one moved. Then Toscanini picked up the baton, turned to the audience and, with tears in his eyes, announced, "But his disciples finished his work." The opera closed to thunderous applause, and to a permanent place in the annals of great works. Jesus instructs us in his Ascension message to finish his work of saving mankind by proclaiming His good news by words and deeds. 

Ascension - Liturgical Prayers

Greetings

The Risen Lord Jesus now lives
in the glory of the Father.
Through the Spirit of courage and love
may he always be with you.
R/ And also with you.

Ascension Sunday - Liturgical Prayers

Greeting

"Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit
by the peace that binds you together as one body.
May the Lord send you his Spirit of unity
and be always with you. R/ And also with you.

Ascension 2017

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From Fr. Tony Kadavil’s Collection of Stories: 

1: The disciples who completed Puccini’s opera Turandot.   

The Italian composer Giacomo Puccini wrote La Boheme, Madama Butterfly and Tosca.  It was during his battle with terminal cancer in 1922 that he began to write Turandot, which many now consider his best work. He worked on the score day and night, despite his friends' advice to rest, and to save his energy. When his sickness worsened, Puccini said to his disciples, "'If I don't finish Turandot, I want you to finish it." He died in 1924, leaving the work unfinished. His disciples gathered all that was written of Turandot, studied it in great detail, and then proceeded to write the remainder of the opera. The world premier was performed in La Scala Opera House in Milan in 1926, and Toscanini, Puccini’s favorite student, conducted it. The opera went beautifully, until Toscanini came to the end of the part written by Puccini. He stopped the music, put down the baton, turned to the audience, and announced, "Thus far the master wrote, but he died." There was a long pause; no one moved. Then Toscanini picked up the baton, turned to the audience and, with tears in his eyes, announced, "But his disciples finished his work." The opera closed to thunderous applause, and to a permanent place in the annals of great works. Jesus instructs us in his Ascension message to finish his work of saving mankind by proclaiming His good news by words and deeds. 

Ascension 2016 - Liturgy

Greetings

The Risen Lord Jesus now lives
in the glory of the Father.
Through the Spirit of courage and love
may he always be with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

A. Glorious, Yet Still with Us

When someone good and close to us has died, we feel that this person is still with us and keeps inspiring and guiding us. When at his Ascension Jesus left his disciples and passed to the glory of heaven, he became to his disciples more than a memory of a great person who had died. First, he is still alive as the risen Lord; second, he is gone but he stays with us by his Spirit of strength and wisdom and love and in this way he is our companion in life. He still speaks his word to us, he still gives himself to us as our food and drink, and he is alive in our communities. Listen to him present among us here and let him nourish us with his word and his body. 

Ascension 2016

7 Ascension C from Jaimelito Gealan

 Michel de VerteuilGeneral Textual comments

The Ascension of Jesus was an essential stage in his relationship with this followers. He had walked with them in their moments of strength and of weakness, and now he was leaving them.

Ascension 2015

Starters: From Fr. Tony Kadavil:

Anecdote 1) God’s love in action: The disciples who completed Puccini’s opera Turandot. The Italian composer Giacomo Puccini wrote La Boheme, Madama Butterfly and Tosca. It was during his battle with terminal cancer in 1922 that he began to write Turandot, which many now consider his best work. He worked on the score day and night, despite his friends' advice to rest, and to save his energy. When his sickness worsened, Puccini said to his disciples, 'If I don't finish Turandot, I want you to finish it.' He died in 1924, leaving the work unfinished. His disciples gathered all that was written of Turandot, studied it in great detail, and then proceeded to write the remainder of the opera. The world premier was performed in La Scala Opera House in Milan in 1926, and Toscanini, Puccini’s favorite student, conducted it. The opera went beautifully, until Toscanini came to the end of the part written by Puccini. He stopped the music, put down the baton, turned to the audience, and announced, 'Thus far the master wrote, but he died.' There was a long pause; no one moved. Then Toscanini picked up the baton, turned to the audience and, with tears in his eyes, announced, 'But his disciples finished his work.' The opera closed to thunderous applause, and to a permanent place in the annals of great works. Jesus instructs us in his Ascension message to finish his work of saving mankind by proclaiming His good news by words and deeds.

Ascension 2012

Introduction

Today’s readings describe the ascension of the Lord Jesus into his heavenly glory after he had promised his disciples his Holy Spirit as their source of heavenly power, and commanded them to bear witness to him throughout the world by their lives and preaching.  But the ascended Jesus is still with us through his indwelling Holy Spirit as he has promised, "I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.”   Today’s feast celebrates Jesus’ final glorification after his suffering, death   and resurrection –   a glory in which we hope to share. 

Scripture Lessons 

The first reading  gives an account of the event of Jesus’ ascension as recorded in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. First, Jesus instructed his apostles to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the baptism by the Holy Spirit so that they might become his “witnesses to the ends of the earth” by the power of the Holy Spirit. Then a cloud took Jesus from the sight of the disciples and two heavenly messengers in white garments gave them the assurance of Jesus’ “second coming” or return in glory.  Today's psalm suggests that, by his Ascension, the risen Lord "mounts his throne" in glory.  In the second reading,  Paul explains the theological meaning of Jesus’ exaltation, giving us the assurance that one day, we, too, will be ascending to heavenly glory, provided we carry out the mission entrusted to us by the ascending Lord. Today's gospel describes  how  Jesus  ascended  to  heaven  after  giving  his  final  blessing  and missionary command to his disciples. The command was to “proclaim the good news to every creature”(Mark 16:15), “to be his witnesses"(Acts 1: 8), and “to make disciples of all  n ation s.”  (Matthew 8:19). 

Life Messages 

1)  We  need  to  be  proclaimers  and  evangelizers:  To  be  a  Christian  is  to  be  a proclaimer and an evangelizer.   There is a difference between preaching and proclaiming.  We preach with words but we proclaim with our lives.  Let us ask the guidance of the Spirit of God to bear witness to Jesus by our transparent Christian lives. 2)  We need to transmit his teachings to the world:  Jesus taught us lessons of faith, hope, love, forgiveness, mercy and salvation by his life and preaching and gave us the mission to teach these to others.    Hence, let us learn about Jesus and his teachings by our daily study of the Bible and the teachings of the Church, experience him in personal prayer, reception of the sacraments and works of charity, and convey to others Jesus whom we have experienced with the help of his Holy Spirit. 

3) We need seek our help in this mission from the ascended Jesus who is our strength and encouragement: We will be able to overcome doubts about our faith and baseless fears,  anxieties and worries by meditating on Jesus’ Ascension and the lesson it teaches, that we, too, are called to share his glory in heaven. L/12 

Ascension 2009

From Fr. Tony Kadavil:

Anecdote 1) God’s love in action: The disciples who completed Puccini’s opera Turandot. The Italian composer Giacomo Puccini wrote La Boheme, Madama Butterfly and Tosca. It was during his battle with terminal cancer in 1922 that he began to write Turandot, which many now consider his best work. He worked on the score day and night, despite his friends' advice to rest, and to save his energy. When his sickness worsened, Puccini said to his disciples, 'If I don't finish Turandot, I want you to finish it.' He died in 1924, leaving the work unfinished. His disciples gathered all that was written of Turandot, studied it in great detail, and then proceeded to write the remainder of the opera. The world premier was performed in La Scala Opera House in Milan in 1926, and Toscanini, Puccini’s favorite student, conducted it. The opera went beautifully, until Toscanini came to the end of the part written by Puccini. He stopped the music, put down the baton, turned to the audience, and announced, 'Thus far the master wrote, but he died.' There was a long pause; no one moved. Then Toscanini picked up the baton, turned to the audience and, with tears in his eyes, announced, 'But his disciples finished his work.' The opera closed to thunderous applause, and to a permanent place in the annals of great works. Jesus instructs us in his Ascension message to finish his work of saving mankind by proclaiming His good news by words and deeds.

Ascension 2013 - Homilies and Stories

Thomas O’Loughlin

Introduction to the Celebration 

The image we have of the Ascension is that of departing, going away, disappearing; but our belief as Christians is that it represents the silent presence of Christ everywhere in the universe. He is no longer limited by earthly conditions — to be in one place at one time in his presence to his followers — but now dwells in the heavens with the Father: present in every gathering of his people — so he is present among us now, present whenever his people are in need, present in hearts calling us to be disciples and to be his hands, and feet, and voice in our lives. To celebrate this feast today is not to recall a past event — that day long ago ‘when he went up to heaven’ — but to rejoice that Jesus is our living Lord, with us now, leading and guiding us, because he is not tied down to a moment in earthly history. 

Ascension B

From Fr. Tony Kadavil:
Introduction

Today’s readings describe the ascension of the Lord Jesus into his heavenly glory

after he had promised his disciples his Holy Spirit as their source of heavenly power, and commanded them to bear witness to him throughout the world by their lives

and preaching.  But the ascended Jesus is still with us through his indwelling Holy Spirit as he has promised, "I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.”   Today’s feast celebrates Jesus’ final glorification after his suffering, death   and resurrection –   a glory in which we hope to share.

Scripture Lessons