CONTINUING THE MISSION
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: Today is the Solemnity of the Ascension. We celebrate Jesus giving his disciples a program and a promise. The program: to witness to him and to continue his mission; the promise: to be with us always through his Spirit.
We pray, like the disciples did in the Upper Room, for the gift of the Spirit to strengthen us for our mission.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have failed in our witnessing mission, we ask the Lord to pardon us.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you are seated at the right hand of the Father.
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you promised the disciples the gift of the Spirit.
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you assure us that you are with us always.
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: God of majesty,
yours is the power that raised Christ from death,
yours the glory that exalted him to your right hand.
By the mystery of the ascension,
sustain our hope
as we bear witness to our baptism.
By the perpetual outpouring of your Spirit,
confirm your Church
in its mission of salvation.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Acts 1:1-11
Psalm Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
Response God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or: Alleluia.
Reading 2 Ephesians 1:17-23
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;
I am with you always, until the end of the world.Gospel Matthew 28:16-20
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Be with Jesus and his disciples on the mountain. Listen to the Lord give you his missionary mandate: “You will be my witness” and assure you: “I am with you always.” Stay with your thoughts and feelings.
Sunday Snippets
Leonardo da Vinci was working on a large canvas in his studio: he chose the subject, sketched the outline, applied the colours. Then he stopped, summoned one of his students, and invited him to complete the work. The horrified student protested that he was unworthy and unable to complete the work which his master had begun. But da Vinci silenced him: “Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?”
Our master began his work of proclaiming the good news by what he said and did, and by his passion, death, and resurrection. Then he stopped and summoned his disciples to complete the work.
This is the thrust of the Ascension. Jesus gives his disciples a program (witness to him) and a promise (the Holy Spirit).
This focus comes through beautifully in today’s selection of readings.
In the gospel, Jesus commissions his disciples to teach all nations and to make disciples of them. He promises to be with them “always, until the end of the age.”
In the first reading, the program and the promise are similar. Jesus calls his disciples to be his “witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” and promises them the power of the Spirit.
There are three aspects about Christian witness.
a) in a court, a witness cannot give hearsay evidence but personal experience; a Christian testifies to a personal experience of God.
b) witness is not of words but of deeds.
c) the Greek word for witness and for martyr is the same: “martus”; to be a witness means to live the mission of Christ no matter what the cost.
Christian witness sounds a tough task. And it is… if we attempt it alone. That’s why Jesus promises his presence and the Spirit, the Comforter (which comes from the Latin fortis, which means strong). The Spirit strengthens the disciples to carry on the mission of Christ.
Like da Vinci’s disciple, we may think we are unworthy and unable to complete the work of our master.
Will his life not inspire us to do our best? How will I witness to Jesus and carry on his mission? Will I live the program and rely on the promise?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Jesus told his apostles that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them and they would be his witnesses. On whom do I depend for spiritual understanding? Do I witness to Jesus? How?
Reading 2: God has given me a Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Have my eyes been enlightened such that I “know what is the hope that belongs to his call”? Am I aware of “the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe”?
Gospel: Jesus commissions his disciples to continue his mission without geographical or temporal limits. How do I fulfil this Great Commission? Do I reach out to people of “all nations” or do I restrict myself to “my” people?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Jesus, our Risen Lord, lives for ever to pray for us and with us to the Father. Through him, we implore the Father for the needs of the Church and of the world, as we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that, empowered by the Spirit, we may faithfully witness to the Gospel and continue Christ’s mission of bringing hope and healing to those in need, we pray to the Lord…
R: For the world: that God may turn the hearts of all from violence towards co-operation in facing the challenges that confront us, we pray to the Lord…
R: For all who spread the Good News: that God will inspire missionaries, preachers, composers, and writers to dynamically announce God’s abiding presence and untiring love for all, we pray to the Lord…
R: For all who are ill: that God’s healing spirit may ease their pain, strengthen them, and restore them to wholeness, we pray to the Lord…
R: For all who are fearful or anxious: that they may allow God to calm their spirits and give them hope, we pray to the Lord…
R: For ourselves: that through the words of Jesus and the example of the early disciples we may discover our identity as disciples and continue the work of our master, we pray to the Lord…
L: Lord our God, you have entrusted to us the mission of your Son. Give us the grace to learn from him to love and serve. May people see that Christ is alive because we are his body to the world. He is Lord for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Marie Dunne’s hymn, You Will Be My Witnesses, celebrates Christ’s commission to be his witnesses and his promise to always be with us.
The hymn was originally composed to celebrate the Year of Vocation (2008).
Watch: You Will Be My Witnesses
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God our Father,
when we keep looking for Jesus in the clouds,
make us turn to the mission he has given us here on earth.
When we are too attached to this earth,
remind us that in your time
you will complete his work in us
and take us to your joy and glory.
Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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