Daily Readings - Sun May 13 2018

¹Certainly, O Theophilus, I composed the first discourse about everything that Jesus began to do and to teach²instructing the Apostles, whom he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, even until the day on which he was taken up³He also presented himself alive to them, after his Passion, appearing to them throughout forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God with many elucidations⁴And dining with them, he instructed them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but that they should wait for the Promise of the Father, "about which you have heard," he said, "from my own mouth⁵For John, indeed, baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit, not many days from now.⁶Therefore, those who had assembled together questioned him, saying, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom of Israel?⁷But he said to them: "It is not yours to know the times or the moments, which the Father has set by his own authority⁸But you shall receive the power of the Holy Spirit, passing over you, and you shall be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.⁹And when he had said these things, while they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight¹⁰And while they were watching him going up to heaven, behold, two men stood near them in white vestments¹¹And they said: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, shall return in just the same way that you have seen him going up to heaven.

First Reading - Ephesians 1.17-23 or Ephesians 4.1-7, 11-13

Ephesians

Chapter 1

¹⁷so that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give a spirit of wisdom and of revelation to you, in knowledge of him¹⁸May the eyes of your heart be illuminated, so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and the wealth of the glory of his inheritance with the saints¹⁹and the preeminent magnitude of his virtue toward us, toward we who believe in accord with the work of his powerful virtue²⁰which he wrought in Christ, raising him from the dead and establishing him at his right hand in the heavens²¹above every principality and power and virtue and dominion, and above every name that is given, not only in this age, but even in the future age²²And he has subjected all things under his feet, and he has made him the head over the entire Church²³which is his body and which is the fullness of him who accomplishes everything in everyone

Ephesians

Chapter 4

¹And so, as a prisoner in the Lord, I beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the vocation to which you have been called²with all humility and meekness, with patience, supporting one another in charity³Be anxious to preserve the unity of the Spirit within the bonds of peace⁴One body and one Spirit: to this you have been called by the one hope of your calling⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism⁶one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all⁷Yet to each one of us there has been given grace according to the measure allotted by Christ¹¹And the same one granted that some would be Apostles, and some Prophets, yet truly others evangelists, and others pastors and teachers¹²for the sake of the perfection of the saints, by the work of the ministry, in the edification of the body of Christ¹³until we all meet in the unity of faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as a perfect man, in the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ

Mark

Chapter 16

¹⁵And he said to them: "Go forth to the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature¹⁶Whoever will have believed and been baptized will be saved. Yet truly, whoever will not have believed will be condemned¹⁷Now these signs will accompany those who believe. In my name, they shall cast out demons. They will speak in new languages¹⁸They will take up serpents, and, if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them. They shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they will be well.¹⁹And indeed, the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and he sits at the right hand of God²⁰Then they, setting out, preached everywhere, with the Lord cooperating and confirming the word by the accompanying signs

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the profound mystery of Christ’s ascension and the mission that follows. In the first reading from Acts, we witness the moment when Jesus, after appearing to his disciples for forty days, is taken up into heaven. The disciples are left standing there, gazing upward, until two angels remind them that their attention should not remain fixed on the heavens but should instead focus on the task ahead: spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth. This moment marks the end of Jesus’ physical presence among them, but it is also the beginning of a new era—the era of the Holy Spirit, who would empower them to fulfill their mission. The second reading from Ephesians deepens our understanding of this mission. Paul prays that the Ephesians may have the “eyes of their hearts” enlightened to know the hope to which they are called and the immense power that is theirs through Christ. This power is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at the right hand of the Father, far above all other powers and authorities. The reading reminds us that our hope is rooted in Christ’s triumph and that we are called to live in the light of this victory, even as we await his final return. In the Gospel, Mark gives us Jesus’ final command to his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” This is the Great Commission, a call to share the good news of salvation with all people. The signs that accompany believers—such as healing, casting out demons, and speaking new languages—are not ends in themselves but means of confirming the truth of the Gospel. The reading ends with the assurance that the Lord Jesus, now seated at the right hand of God, continues to work through his disciples, empowering them to fulfill their mission. These readings challenge us to live with our eyes fixed on the horizon of God’s plan, trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen us. Just as the disciples were called to move beyond their grief and awe at the Ascension, we too are called to move beyond our fears and doubts, embracing the mission to which we have been called. Let us ask for the grace to be faithful witnesses, sharing the love and hope of Christ with a world that so desperately needs it. May we remember that we are not alone in this task, for the Lord is always with us, confirming his word through the signs of his presence and power.