Daily Readings - Sun May 16 2021

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

In today's readings, we journey through pivotal moments in the life of the early Church and the mission of Christ. The first reading from Acts describes the Ascension of Jesus, where He instructs the Apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit, promising them empowerment to be His witnesses. The second reading from Ephesians is a prayer for wisdom and revelation, highlighting Christ's exaltation and His role as the head of the Church, which is His body. The Gospel from Mark concludes with the Great Commission, where Jesus commands His disciples to preach the Gospel to all creation, promising signs of faith and His eventual return. These readings are deeply interconnected, each emphasizing the mission of the Church and the empowerment through the Holy Spirit. Acts sets the stage for the Church's beginnings, Ephesians explains the spiritual identity and unity of believers, and Mark provides the command to spread the Gospel. Together, they remind us that we, as part of the Church, are called to witness and share the Good News, trusting in God's power and timing. In our daily lives, these readings encourage us to embrace our role as part of Christ's body. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live with hope and faith, trusting in Christ's presence and guidance. Let us actively participate in the Church's mission, spreading the Gospel with courage and love, knowing that Christ is with us always. The moral lesson is clear: wait on God, trust in His power, and live as faithful witnesses, embodying the hope and unity found in Christ.