Daily Readings - Sun Jun 01 2025

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 Hebrews 9.24-28; 10.19-23

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

Hebrews

Chapter 9

²⁴For Jesus did not enter by means of holy things made with hands, mere examples of the true things, but he entered into Heaven itself, so that he may appear now before the face of God for us²⁵And he did not enter so as to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters into the Holy of Holies each year, with the blood of another²⁶Otherwise, he would need to have suffered repeatedly since the beginning of the world. But now, one time, at the consummation of the ages, he has appeared in order to destroy sin though his own sacrifice²⁷And in the same manner as it has been appointed for men to die one time, and after this, to be judged²⁸so also Christ was offered, one time, in order to empty the sins of so many. He shall appear a second time without sin, for those who await him, unto salvation

Chapter 10

¹⁹And so, brothers, have faith in the entrance into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Christ²⁰and in the new and living Way, which he has initiated for us by the veil, that is, by his flesh²¹and in the Great Priest over the house of God²²So, let us draw near with a true heart, in the fullness of faith, having hearts cleansed from an evil conscience, and bodies absolved with clean water²³Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope, without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful

Luke

Chapter 24

⁴⁶And he said to them: "For so it is written, and so it was necessary, for the Christ to suffer and to rise up from the dead on the third day⁴⁷and, in his name, for repentance and the remission of sins to be preached, among all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem⁴⁸And you are witnesses of these things⁴⁹And I am sending the Promise of my Father upon you. But you must stay in the city, until such time as you are clothed with power from on high.⁵⁰Then he led them out as far as Bethania. And lifting up his hands, he blessed them⁵¹And it happened that, while he was blessing them, he withdrew from them, and he was carried up into heaven⁵²And worshiping, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy⁵³And they were always in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the mystery of Christ’s ascension and its profound implications for our lives as followers of Jesus. 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 be directed toward the mission that lies before them. 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 Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit. The second reading from Ephesians helps us understand the spiritual significance of this event. Paul prays that we may have the “eyes of our hearts” enlightened to know the hope of God’s calling and the immense power that has been given to us through Christ. This power is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at the right hand of the Father. It is a power that is not just for Jesus but for us as well, as we are united to him in his body, the Church. This passage reminds us that our lives are caught up in the grand drama of God’s plan, and we are called to live in the light of this truth. The Gospel from Luke brings us back to the moment of Jesus’ departure. Before ascending, Jesus reminds the disciples that they are witnesses of his resurrection and that they are to preach repentance and forgiveness in his name to all nations. He then blesses them and is taken up into heaven, leaving them with a sense of joy and wonder. The disciples, filled with joy, return to Jerusalem and spend their days in the temple praising God. This is the pattern of Christian life: we are called to be witnesses of Christ’s love and redemption, and we are to live with hearts full of joy and gratitude, even as we await his return. These readings remind us that our faith is not just about looking back to what Christ has done but also about living in the present with hope and purpose. Like the disciples, we are called to be witnesses of Christ’s resurrection and to share the Good News with the world. The ascension of Jesus is not an end but a beginning—the beginning of the Church’s mission, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Let us ask for the grace to live as witnesses of Christ’s love, to trust in God’s plan, and to always remember that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. May our hearts be filled with the same joy and hope that filled the disciples as they returned to Jerusalem, ready to share the message of salvation with the world.