THE SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD

PRAYER BEFORE MASS
Go before us O Lord, in this our sacrifice of Prayer and Praise, and grant that we say and sing with our lips we may believe in our hearts, and practice and show forth in our daily lives. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
PRAYER AFTER MASS
Bless, O Lord, our hearts and minds, and grant that as we leave Your house, we may continue to be aware of Your presence. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. by Saint John Berchmans, Patron Saint of Altar Boys.

First Reading Acts   Acts 1:1-11

Jesus was lifted up while they looked on
In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning until the day he gave his instructions to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God. When he had been at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. ‘It is’ he had said ‘what you have heard me speak about: John baptised with water but you, not many days from now, will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’ 

Now having met together, they asked him, ‘Lord, has the time come? Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth.’ 

As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. They were still staring into the sky when suddenly two men in white were standing near them and they said, ‘Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same way as you have seen him go there.’
Respnsorial Psalm
God goes up with shouts of joy; the Lord goes up with trumpet blast

Second reading  Ephesians 4:1-13

We are all to come to unity, fully mature in the knowledge of the Son of  God
I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the

Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all. 

Each one of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. It was said that he would:  When he ascended to the height, he captured prisoners, he gave gifts to men.
When it says, ‘he ascended’, what can it mean if not that he descended right down to the lower regions of the earth? The one who rose higher than all the heavens to fill all things is none other than the one who descended. And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
Go, make disciples of all the nations.
I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.
Alleluia!  Matt. 28:19,20
Gospel   16:15-20
Go out to the whole world proclaime the good news 
Jesus showed himself to the Eleven and said to them:  ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’ 
And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.  Our Lady of Fatima Memorial

Lord Jesus Christ my Lord and Master, send your Holy Spirit to teach me, to instruct me. Spirit of Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding come, fill me.




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