Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 6-01-03, Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Reading I
Acts 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for "the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

When they had gathered together they asked him,
"Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
He answered them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth."
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, "Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven."

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9

R. (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
for the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading II
Eph 1:17-23

Brothers and sisters:
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation
resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,
in accord with the exercise of his great might,
which he worked in Christ,
raising him from the dead
and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
and every name that is named
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

or

Eph 4:1-13

Brothers and sisters,
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
through the bond of peace:
one body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

But grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Therefore, it says:
He ascended on high and took prisoners captive;
he gave gifts to men.
What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended
into the lower regions of the earth?
The one who descended is also the one who ascended
far above all the heavens,
that he might fill all things.

And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature to manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ.

or

Eph 4:1-7, 11-13

Brothers and sisters,
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the calling you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace:
one body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your calling;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

But grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ's gift.

And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature to manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ.

Gospel
Mk 16:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Go into the whole world
and proclaim the gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,
was taken up into heaven
and took his seat at the right hand of God.
But they went forth and preached everywhere,
while the Lord worked with them
and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

From: Acts 1:1-11

Prologue

[1] In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus
began to do and teach, [2] until the day when he was taken up, after he
had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he
had chosen. [3] To them he presented himself alive after his passion by
many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the
kingdom of God. [4] And while staying with them he charged them not to
depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father,
which, he said, "you heard from me, [5] for John baptized with water,
but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

The Ascension

[6] So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at
this time restore the kingdom of Israel?" [7] He said to them, "It is
not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his
own authority. [8] But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all
Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." [9] And when he had
said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took
him out of their sight. [10] And while they were gazing into heaven as
he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, [11] and said,
"Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who
was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw
him go into heaven."

Commentary:

1-5. St Luke is the only New Testament author to begin his book with a
prologue, in the style of secular historians. The main aim of this
preface is to convey to the reader the profoundly religious character
of the book which he is holding in his hands. It is a work which will
give an account of events marking the fulfillment of the promises made
by the God of Israel the Creator and Savior of the world. Under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, into his book St Luke weaves quotations
from the Psalms, Isaiah, Amos and Joel; it both reflects the Old
Testament and interprets it in the light of its fulfillment in Jesus
Christ.

The prologue refers to St Luke's Gospel as a "first book". It mentions
the last events of our Lord's life on earth--the appearances of the
risen Christ and his ascension into heaven--and links them up with the
account which is now beginning.

St Luke's aim is to describe the origins and the early growth of this
Christianity, of which the main protagonist of this book, the Holy
Spirit, has been the cause. Yet this is not simply an historical
record: the Acts of the Apostles, St Jerome explains, "seems to be a
straightforward historical account of the early years of the nascent
Church. But if we bear in mind it is written by Luke the physician, who
is praised in the Gospel (cf. 2 Cor 8: 18), we will realize that
everything he says is medicine for the ailing soul" ("Epistle" 53, 9).

The spiritual dimension of this book, which is one of a piece with the
Third Gospel, nourished the soul of the first generations of
Christians, providing them with a chronicle of God's faithful and
loving support of the new Israel. "This book", St John Chrysostom
writes at the start of his great commentary, "will profit us no less
than the Gospels, so replete is it with Christian wisdom and sound
doctrine. It offers an account of the numerous miracles worked by the
Holy Spirit. It contains the fulfillment of the prophecies of Jesus
Christ recorded in the Gospel; we can observe in the very facts the
bright evidence of Truth which shines in them, and the mighty change
which is taking place in the Apostles: they become perfect men,
extraordinary men, now that the Holy Spirit has come upon them. All
Christ's promises and predictions--He who believes in me will do these
and even greater works, you will be dragged before tribunals and kings
and beaten in the synagogues, and will suffer grievous things, and yet
you will overcome your persecutors and executioners and will bring the
Gospel to the ends of the earth--all this, how it came to pass, may be
seen in this admirable book. Here you will see the Apostles speeding
their way overland and sea as if on wings. These Galileans, once so
timorous and obtuse, we find suddenly changed into new men, despising
wealth and honor, raised above passion and concupiscence" ("Hom. on
Acts", 1).

St Luke dedicates this book to Theophilus--as he did his Gospel. The
dedication suggests that Theophilus was an educated Christian, of an
upper-class background, but he may be a fictitious person symbolizing
"the beloved of God", which is what the name means. It also may imply
that Acts was written quite soon after the third Gospel.

1. "To do and teach": these words very concisely sum up the work of
Jesus Christ, reported in the Gospels. They describe the way in which
God's saving Revelation operates: God lovingly announces and reveals
himself in the course of human history through his actions and through
his words. "The economy of Revelation is realized by deeds and words,
which are intrinsically bound up with each other", Vatican II teaches.
"As a result, the works performed by God in the history of salvation
show forth and bear out the doctrine and realities signified by the
words; the words, for their part, proclaim the works, and bring to
light the mystery they contain. The most intimate truth which this
revelation gives us about God and the salvation of man shines forth in
Christ, who is himself both the mediator and the sum total of
Revelation" ("Dei Verbum", 2).

The Lord "proclaimed the kingdom of the Father both by the testimony of
his life and by the power of his word" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium",
35). He did not limit himself to speech, to being simply the Teacher
whose words opened man's minds to the truth. He was, above all, the
Redeemer, able to save fallen man through the divine efficacy of each
and every moment of his life on earth.

"Our Lord took on all our weaknesses, which proceed from sin--with the
exception of sin itself. He experienced hunger and thirst, sleep and
fatigue, sadness and tears. He suffered in every possible way, even the
supreme suffering of death. No one could be freed from the bonds of
sinfulness had he who alone was totally innocent not been ready to die
at the hands of impious men. Therefore, our Savior, the Son of God, has
left all those who believe in him an effective source of aid, and also
an example. The first they obtain by being reborn through grace, the
second by imitating his life" (St Leo the Great, "Twelfth Homily on the
Passion").

Jesus' redemptive action--his miracles, his life of work, and the
mystery of his death, resurrection and ascension, whose depth and
meaning only faith can plumb--also constitute a simple and powerful
stimulus for our everyday conduct. Faith should always be accompanied
by works, by deeds, that is, our humble and necessary cooperation with
God's saving plans.

"Don't forget that doing must come before teaching. 'Coepit facere et
docere', the holy Scripture says of Jesus Christ: 'He began to do and
to teach. ' "First deeds: so that you and I might learn" ([St] J. Escriva,
"The Way", 342).

3. This verse recalls the account in Luke 24:13-43 of the appearances
of the risen Jesus to the disciples of Emmaus and to the Apostles in
the Cenacle. It stresses the figure of forty days. This number may have
a literal meaning and also a deeper meaning. In Sacred Scripture
periods of forty days or forty years have a clearly salvific meaning:
they are periods during which God prepares or effects important stages
in his plans. The great flood lasted forty days (Gen 7:17); the
Israelites journeyed in the wilderness for forty years on their way to
the promised land (Ps 95:10); Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai to
receive God's revelation of the Covenant (Ex 24:18); on the strength of
the bread sent by God Elisha walked forty days and forty nights to
reach his destination (1 Kings 19:8); and our Lord fasted in the
wilderness for forty days in preparation for his public life (Mt 4:2).

5. "You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit": this book has been
well described as the "Gospel of the Holy Spirit". "There is hardly a
page in the Acts of the Apostles where we fail to read about the Spirit
and the action by which he guides, directs and enlivens the life and
work of the early Christian community. It is he who inspires the
preaching of St Peter (cf. Acts 4:8), who strengthens the faith of the
disciples (cf. Acts 4:31), who confirms with his presence the calling
of the Gentiles (cf. Acts 10:44-47), who sends Saul and Barnabas to
distant lands, where they will open new paths for the teaching of Jesus
(cf. Acts 13:2-4). In a word, his presence and doctrine are everywhere"
([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 127).

6-8. The Apostles' question shows that they are still thinking in terms
of earthly restoration of the Davidic dynasty. It would seem that for
them--as for many Jews of their time--eschatological hope in the
Kingdom extended no further than expectation of world-embracing Jewish
hegemony.

"It seems to me", St John Chrysostom comments, "that they had not any
clear notion of the nature of the Kingdom, for the Spirit had not yet
instructed them. Notice that they do not ask when it shall come but
'Will you at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?', as if the Kingdom
were something that lay in the past. This question shows that they were
still attracted by earthly things, though less than they had been" ("Hom. on
Acts", 2).

Our Lord gives an excellent and encouraging reply, patiently telling
them that the Kingdom is mysterious in character, that it comes when
one least expects, and that they need the help of the Holy Spirit to be
able to grasp the teaching they have received. Jesus does not complain
about their obtuseness; he simply corrects their ideas and instructs
them.

8. The outline of Acts is given here: the author plans to tell the
story of the growth of the Church, beginning in Jerusalem and spreading
through Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth. This is the
geographical structure of St Luke's account. In the Third Gospel
Jerusalem was the destination point of Jesus' public life (which began
in Galilee); here it is the departure point.

The Apostles' mission extends to the whole world. Underlying this verse
we can see not so much a "geographical" dimension as the universalist
aspirations of the Old Testament, articulated by Isaiah: "It shall come
to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be
raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many
peoples shall come, and say: 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the
Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the
law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Is 2:2-3).

9. Jesus' life on earth did not end with his death on the Cross but
with his ascension into heaven. The ascension, reported here, is the
last event, the last mystery of our Lord's life on earth (cf. also
24:50-53)--and also it concerns the origins of the Church. The
ascension scene takes place, so to speak, between heaven and earth.
"Why did a cloud take him out of the Apostles' sight?", St John
Chrysostom asks. "The cloud was a sure sign that Jesus had already
entered heaven; it was not a whirlwind or a chariot of fire, as in the
case of the prophet Elijah (cf. 2 Kings 2: l 1), but a cloud, which was
a symbol of heaven itself" ("Hom. on Acts", 2). A cloud features in
theophanies--manifestations of God--in both the Old Testament (cf. Ex
13:22) and the New (cf. Lk 9:34f).

Our Lord's ascension is one of the actions by which Jesus redeems us
from sin and gives us the new life of grace. It is a redemptive mystery
"What we have already taught of the mystery of his death and
resurrection the faithful should deem not less true of his ascension.
For although we owe our redemption and salvation to the passion of
Christ, whose merits opened heaven to the just, yet his ascension is
not only proposed to us as a model, which teaches us to look on high
and ascend in spirit into heaven, but it also imparts to us a divine
virtue which enables us to accomplish what it teaches" ("St Pius V
Catechism" I, 7, 9).

Our Lord's going up into heaven is not simply something which stirs us
to lift up our hearts--as we are invited to do at the preface of the
Mass, to seek and love the "things that are above" (cf. Col 3:1-2);
along with the other mysteries of his life, death and resurrection,
Christ's ascension saves us. "Today we are not only made possessors of
paradise", St Leo says, "but we have ascended with Christ, mystically
but really, into the highest heaven, and through Christ we have
obtained a more ineffable grace than that which we lost through the
devil's envy" ("First Homily on the Ascension").

The ascension is the climax of Christ's exaltation, which was
achieved in the first instance by his resurrection and which--along
with his passion and death--constitutes the paschal mystery. The Second
Vatican Council expresses this as follows: "Christ our Lord redeemed
mankind and gave perfect glory to God [...]. principally by the paschal
mystery of his blessed passion, resurrection from the dead, and
glorious ascension" ("Sacrosanctum Concilium", 5; cf. "Dei Verbum", 19).

Theology has suggested reasons why it was very appropriate for the
glorified Lord to go up into heaven to be "seated at the right hand of
the Father." "First of all, he ascended because the glorious kingdom of
the highest heavens, not the obscure abode of this earth, presented a
suitable dwelling place for him whose body, rising from the tomb, was
clothed with the glory of immortality. He ascended, however, not only
to possess the throne of glory and the kingdom which he had merited by
his blood, but also to attend to whatever regards our salvation. Again,
he ascended to prove thereby that his kingdom is not of this world"
("St Pius V Catechism", I, 7, 5; cf. "Summa Theologiae", III, q. 57, a. 6).

The ascension marks the point when the celestial world celebrates the
victory and glorification of Christ: "It is fitting that the sacred humanity
of Christ should receive the homage, praise and adoration of all the
hierarchies of the Angels and of all the legionsof the blessed in heaven"
([St] J. Escriva, "Holy Rosary", second glorious mystery).

11. The angels are referring to the Parousia--our Lord's second coming,
when he will judge the living and the dead. "They said to them, What
are you doing here, looking into heaven? These words are full of
solicitude, but they do not proclaim the second coming of the Savior as
imminent. The angels simply assert what is most important, that is,
that Jesus Christ will come again and the confidence with which we
should await his return" (St John Chrysostom, "Hom. on Acts", 2).

We know for a certainty that Christ will come again at the end of time.
We confess this in the Creed as part of our faith. However, we know
"neither the day nor the hour" (Mt 25: 13) of his coming. We do not
need to know it. Christ is always imminent. We must always be on the
watch, that is, we should busy ourselves in the service of God and of
others, which is where our sanctification lies.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Ephesians 1:17-23

Thanksgiving. The Supremacy of Christ (Continuation)

[17] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a
spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, [18] having the
eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which
he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the
saints, [19] and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who
believe, according to the working of his great might [20] which he
accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at
the right hand in the heavenly places, [2I] far above all rule and authority
and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this
age but also in that which is to come; [22] and he has put all things under
his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, [23]
which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Commentary:

17. The God whom St Paul addresses is "the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ", that is, the God who has revealed himself through Christ and
to whom Jesus himself, as man, prays and asks for help (cf. Lk 22:42).
The same God as was described in the Old Testament as "the God of
Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob" is now defined as "the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ". He is the personal God recognized by his relationship
with Christ, his Son, who as mediator of the New Covenant obtains from
God the Father everything he asks for. This will be our own experience
too if we are united to Christ, for he promised that "if you ask
anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name" (Jn 16:23;
15:16).

The founder of Opus Dei reminds us that "Jesus is the way, the
mediator. In him are all things; outside of him is nothing. In Christ,
taught by him, we dare to call Almighty God 'our Father': he who
created heaven and earth is a loving Father" ("Christ Is Passing By",
91).

The Apostle also calls God "the Father of glory". The glory of God
means his greatness, his power, the infinite richness of his
personality, which when it is revealed inspires man with awe. Already,
in the history of Israel, God revealed himself through his saving
actions in favor of his people. Asking God to glorify his name is the
same as asking him to show himself as our Savior and to give us his
gifts. But the greatest manifestation of God's glory, of his power, was
the raising of Jesus from the dead, and the raising, with him, of the
Christian (cf. Rom 6:4; 1 Cor 6:14). In this passage St Paul asks God
"the Father of glory" to grant Christians supernatural wisdom to
recognize the greatness of the blessings he has given them through his
Son; that is, to acknowledge that he is their Father and the origin of
glory. By asking for a "spirit of wisdom and revelation" the Apostle is
seeking special gifts--on the one hand, wisdom, that gift of the Holy
Spirit which enables one to penetrate the mystery of God: "Who has
learned thy counsel, unless thou hast given wisdom and sent thy holy
Spirit from on high?" (Wis 9:17). This wisdom which the Church has been
given (cf. Eph l:8) can be communicated to Christians in a special
way, as a special gift or charism of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle also
asks God to give them a spirit "of revelation", that is, the grace of
personal revelations, such as he himself (cf. 1 Cor 14:6) and other
Christians (cf. 1 Cor 14:26) received. It is not a matter of revelation
or recognition of new truths, but rather of special light from the Holy
Spirit so as to have a deeper appreciation of the truth of faith, or of
the will of God in a particular situation.

18-19. Along with this deeper knowledge of God, St Paul asks that
Christians be given a fuller and livelier hope, because God and hope
are inseparable. He recognizes the faith and charity of the faithful to
whom he is writing (cf. 1:15); now he wants hope to shine more
brightly for them; he wants God to enlighten their minds and make them
realize the consequences of their election, their calling, to be
members of the holy people of God, the Church. Hope, therefore, is a
gift from God. "Hope is a supernatural virtue, infused by God into our
soul, by which we desire and expect eternal life, promised by God to
his servants, and the means necessary to obtain it" ("St Pius X
Catechism", 893).

The ground for hope lies in God's love and power which have been
manifested in the resurrection of Christ. This same power is at work in
the Christian. Because God's plan for our salvation is an eternal one,
he who has called us will lead us to an immortal life in heaven. The
fact that God's power is at work in us (cf. Rom 5:5) does not mean that
we encounter no difficulties. Monsignor Escriva reminds us that "as we
fight this battle, which will last until the day we die, we cannot
exclude the possibility that enemies both within and without may attack
with violent force. As if that were not enough, you may at times be
assailed by the memory of your own past errors, which may have been
very many. I tell you now, in God's name: do not despair. Should this
happen (it need not happen; nor will it usually happen), then turn it
into another motive for uniting yourself more closely to the Lord, for
he has chosen you as his child and he will not abandon you. He has
allowed this trial to befall you so as to have you love him the more
and discover even more clearly his constant protection and love"
("Friends of God", 214).

20-21. The Apostle is in awe at the marvels which God's power has
worked in Jesus Christ. He sees Christ as the source and model of our
hope. "For, just as Christ's life is the model and exemplar of our
holiness, so is the glory and exaltation of Christ the form and
exemplar of our glory and exaltation" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary
on Eph, ad. Ioc".).

As elsewhere in the New Testament (cf. Acts 7:56; Heb 1:3; 1 Pet 3:22),
the fact that the risen Christ is seated "at the right hand" of the
Father means that he shares in God's kingly authority. The Apostle is
using a comparison with which people of his time were very familiar--
that of the emperor seated on his throne. The throne has always been
the symbol of supreme authority and power. Thus, the "St Pius V
Catechism" explains that being seated at the right hand "does not
imply position or posture of body, but expresses the firm and permanent
possession of royal and supreme power and glory, which he received from
the Father" (I, 7, 3).

Christ's pre-eminence is absolute: he is Lord of all creation, material
as well as spiritual, earthly as well as heavenly. "All rule and
authority and power and dominion": this refers to the angelic spirits
(cf. note on Eph 3:10), whom the false preachers were presenting as
superior to Christ. St Paul argues against them: Jesus Christ at his
resurrection was raised by God above all created beings.

22-23. In previous letters St Paul described the Church as a body (cf.
Rom 12:4f; 1 Cor 12:12ff). Here, and in Colossians 1:18, he pursues
this comparison and says that it is the body of Christ, and that Christ
is its head. He returns to this teaching elsewhere in the Captivity
Epistles (cf. Col 1:18; Eph 5:23f). The image of body and head
highlights the life-giving and salvific influence of Christ on the
Church, and at the same time emphasizes his supremacy over the Church
(cf. St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on Eph, ad loc.", and also the note
on Col 1:18). This fact fills Christians with joy: by joining the
Church through Baptism, they have become truly members of our Lord's
body. "No, it is not pride", Paul VI says, " nor arrogance nor
obstinacy nor stupidity nor folly that makes us so sure of being
living, genuine members of Christ's body, the authentic heirs of his
Gospel" ("Ecclesiam Suam", 33).

This image also reveals Christ's close union with his Church and his
deep love for her: "he loved her so much", St John of Avila observes,
"that although what normally happens is that a person raises his arm to
take a blow and protect his head, this blessed Lord, who is the head,
put himself forward to receive the blow of divine justice, and died on
the Cross to give life to his body, that is, us. And after giving us
life, through penance and the sacraments, he endows us, defends and
keeps us as something so very much his own, that he is not content with
calling us his servants, friends, brethren or children: the better to
show his love and render us honor, he gives us his name. For, by means
of this ineffable union of Christ the head with the Church his body, he
and we are together called 'Christ"' ("Audi, Filia", chap. 84).

The Apostle also describes the Church, the body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor
12:12) as his "fullness" (cf. note on Col 1:19). What he means is that,
through the Church, Christ becomes present in and fills the entire
universe and extends to it the fruits of his redemptive activity. By
being the vehicle which Christ uses to distribute his grace to all, the
Church is different from the Israel of the Old Testament: it is not
confined to a particular geographical location.

Because the Church has limitless grace, its call is addressed to all
mankind: all men are invited to attain salvation in Christ. "For many
centuries now, the Church has been spread throughout the world,"
Monsignor Escriva comments, "and it numbers persons of all races and
walks of life. But the universality of the Church does not depend on
its geographical extension, even though that is a visible sign and a
motive of credibility. The Church was catholic already at Pentecost; it
was born catholic from the wounded heart of Jesus, as a fire which the
Holy Spirit enkindles [...]. 'We call it catholic', writes St Cyril,
'not only because it is spread throughout the whole world, from one
extreme to the other, but because in a universal way and without defect
it teaches all the dogmas which men ought to know, of both the visible
and the invisible, the celestial and the earthly. Likewise, because it
draws to true worship all types of men, those who govern and those who
are ruled, the learned and the ignorant. And finally, because it cures
and makes healthy all kinds of sins, whether of the soul or of the
body, possessing in addition--by whatever name it may be called--all
the forms of virtue, in deeds and in words and in every kind of
spiritual gift' ("Catechesis", 18, 23)" ("In Love with the Church", 9).

All grace reaches the Church through Christ. The Second Vatican Council
reminds us: "He continually endows his body, that is, the Church, with
gifts of ministries through which, by his power, we serve each other
unto salvation so that, carrying out the truth in love, we may through
all things grow into him who is our head" ("Lumen Gentium", 7). This is
why St Paul calls the Church the "body" of Christ; and it is in this
sense that it is the "fullness" ("pleroma") of Christ--not because it in
any way fills out or completes Christ but because it is filled with
Christ, full of Christ, forming a single body with him, a single
spiritual organism, whose unifying and life-giving principle is Christ,
its head. This demonstrates Christ's absolute supremacy; his unifying
and life-giving influence extends from God to Christ, from Christ to
the Church, and from the Church to all men. It is he in fact who fills
all in all (cf. Eph 4:10; Col 1:17-19; 2:9f).

The fact that the Church is the body of Christ is a further reason why
we should love it and serve it. As Pope Pius XII wrote: "To ensure that
this genuine and whole-hearted love will reign in our hearts and grow
every day, we must accustom ourselves to see Christ himself in the
Church. For it is indeed Christ who lives in the Church, and through
her teaches, governs and sanctifies; and it is also Christ who
manifests himself in manifold disguise in the various members of his
society" ("Mystici Corporis", 43).

From: Mark 16:15-20

Jesus Appears to the Eleven. The Apostle's Mission

[15] And He (Jesus) said to them (the Eleven), "Go into all the world
and preach the Gospel to the whole creation. [16] He who believes and
is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be
condemned. [17] And these signs will accompany those who believe; in
My name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; [18]
they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will
not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will
recover."

The Ascension

[19] So then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up
into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

The Apostles Go Forth and Preach

[20] And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked
with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it.
Amen.

Commentary:

15. This verse contains what is called the "universal apostolic
mandate" (paralleled by Matthew 28:19-20 and Luke 24:46-48). This is
an imperative command from Christ to His Apostles to preach the Gospel
to the whole world. This same apostolic mission applies, especially to
the Apostles' successors, the bishops in communion with Peter's
successor, the Pope.

But this mission extends further: the whole "Church was founded to
spread the Kingdom of Christ over all the earth for the glory of God
the Father, to make all men partakers in redemption and salvation....
Every activity of the Mystical Body with this in view goes by the name
of `apostolate'; the Church exercises it through all its members,
though in various ways. In fact, the Christian vocation is, of its
nature, a vocation to the apostolate as well. In the organism of a
living body no member plays a purely passive part, sharing in the life
of the body it shares at the same time in its activity. The same is
true for the body of Christ, the Church: `the whole body achieves full
growth in dependence on the full functioning of each part' (Ephesians
4:16). Between the members of this body there exists, further, such a
unity and solidarity (cf. Ephesians 4:16) that a member who does not
work at the growth of the body to the extent of his possibilities must
be considered useless both to the Church and to himself.

"In the Church there is diversity of ministry but unity of mission. To
the apostles and their successors Christ has entrusted the office of
teaching, sanctifying and governing in His name and by His power. But
the laity are made to share in the priestly, prophetical and kingly
office of Christ; they have therefore, in the Church and in the world,
their own assignment in the mission of the whole people of God"
(Vatican II, "Apostolicam Actuositatem", 2).

It is true that God acts directly on each person's soul through grace,
but it must also be said that it is Christ's will (expressed here and
elsewhere) that men should be an instrument or vehicle of salvation for
others.

Vatican II also teaches this: "On all Christians, accordingly, rests
the noble obligation of working to bring all men throughout the whole
world to hear and accept the divine message of salvation" ("ibid.",
3).

16. This verse teaches that, as a consequence of the proclamation of
the Good News, faith and Baptism are indispensable pre-requisites for
attaining salvation. Conversion to the faith of Jesus Christ should
lead directly to Baptism, which confers on us "the first sanctifying
grace, by which Original Sin is forgiven, and which also forgives any
actual sins there may be; it remits all punishment due for sins; it
impresses on the soul the mark of the Christian; it makes us children
of God, members of the Church and heirs to Heaven, and enables us to
receive the other Sacraments" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 553).

Baptism is absolutely necessary for salvation, as we can see from these
words of the Lord. But physical impossibility for receiving the rite
of Baptism can be replaced either by martyrdom (called, therefore,
"baptism of blood") or by a perfect act of love of God and of
contrition, together with an at least implicit desire to be baptized:
this is called "baptism of desire" (cf. "ibid.", 567-568).

Regarding infant Baptism, St. Augustine taught that "the custom of our
Mother the Church of infant Baptism is in no way to be rejected or
considered unnecessary; on the contrary, it is to be believed on the
ground that it is a tradition from the Apostles" ("De Gen., Ad Litt.",
10, 23, 39). The new "Code of Canon Law" also stresses the need to
baptize infants: "Parents are obliged to see that their infants are
baptized within the first few weeks. As soon as possible after the
birth, indeed even before it, they are to approach the parish priest to
ask for the Sacrament for their child, and to be themselves duly
prepared for it" (Canon 867).

Another consequence of the proclamation of the Gospel, closely linked
with the previous one, is that "the Church is necessary", as Vatican II
declares: "Christ is the one mediator and way of salvation; He is
present to us in His body which is the Church. He Himself explicitly
asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism (cf. Mark 16:16; John 3:5),
and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which
men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be
saved who, knowing that the Church was founded as necessary by God
through Christ, would refuse to enter it, or to remain in it" ("Lumen
Gentium", 14; cf. "Presbyterorum Ordinis", 4; "Ad Gentes", 1-3;
"Dignitatis Humanae", 11).

17-18. In the early days of the Church, public miracles of this kind
happened frequently. There are numerous historical records of these
events in the New Testament (cf., e.g., Acts 3:1-11; 28:3-6) and in
other ancient Christian writings. It was very fitting that this should
be so, for it gave visible proof of the truth of Christianity.
Miracles of this type still occur, but much more seldom; they are very
exceptional. This, too, is fitting because, on the one hand, the truth
of Christianity has been attested to enough; and, on the other, it
leaves room for us to merit through faith. St. Jerome comments:
"Miracles were necessary at the beginning to confirm the people in the
faith. But, once the faith of the Church is confirmed, miracles are
not necessary" ("Comm. In Marcum, in loc."). However, God still works
miracles through saints in every generation, including our own.

19. The Lord's ascension into Heaven and His sitting at the right hand
of the Father is the sixth article of faith confessed in the Creed.
Jesus Christ went up into Heaven body and soul, to take possession of
the Kingdom He won through His death, to prepare for us a place in
Heaven (cf. Revelation 3:21) and to send the Holy Spirit to His Church
(cf. "St. Pius X Cathechism", 123).

To say that He "sat at the right hand of God" means that Jesus Christ,
including His humanity, has taken eternal possession of Heaven and
that, being the equal of His Father in that He is God, He occupies the
place of highest honor beside Him in His human capacity (cf. "St. Pius
V Catechism", I, 7, 2-3). Already in the Old Testament the Messiah is
spoken of as seated at the right hand of the Almighty, thereby showing
the supreme dignity of Yahweh's Annointed (cf. Psalm 110:1). The New
Testament records this truth here and also in many other passages (cf.
Ephesians 1:20-22; Hebrews 1:13).

As the "St. Pius V Catechism" adds, Jesus went up to Heaven by His own
power and not by any other. Nor was it only as God that He ascended,
but also as man.

20. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the evangelist attests that the words
of Christ have already begun to be fulfilled by the time of writing.
The Apostles, in other words, were faithfully carrying out the mission
of our Lord entrusted to them. They begin to preach the Good News of
salvation throughout the known world. Their preaching was accompanied
by the signs and wonders the Lord had promised, which lent authority to
their witness and their teaching. Yet, we know that their apostolic
work was always hard, involving much effort, danger, misunderstanding,
persecution and even martyrdom--like our Lord's own life.

Thanks to God and also to the Apostles, the strength and joy of our
Lord Jesus Christ has reached as far as us. But every Christian
generation, every man and woman, has to receive the preaching of the
Gospel and, in turn, pass it on. The grace of God will always be
available to us: "Non est abbreviata manus Domini" (Isaiah 59:1), the
power of the Lord has not diminished.

Alternate Readings - 7th Sunday of Easter

June 1, 2003
Seventh Sunday of Easter

Psalm: Sunday Week 25 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Reading II Gospel

Reading I
Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26

Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers
--there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place--.
He said, "My brothers,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
He was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.

"For it is written in the Book of Psalms:
May another take his office.

"Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men
who accompanied us the whole time
the Lord Jesus came and went among us,
beginning from the baptism of John
until the day on which he was taken up from us,
become with us a witness to his resurrection."
So they proposed two, Judas called Barsabbas,
who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
"You, Lord, who know the hearts of all,
show which one of these two you have chosen
to take the place in this apostolic ministry
from which Judas turned away to go to his own place."
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias,
and he was counted with the eleven apostles.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20

R. (19a) The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, all you his angels,
you mighty in strength, who do his bidding.
R. The Lord has set his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading II
1 Jn 4:11-16

Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.

This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.

God is love, and whoever remains in love
remains in God and God in him.

Gospel
Jn 17:11b-19

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying:
"Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.
When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,
and I guarded them, and none of them was lost
except the son of destruction,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you.
I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely.
I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the evil one.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated in truth."

Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 1998, 1997, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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