Year A

Jan 14 2025

Scripture Study for

Those who were with Jesus as he ascended return to the city and devote themselves to prayer. The list of apostles in the first reading corresponds with other lists found in the Gospel accounts, with the exception of Judas Iscariot. Simon is identified as a member of the Zealots, a militant wing of the Jewish independence movement. The women who accompany these men might be their wives or women followers of Jesus who came with him from Galilee and who attended to his burial. His mother was there along with his brothers. These latter no longer questioned the authenticity of Jesus’ ministry. They now join his disciples in prayer, open to the unfolding of God’s plan.

The author of the Letter of Peter is very clear about the reason for the suffering of the Christians. They are either defamed for the name of Christ or persecuted for being Christians. Since their religious teaching and values frequently prevent them from engaging in behavior that is part of pagan culture, they often have to endure misunderstanding, mistrust, and resentment. Their way of living is considered antisocial at best, treasonable at worst. The author of the letter tells them to bear the name “Christian” proudly, and to endure any misfortune that might befall them because of it.

This passage from John’s Gospel is commonly known as the High Priestly prayer. Jesus speaks of having accomplished his work and of returning to his Father. It is clearly a farewell message in which Jesus prays for himself and for his disciples. The theme upon which most other themes depend is the unparalleled relationship between Jesus and God. The glorification for which Jesus prays can now be seen within the context of this unique relationship. While on earth, Jesus revealed the name of his Father through the life that he lived and the ministry that he performed. Finally, in leaving the world, Jesus prays for his disciples who remain within it.

Jan 14 2025

The Work Goes On

We can get caught up in the details and miss the heart of the message today. Where did Jesus go? Is heaven “up there”? Why doesn’t Matthew’s Gospel have Jesus being taken up? Doesn’t this feast remove Jesus from us, to some place where he “sits at the right hand of the Father”? Sound a little disengaged?

In his introduction to the writings of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Jean Leclercq writes that the mystery of the Ascension fulfilled the mystery of love in which Jesus returns to the glory of the Father. The Son then sends this Spirit to unite us with the Father in love. Thus, in Bernard’s thought, the Ascension is a symbol for the passage of Christ from his life in mortal flesh to glorious life in the Spirit. This same transition from flesh to Spirit can also be accomplished in us, since it has already taken place in Christ.

But we are not simply passive recipients. There is work to be done. Luke’s angels bluntly tell the apostles to get moving. Matthew’s final scene spells out the work: “Go forth and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching others to observe all that I have commanded you.” Witness to Jesus, in word and deed.

The task of spreading the good news that is Jesus Christ, teaching others about him, can seem daunting. But we are not alone. We have the promise that the Holy Spirit will work with us; in Matthew, Jesus’ final words are reassuring: “I am with you always.” That is reason enough to work with confidence.

Consider/Discuss

Does the image of Jesus ascending to sit at the right hand of the Father comfort you? Challenge you?
When is the last time you witnessed to Christ, sharing what he means to you?

Responding to the Word

We pray: Loving Father, give us your Spirit of wisdom and revelation to enlighten the eyes of our hearts, so we may have the hope that accompanies your call and come to the glory that is our inheritance. May your great power be at work in us, raising us to new life as it did your Son Jesus. Amen.

Jan 14 2025

Scripture Study for

According to Acts of the Apostles, Jesus remained on earth for forty days after his resurrection, appearing to his apostles and speaking about the reign of God. The activity of the Spirit is a characteristic of the new age, the time between the Resurrection and the time of complete fulfillment. The apostles’ misunderstanding of this presented an opportunity for Jesus to instruct them. He tells them to concern themselves with being his witnesses, and not to worry about the limited restoration of one nation. Furthermore, it is not for them to know when the end will occur. He assures them that they will have the power of the Spirit to guide them for whatever length of time God desires.

The second reading consists of a series of prayers. The first is a prayer for a spirit of wisdom and revelation so believers might possess insight and understanding. Another is for a threefold spiritual enlightenment that includes hope in the calling they have received from God, the riches of God’s inheritance, and the surpassing greatness of God’s power. The depiction of Christ is quite exalted. Having been raised from the dead, Christ now sits at God’s right hand, high above all other heavenly creatures. His rule is universal in scope and duration. Exalted by God, Christ is made the head of the church, which is his body.

The disciples see Jesus on the mountain and they worship him, reminiscent of his earlier transfiguration. Jesus declares that all power in heaven and on earth has been given to him, a reference to the Son of Man who was exalted by God and granted eschatological authority. Employing that power, he commissions them. The great missionary commission is straightforward and all-encompassing.

The disciples are told to go out and make disciples of all nations. Jesus inaugurates the reign of God, at the heart of which is a radically different way of life. This reign is to be the essence of the teaching of the disciples.

Jan 14 2025

Living into the Mystery

The Easter season keeps offering us pictures of what happens when the power of resurrected life, given by Jesus to his disciples, enters the world. Sometimes it led to a recognition that one group should not be favored over another, whether they were widows or Samaritans. All were to be served; all were to receive the gospel.

When the deacon Philip began to preach Jesus as the Messiah, the people of Samaria listened. They not only heard Philip’s message but also saw the power of God’s salvation at work as he cast out demons and cured people who were crippled and paralyzed. With the new birth of faith came baptism and a reception of the Holy Spirit, when Peter and John laid hands on them.

The Holy Spirit continues to bring the truth of who God is and the strength to help us live in that truth, fully revealed in Jesus. Because of the Spirit, we dwell with the Father and the Son. Jesus’ promises come to fulfillment in us; we are not orphans but beloved sons and daughters, the divine life of the Trinity flowing in us. In the Eucharist Jesus comes to be with us, and brings the Father, for he is in the Father and we are in him and he in us.

Resurrection life commits us to living out the command “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (1 Peter 3:15). The Spirit brings hope and, as Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his encyclical “Saved in Hope” (Spe Salvi), “The one who has hope lives differently.”

Consider/Discuss

What does it mean to have the Holy Spirit with you as an “Advocate,” that is, a “counselor” or “protector”?
Jesus says the world cannot accept the Spirit of truth “because it neither sees nor knows him.” Does this mean the world is beyond hope?

Responding to the Word

We ask the Holy Spirit to be with us always, so we may live more fully in an awareness of the truth that is Jesus Christ, beloved Son, who came to teach us what it means to be children of God. Pray to be more aware of your intimate com munion with the Father and the Son.

Jan 14 2025

Scripture Study for

Philip, one of the seven men appointed by the Jerusalem community to attend to the needs of the Hellenistic widows, travels north to Samaria. Though Jews and Samaritans pursued different paths, they both lived in expectation of a messiah. This shared hope explains their openness to Philip’s preaching, which is supported by exorcisms and healings. By their baptism, the Samaritans were incorporated into the community. Whether the Spirit was conferred on them when they were baptized or when the apostles laid hands on them is a lesser matter. What is important is the reconciliation in Christ between the Jews and the Samaritans.

The First Letter of Peter tells the Christians that they must respond to the suffering they will endure for their faith in a way that will enhance the spread of the gospel. Peter offers the sufferings of Christ as an example to follow. He places their sufferings within the context of the holiness of Christ, which gives them both strength and courage. He explains how the suffering of Christ was a vicarious sacrifice that effected redemption for all. The reading ends with a traditional formula of Christian faith in the Resurrection, built on the classical contrast between flesh and spirit. Though he died in the flesh, Christ is alive in the Spirit. Following his example, even though they die in the flesh, they can hope to live in the Spirit.

Jesus calls for self-sacrifice, as was his own love. He insists that if the disciples truly love him, they will keep his commandments. Though his departure might leave them feeling abandoned, he reassures them that he will return. The real marvel of this passage is found in the description of mutual indwelling. Jesus is in the Father; Jesus is in the disciples and they are in him; both the Spirit and Jesus will remain in the disciples. This is the manifestation of the love that begins and ends this reading.