Other Sunday and Holy Day Readings
SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD (Cycle A)
Readings:
Acts 1:1-11
Psalm 47:1-2, 6-9
Ephesians 1:17-23
Matthew 28:16-20
All Scripture passages are from the New American Bible unless designated NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name, YHWH (Yahweh).
God reveals His divine plan for humanity in the two Testaments, which is why we read and relive the events of salvation history contained in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that the Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is a Holy Day of Obligation that requires the faithful to attend Mass according to the precepts of the Church. Traditionally, the solemnity falls on a Thursday, forty days from Jesus's Resurrection, as the ancients counted without the concept of a zero place-value, with Resurrection Sunday as day #1. The fortieth day after Easter Sunday commemorates the Ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven (Mk 16:19; Lk 24:50-51 and Acts 1:1-12). However, some dioceses move the observance to the following Sunday. It is the oldest yearly festival of the Church in addition to the celebration of the Lord's Resurrection. In Eastern Rite churches, it is the analepsis, "the taking up," and the episozomene, "the salvation," a term indicating that by ascending to His glory, Jesus completed His work of humanity's redemption. Western Rite Catholics use the terms ascension and sometimes ascensa, signifying that Jesus Christ arose to take His place in the heavenly Kingdom by His own power. Scripture identifies the Mount of Olives, a hill across the Kidron Valley on the eastern side of Jerusalem, as the site where Jesus ascended into Heaven (Acts 1:9-12).
The Ascension is one of the Ecumenical feasts, ranking with the feasts of the Resurrection and Pentecost among the most solemn in the Church's liturgical calendar. In addition to the Day Mass, the Solemnity of the Ascension also has a vigil Mass. Since the fifteenth century, there has been an octave set apart for a novena of preparation for the Feast of Pentecost that comes fifty days later (as the ancients counted), according to the directions of Pope Leo XIII.
The Theme of the Readings: God the Son Returns to the Father
In the First Reading, we hear about the forty days Jesus
taught His Church after His Resurrection on Easter Sunday, giving instructions
to the Apostles and disciples before He ascended to the Father (Acts 1:3). Celebrating
one last dinner with His disciples the day before His Ascension, He instructed
them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for their baptism by the Holy Spirit
(Acts 1:4-5). On the fortieth day of His Resurrection, standing on the Mount of
Olives, Jesus gave His disciples their mission as the first fruits of the New
Covenant Church. He told them: "But you will receive the power of the Holy
Spirit which will come on you, and then you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Then
the disciples saw the Lord ascending into Heaven in a cloud, witnessing what
the Prophet Daniel described in Daniel 7:13-14: I saw coming with the clouds
of heaven one like a son of man. When he reached the Ancient of Days and was
presented before him, he received dominion, splendor, and kingship; all
nations, peoples, and tongues will serve him. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion that shall not pass away, his kingship, one that shall not be destroyed.
The disciples returned to the Upper Room in Jerusalem and prayed together. One hundred and twenty of the faithful of the New Covenant people of God prayed for nine days with the Virgin Mary (Acts 1:12-15). They prayed in one accord in preparation for the promised coming of God the Holy Spirit to fill and indwell the community of the faithful and to give the Church the continuing Divine Presence of Christ.
In the Apostolic Age, the Church saw the verses of the Responsorial Psalm fulfilled in the Ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven (see Acts 1:1-11; Heb 9:24-28; 10:19-23). The congregation applies it to Christ as we envision the Resurrected Son of God mounting His throne in the heavenly Sanctuary. For this reason, Psalm 47 became part of the liturgical celebration for the Solemnity of the Ascension, professing faith in Christ as King of the universe whose kingship transcends all earthly rulers and their nations. As the Divine King of all nations, God binds humanity as one people through the ministry of His Divine Son, Jesus Christ, and His Kingdom of the Church. The Catholic ("catholic" means "universal") Church is composed of the faithful of every language, race, and country bound together as One Body in Christ the King.
The Second Reading is from St. Paul's letter to the Christian community in Ephesus. In it, he gave thanks as he contemplated how wonderful it is to know God's goodness. Paul wrote that his petitions for God's blessing hinge upon Jesus Christ, through whom God revealed His power by giving God the Son dominion over all the earth and establishing Him as the Head of His Body, the Universal Church, in every age of humanity.
In the Gospel Reading, at Jesus's post-Resurrection appearance to the disciples at the conclusion of St. Matthew's Gospel, He told them, "I am with you always even until the end of the age" (Mt 28:20). This event is what we celebrate on the Solemnity of the Ascension. It is not about the absence of Christ. It is about His continual Presence among His people until His Second Advent at the end of the age of humanity when He returns to judge the living and the dead and take His Bride, the faithful assembly of His Church, to His home in Heaven.
The First Reading Acts 1:1-11 ~ The Ascension of the Lord
1 In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that
Jesus did and taught 2 until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions
through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom he had chosen. 3 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. 4 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; 5 for John baptized
with water, but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
6 When they had gathered together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at
this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He answered them, "It is
not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his
own authority. 8 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." 9 When he had said this, as they were looking
on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. 10 While they were
looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white
garments stood beside them. 11 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."
In the introductory prologue, St. Luke connected Acts of Apostles with his Gospel account of Jesus's life and ministry until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom he had chosen (Lk 24:44-53). Theophilus, to whom Luke dedicates his second volume, is the same man to whom he dedicated his Gospel (see Lk 1:1-4). Theophilus, whose name means "God-lover/ lover of God," is an unknown early Christian who may have provided the funds for the handwritten copies of this work, as he also may have provided the funds for Luke's Gospel (Lk 1:3). In St. Luke's Gospel dedication, we learn that he intended the contents of the work to support the catechesis Theophilus had received. Luke wrote: Just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us (Lk 1:2), so Theophilus may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received (Lk 1:4).
In Acts 1:2, St. Luke sees all of Jesus's ministry as directed by the Holy Spirit, including the instructions to the Apostles (as he also expressed in his Gospel in Lk 4:1, 14, 18, 36; 10:21). Verse 2 is the first mention of the Holy Spirit's activity in the Church. It reminds us that when He appeared to the Apostles in the Upper Room on Resurrection Sunday, it was by the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus commissioned them when He breathed upon them, saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (Jn 20:23-24)
3 He presented himself alive to them by many proofs
[tekmerion] after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and
speaking about the Kingdom of God.
The Greek word tekmerion suggests convincing signs or
evidence of Jesus's Resurrection (see the same Greek word in the LXX of Wis 5:11). Included in these "proofs/signs"
would be touching Jesus's wounds (Jn 20:27), eating meals together (Lk 24:42-43; Jn 21:12-14), and appearing and
disappearing without physically passing through doors (Jn 20:19). According to
Acts 1:3, the resurrected Christ taught His Church for forty days between His
Resurrection and His Ascension. Where is the substance of those forty days of instruction?
Jesus's teaching during those days included what He taught about the prophecies in the books of Moses, the Psalms, and the prophets fulfilled in Him (Lk 24:26-27, 44-47). Those and other teachings are in the deposit of the Church's sacred oral Tradition. St. John wrote that his Gospel did not include all the works of Jesus during the years of His earthly ministry (Jn 20:30). Some of those teachings appear in Acts, in Paul's letters, in the Catholic Epistles, and in the Book of Revelation, recorded by the Holy Spirit inspired writers. The Catechism teaches: "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit. And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God entrusted to the Apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the Apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound, and spread it abroad by their preaching ... Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence" (CCC 81-82, also see CCC 80, 83).
During the forty days between His Resurrection and Ascension, Jesus appeared to many people, including Mary Magdala, the eleven Apostles, and His men and women disciples. In addition, he appeared privately to St. Peter, His relative James (the first Christian bishop of Jerusalem), and over 500 people at one time (Lk 24:13-15, 33-49; Jn 20:11-23, 26-27; 1 Cor 15:3-7). Jesus spent those forty days teaching the Church by speaking about the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). The Gospels record that Jesus came to proclaim the Kingdom of God (Mt 4:23; Mk 1:14-15; Lk 8:1). St. Luke mentioned the "Kingdom" over 30 times in his Gospel, and in Acts of Apostles the Church took up the mission of proclaiming the "Kingdom" (Acts 1:3, 6; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31).
4 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; 5 for John baptized with water,
but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
To remain in Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit is the
same command Jesus gave the disciples in Luke 24:49. St. John the Baptist foretold
the baptism in the Holy Spirit in Matthew 3:11, and now Jesus promises the same
event. The Apostles, obedient to Jesus's command to baptize (Mt 28:19) and His
teaching that one cannot enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water
and Spirit (Jn 3:3, 5), would use water baptism as the sacramental sign of spiritual
rebirth and initiation into the family of Jesus's Kingdom
(Acts 2:41; 8:12, 38;
9:18, 10:48; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 19:5).
Notice that Jesus was speaking about the Most Holy Trinity in verses 4-5. He revealed the mystery of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit active in salvation history again as God did at Jesus's baptism (Mt 3:16-17; Mk 1:9-11; Lk 3:21-22) and the Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-8; Mk 9:2-8; Lk 9:28-36). Jesus explained to them why He had to leave them. If He stayed on earth, His physical, human presence in time and space would limit the spread of the Gospel. But after His Ascension to the Father, His spiritual presence could be everywhere through the ministry of the Holy Spirit: But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you (Jn 16:7).
6 When they had gathered together, they asked him, "Lord,
are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He answered
them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has
established by his own authority.
The Apostles and disciples may have expected the Messianic
Kingdom to be a political fulfillment like a restored Davidic Kingdom and
liberation from their Roman oppressors. However, what they were asking might
also have concerned Jesus's promise concerning the completion of His mission with
the "coming of the Son of Man" in judgment; His mission would remain incomplete
until His Second Advent.
Jesus gave a discourse about His Second Advent and the Last Judgment in the Gospels during His last week in Jerusalem (Mt 24:29-44; 25:31-46; Mk 13:24-37; Lk 21:25-28). Notice that Jesus did not rebuke them for their question, which He always did in the past when they were in error, and He gave them the same answer He gave in the Gospel discourses (for example, see Mt 24:3, 36, 42-44; Mk 13:32). He told them that part of His mission is under the Father's authority. St. Paul spoke of this unknown "hour" in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2, Concerning times and seasons, brothers, you have no need for anything to be written to you. For you, yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.
8 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.
The Apostles and disciples had to wait in Jerusalem for the
coming of the Holy Spirit. Then they would receive the divine power to spread Jesus's
Gospel of salvation. Their mission would be in three phases: First, they must
start their mission in Jerusalem, then go to the rest of Judea and north into
Samaria, and finally, they must carry His message to the "ends of the earth."
9 When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was
lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
In Jesus's ascension into Heaven, the Apostles and disciples
witnessed the same vision as the prophet Daniel in Daniel 7:13-14, but from an
earthly perspective. In contrast, Daniel's view was from the heavenly throne
room: As the visions of the night continued, I saw One like a son of man
coming, on the clouds of Heaven. When he reached the Ancient One and was
presented before him, he received dominion, glory, and kingship; nations and
peoples of every language serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed. They saw
what Daniel saw: The Son of Man coming on the clouds of Heaven from where He went
into the presence of the Father to receive power and authority over all the nations
and peoples of the earth. At His trial before the Sanhedrin, it was the
Scripture passage from the Book of Daniel that Jesus quoted from when asked by the
High Priest if He was the Messiah (Mt 24:30;
Mk 14:42; Lk 22:60). Daniel's
vision of what was for him a future event in the 6th century BC was
witnessed and fulfilled in the presence of Jesus's faithful followers in the 1st
century AD.
10 While they were looking intently at the sky as he was
going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. 11 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."
Two angels appeared to inform the disciples that Jesus would
return in the same way they saw Him leave. They told the disciples that when He
returned, Jesus would come again to the Mount of Olives. That the Lord would
one day come to the Mount of Olives was a familiar prophecy to Jesus's Jewish
disciples. The late 6th century BC prophet Zechariah prophesied God
the Divine King coming in judgment at the end of the Age of Humanity, writing: That
day his feet shall rest on the Mount of Olives, which is opposite Jerusalem to
the east. The Mount of Olives shall be cleft in two from east to west by a very
deep valley, and half of the mountain shall move to the north and half of it to
the south ... Then the LORD, my God, shall come, and all his holy ones with him. On
that day there shall no longer be cold or frost. There shall be one continuous
day, known to the LORD, not day and night, for in the evening time there shall
be light. On that day, living waters shall flow from Jerusalem half to the
eastern sea, and half to the western sea, and it shall be so in summer and in
winter. The LORD shall become King over the whole earth; on that day, the LORD
shall be the only one, and his name the only one (Zec 14:4, 6-9).
We do not know when Christ will return, but we know He will come again one day! The question is, will we be ready to receive Him on that day of glory and divine judgment? In the words of St. Paul, And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones (1 Thes 3:13 NJB).
Responsorial Psalm 47:1-2, 5-8 ~ God is King of all the Earth!
The response is: "God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a
blare of trumpets for the Lord."
Or: "Alleluia."
1 All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with
cries of gladness. 2 For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome, is the great
king over all the earth.
Response
6 God mounts his
throne amid shouts of joy; the LORD, amid trumpet blasts. 7 Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise
to our king, sing praise.
Response:
8 For God is king of
all the earth; sing hymns of praise. 9 God
reigns over the nations; God sits upon his holy throne.
Response:
The Responsorial Psalm invites all peoples of the earth to sing praise to God the great King (verse 2). Then, In verses 6-9, the psalmist gives the reasons for the praise: Yahweh is the King of the entire earth, and He chose Israel to cause His glory to be present as He reigns over the nations of the world. The psalmist calls on everyone to acknowledge the universal rule of Israel's God (verses 2-3, 6-7). He also calls for the people to praise God in liturgical worship in the Jerusalem Temple as He sits enthroned in His heavenly Temple where He rules over Heaven and all the nations on earth (verses 8-9).
Christians can respond to the praise in this psalm by reflecting on the kingship of Jesus Christ. In the Apostolic Age, the Church saw verse 5 as fulfilled in the Ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven and His enthronement on the right side of God the Father (Acts 1:1-11; Heb 9:24-28; 10:19-23). For this reason, the Church selected this psalm for the Liturgy on the Feast of the Ascension to profess faith in Christ as King of the universe whose kingship transcends all earthly rulers and their nations. As the king of all nations, God binds humanity into one people through the ministry of His Divine Son, Jesus Christ, and His Kingdom of the Church. He invites the faithful of every language, race, and nation to be bound together as One Body in the universal Kingdom of Christ the King
The Second Reading Ephesians 1:17-23 ~ The Glorification
of the Christ
17 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. 18 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, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of his
power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, 20 which
he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right
hand in the heavens, 21 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. 23 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.
In his letter to the Christian church at Ephesus, St. Paul felt moved to give thanksgiving and prayer as he contemplated how wonderful it was to know God's goodness. He asks God to give this gift to the readers of his letter (verses 17-19). His petition for this blessing hinges on Jesus Christ, through whom God has revealed His power by giving God the Son dominion over all the earth (verses 20-21) and establishing Him as the Head of the Body of the Church (verses 22-23; also see Rom 12:4f; 1 Cor 12:12ff).
The God St. Paul petitioned is "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ" (verse 1). By using this phrase, Paul referred to God the Father, who revealed Himself to humanity through Jesus Christ and to whom Jesus Himself, as a man, prayed and asked for assistance (Lk 22:42). It is to Jesus that God gave all power and authority over every age of humanity. God the Father made the Son the Head of the New Covenant Church, whose members form His Body and to whom He has promised a share in His glory.
The Gospel of Matthew 28:16-20 ~ Commissioning of the Apostles
16 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain
to which Jesus had ordered them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped, but
they doubted. 18 Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in Heaven
and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold,
I am with you always, until the end of the age."
In Matthew 28:7, when Jesus's women disciples discovered the empty tomb, the angel of God told them to go and tell the disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead and was going ahead of them to Galilee, where they would see Him. The eleven Apostles met Him in Galilee by the sea (Jn 21:1-23), where Jesus began His instruction to them and others that would last for forty days as He appeared and disappeared to His faithful. At the meeting at the Sea of Galilee (which St. John refers to by the Roman name of the Sea of Tiberias), He gave Peter and the Apostles their "marching orders" in establishing His Kingdom of the Church. Jesus repeated these same orders at His Ascension from the Mount of Olives in Acts 1:8 (the First Reading).
19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am
with you always, until the end of the age."
Christians call Matthew 28:19-20 "The Great Commission." In
this passage, Jesus defined the scope of the mission He gave His disciples in every
generation and the formula for Christian Baptism "in the name (singular) of God
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The mission is universal
for the emissaries of the One who has power over the entire earth. From the
time of Jesus's Resurrection, the mission of God the Son and God the Holy
Spirit becomes that of the Church, as Jesus told the Apostles in John 20:19b, "As
the Father has sent me, so I send you."
Notice the significance of the command to baptize with the Trinitarian formula that affirms the oneness of God: "In the name (singular) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (see Jn 3:3-5 and CCC 1257, 1272-3). Rebirth through water and the Spirit in Christian Baptism is the means Jesus gives for entrance into the community of the New Covenant and for becoming a candidate for citizenship in Heaven. In the Sacrament of Baptism, the baptized person becomes configured to the risen Savior and incorporated into the Body of Christ, His Kingdom of the Church. The formula Jesus gives for the Sacrament of Baptism defines the Trinity and designates baptism as the union of the one baptized with the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Unity with the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith. Indeed, the faith of all who call themselves Christians rests on their belief in their union with the Most Holy Trinity (CCC 232-34, 237).
Do not miss that baptism is linked to teaching the newly baptized to observe all that I have commanded you (verse 19) and is necessary for salvation (Mk 16:16). Simply acknowledging Christ is not enough, and the Old Law no longer defines righteousness (CCC 1963). The Gospel of salvation preached in the New Law defines the path of salvation for Christians (CCC 1965-70).
Jesus's promise, "And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age," is a fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14. The name Emmanuel means "God with us." It echoes the promise of Jesus's real but invisible presence and is the name He received in the infancy narrative that quotes Jesus's virgin birth as a fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 in Matthew 1:23. It is the promise Jesus makes to His faithful in this passage and in the Book of Revelation (Rev 21:3-4) and is also the promise of His real but invisible presence in the Eucharist from the time of the Last Supper until His return at the end of the Age (also see CCC 1374-77).
Jesus taught the Church for forty days before His Ascension to the Father (Acts 1:3), appearing and disappearing at will. During the time between His Resurrection and Ascension, He continually visited with His Apostles and disciples:
In His death and glorious Resurrection, Jesus ushered in a new and eternal covenant (Heb 13:20) promised by the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 31:31), fulfilling and surpassing all previous covenants (see the chart "Yahweh's Eight Covenants").
| Old Seven Covenants | Fulfilled in Christ |
| 1. The covenant with Adam | Jesus is the "new Adam" who has atoned for the sin of the first Adam. He conquered sin and death and brought forth His Bride, the Church, from His pierced side just as Eve was born from the side of Adam (Rom 5:14-21; 1 Cor 15:20-45; CCC 359, 411, 504, 766). |
| 2. The covenant with Noah | Jesus's gift of the Sacrament of Baptism has restored man to renewed life through water and the Spirit (Jn 3:3, 5; 1 Pt 3:21, CCC 628, 1094). |
3. The three-fold Abrahamic covenant:
|
Jesus has fulfilled the three promises made to Abraham
(CCC 59, 706, 762-66): 1. He has established a kingdom in the Church—the Kingdom of Heaven on earth (Mt 4:17; Acts 1:3). 2. He has filled His Kingdom with men and women of every Age who have accepted His gift of eternal salvation and are Abraham's spiritual children (Rom 9:6-8; Gal 3:29). 3. As Abraham's descendant, Jesus has brought a worldwide blessing through His universal covenant that is open to men and women of all nations (Gal 3:8). |
| 4. The Covenant at Sinai | Jesus fulfilled all the blood rituals and purification rituals of the old Law in His one perfect sacrifice on the altar of the Cross. He made atonement for the sins of humanity and offered continual purification through the Eucharist and the other Sacraments of His Church (Heb 9:15-28; CCC 577-582). In His self-sacrifice and fulfillment of the Sinai Covenant, Jesus has freed God's people from the curse of failing to keep the old Law (Dt 28:15; Rom 3:21-26; Gal 3:13-14). |
| 5. The Aaronic Covenant of a ministerial priesthood | Jesus has established the New Covenant priesthood: A universal priesthood of all believers and a ministerial priesthood no longer based on heredity but the call of the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19-20; CCC 1141-43). |
| 6. The Perpetual Priesthood of Phinehas | Jesus Christ is the eternal High Priest of the New and Everlasting Covenant (Heb 4:14-15; 8:1-3; CCC 1137). |
| 7. The Davidic Covenant | Jesus fulfills God's promise to David that his throne would endure forever. Jesus is the heir of David, the covenant mediator, and the kingly High Priest of the Universal Church (Lk 1:32-33; Heb 1:1-4; 8:1-6; 9:11, 15; CCC 786, 2105). |
| Michal E. Hunt Copyright © 2012 | |
What is your place in Christ's Kingdom? How are you using your spiritual "talents" (Mt 25:14-30) to advance the Kingdom and fulfill the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20? We hope to follow where Jesus has gone, for His Ascension is our glory and hope! The Solemnity of the Ascension reminds us that our time on earth is a fleeting reality, and our true home is in Heaven with our Lord and Savior.
Catechism References (* indicates Scripture is quoted
or paraphrased in the citation):
Acts 1:1-2 (CCC 512);
1:3 (CCC 659*);
1:6-7 (CCC 672*);
1:7 (CCC 474*, 673);
1:8 (CCC 672*, 730*, 735, 857*, 1287*);
1:9 (CCC 659*, 697);
1:10-11 (CCC 333*);
1:11 (CCC 665*)
Ephesians 1:17-23 (CCC 2632*); 1:18 (CCC 158); 1:19-22 (CCC 272, 648*); 1:20-22 (CCC 668); 1:22-23 (CCC 830*); 1:22 (CCC 669*, 753*, 2045*)
Matthew 28:16-20 (CCC 857*, 1444*); 28:16-17 (CCC 645*); 28:17 (CCC 644); 28:18-20 (CCC 1120*); 28:19-20 (CCC 2, 767*, 849, 1223, 1257*, 1276); 12:19 (CCC 189, 232, 543*, 691*, 730*, 831*, 1122, 2156); 28:20 (CCC 80, 788*, 860*, 2743)
The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (CCC 659*, 660*, 661*, 662*, 663*, 664*, 665-667, 668*, 669*, 670*, 671*, 672*, 697*, 792*, 965, 2795*)
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2014; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.