Sunday Reading

THE SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD (Cycle B)

Readings:
Acts 1:1-11
Psalm 47:2-3, 6-9
Ephesians 1:17-23
Mark 16:15-20

Abbreviations: NAB (New American Bible), NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), RSVCE (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition), 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, and that 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 our 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).

"'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.' Christ's body was glorified at the moment of his Resurrection, as proved by the new and supernatural properties it subsequently and permanently enjoys. But during the forty days when he eats and drinks familiarly with his disciples and teaches them about the kingdom, his glory remains veiled under the appearance of ordinary humanity. Jesus's final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory, symbolized by the cloud and by heaven, where he is seated from that time forward at God's right hand. Only in a wholly exceptional and unique way would Jesus show himself to Paul 'as to one untimely born,' in a last apparition that established him as an apostle" (CCC 659 quoting Mk 16:19 and 1 Cor 15:8, and referring to events recorded in Ex 13:22; Ps 110:1; Mk 16:12, 19; Lk 24:31; Lk 9:34-35; 24:51; Jn 14:15; 20:19, 26; 21:4; Acts 1:3, 9; 2:33; 7:56; 10:41; 1 Cor 9:1; Gal 1:16).

The Theme of the Readings: Jesus Christ Ascends to His Throne as the King of Glory
We celebrate the Solemnity of the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord on the fortieth day after Resurrection Sunday as the ancients counted with the Resurrection of our Lord counting as day #1. The Solemnity is a Holy Day of Obligation that requires attendance at Mass according to the the Church's precepts. In some dioceses, this Solemnity moves to the following Sunday. It is one of the three oldest yearly festivals of the Church, in addition to the celebration of the Lord's Resurrection and the Feast of Pentecost. The Ascension means the final elevation of Jesus's human nature into the condition of divine glory. The feast does not celebrate the absence of the Lord Jesus; instead, it is a celebration of His concluding work of redemption. Christ's Ascension is His pledge to us of our ascension into Heaven if we remain in His love as faithful and obedient disciples.

This celebration by the Church family remembers the day Jesus's disciples witnessed His Ascension into Heaven to take His seat at the right hand of God the Father (The First Reading). For forty days after His Resurrection, Jesus taught His Church, instructing them how He fulfilled everything promised concerning Him in the Scriptures (Lk 24:44-45; Acts 1:1-3). Then, the day before His Ascension, the Resurrected Christ celebrated one last dinner with His disciples, instructing them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait to be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). On the fortieth day from His Resurrection (as the ancients counted), Jesus led them out of Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley, to the Mount of Olives. Standing with His disciples, Jesus gave them the mission of the New Covenant Church. He told them, you will receive the power of the Holy Spirit which will come on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the earth's remotest end (Acts 1:8). After He ascended into Heaven in a cloud, the disciples returned to the Upper Room in Jerusalem and continued in prayer. For 9 days, 120 of the faithful the New Covenant people of God prayed with the Virgin Mary (Acts 1:12-15) in preparation for the promised coming of the Holy Spirit to fill and indwell the community of the faithful and to give the Church the continuing Divine Presence of the Christ.

The Responsorial Psalm invites all peoples of the earth to sing praise to God, enthroned as the Divine King who rules all nations. Christians can respond to this psalm by reflecting on the kingship of Jesus Christ. In the Apostolic Age, the Church saw this psalm fulfilled in the Ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven and His enthronement on the right side of God the Father. It is the reason we read this psalm on the Feast of the Ascension to profess faith in Christ as King of the universe whose kingship transcends all earthly rulers and their countries. As the 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 universal (catholic) Church comprises the faithful of every language, race, and nation bound together as One Body in Christ the King.

In the Second Reading, St. Paul wrote to the Ephesian Christians concerning the glory that leads to greater glories, just as the Ascension led to Pentecost. He wrote, May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, referring to the spiritual truth of the Gospel of salvation that is more than mere knowledge of the events of Christ's life. And he expressed the hope of their inheritance among the holy ones, the saints who have entered into God's heavenly Temple where "God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord" (Psalms response).

In our Gospel Reading, Jesus commissions His disciples to carry the Gospel message of salvation to the ends of the earth. They are to baptize believers as a condition of salvation and to work miracles in His name. Then, they witnessed Jesus ascending to Heaven to take His place at the right hand of God the Father. We also read that through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Jesus continued to be with the disciples as the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs. It is the same way Jesus continues to be with all baptized Christians who are members of His Body, the Church, and have His promise of a share in His glory. He lives in us through the power of the Holy Spirit, and we continue to fulfill the mission He gave the Apostles and disciples to carry His Gospel of salvation to the ends of the earth.

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 connects 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). Luke dedicated both the Book of Acts and his Gospel to Theophilus (see Lk 1:1-4). Theophilus, a name meaning "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 may have done for Luke's Gospel (Lk 1:3). In St. Luke's Gospel dedication, we learned that the contents of the work were to support the catechesis that Theophilus had previously 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, Luke writes that he 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). This verse is the first mention of the Holy Spirit's activity in the Church. Luke reminds us that by the Holy Spirit, Jesus commissioned the Apostles after His Resurrection (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 term tekmerion suggests convincing signs or evidence of His resurrection (see the same Greek word in Wis 5:11 and 19:13). Included in these "signs" would be touching Jesus's wounds (Jn 20:27), eating meals with His disciples (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, but where is the substance of the instruction covered in those forty days? Jesus's teaching during that time is safeguarded in the deposit of our sacred oral Tradition. In the same way, His teaching during His three years of earthly ministry was given orally, and only some of it was written down in the Gospels. The Church 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 which has been 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 this forty-day period, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdala, the eleven Apostles, and His men and women disciples. He appeared privately to Peter and His relative James, and to 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), just as the Gospels record that Jesus came to proclaim God's Kingdom (Mt 4:23; Mk 1:14-15; Lk 8:1). St. Luke mentions the "Kingdom" over 30 times in his Gospel, and in Acts, the Church continues that part of Jesus's earthly mission by taking up the proclamation of the New Covenant Kingdom of Jesus Christ (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 of the Holy Spirit in Matthew 3:11, and in verse 4, Jesus repeats the promise. The Apostles will be obedient to Jesus's command to baptize believers (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). They will use water baptism as the sacramental sign of spiritual rebirth and initiation into the Kingdom of the Church (Acts 2:41; 8:12, 38; 9:18, 10:48; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 19:5).

Notice that Jesus spoke about the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity in verses 4-5. He unveils the presence of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, once again, as at His 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 is also explaining why He must leave them. If He stayed on earth, His physical, human presence, limited by time and space, would have hindered the spread of the Gospel. But after His Ascension to the Father, His spiritual presence can 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.
Their question in verse 6 suggests they may be expecting the Messianic Kingdom to be a political fulfillment like the Davidic Kingdom and liberation from their Roman oppressors. The disciples might also be asking about what He prophesied concerning completing His mission in an event He called the "coming of the Son of Man." Jesus's mission will not be completed until He returns in glory and judgment. He gave a discourse on His Second Advent and the Last Judgment in the Gospels (Mt 24:29-44; 25:31-46; Mk 13:24-37; Lk 21:25-28). Notice that Jesus does 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 shared in the Gospel discourses (see, for example, Mt 24:3, 36, 42-44; Mk 13:32). Instead, 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 must wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Then, He will empower them to spread the Gospel. They must start their mission in Jerusalem, then go to the rest of Judea, north into Samaria, and finally to the "ends of the earth," which was considered the extent of the Roman Empire. By the time the last Apostle died, the Gospel of salvation had indeed reached the full extent of the Roman Empire. It has been the mission of succeeding generations of disciples to carry the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to the literal ends of the earth. The internet has helped make that final expansion of the Gospel possible even into areas where Bibles and the Christian message of salvation are not permitted.

9 When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
When the disciples saw Jesus's Ascension into Heaven, they were witnessing the same vision the prophet Daniel saw in the Book of Daniel 7:13-14. But their view was from an earthly perspective, whereas Daniel's perspective 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 see what Daniel saw: the Son of Man carried on the clouds of Heaven where He will go into the presence of the Father to receive power and authority over all nations. Jesus quoted the same Scripture passage at His trial before Jewish Sanhedrin 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 was now fulfilled in the presence of Jesus's faithful followers.

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 tell the disciples that Jesus will return in the same way they saw Him leave. When Jesus returns in glory and judgment, He will come again to the Mount of Olives! The Lord coming in divine judgment to the Mount of Olives was a familiar prophecy to Jesus's Jewish disciples. The late 6^th century BC prophet Zechariah prophesied God the Divine King coming in judgment at the end of the Age of Man. The event was to take place when His feet touched down on the Mount of Olives: 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 don't know when Christ is returning, but we know one day HE WILL COME! The question is, will we be ready to receive Him on that day of glory and divine judgment, and, as Jesus asked, "But when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?" (Lk 18:8). Our prayer for you is: 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 Thess 3:13 NJB).

Responsorial Psalm 47:2-3, 6-9 ~ God is King of all the Earth
The response: "God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord."

Or: "Alleluia."

2 All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with cries of gladness. 3 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.

St. Paul gives thanksgiving and prayer as he contemplates how wonderful it is 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 Christ, God revealed His power by giving God the Son dominion over all the earth (verse 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).

Do not miss the significance of St. Paul's petitions to "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ." By this phrase, Paul refers to God who revealed Himself to humanity in a unique way through Jesus Christ, God enfleshed as a human being, and to whom Jesus Himself, as a man, prayed and asked for assistance (Lk 22:42). To Jesus Christ, God the Son, God the Father has given all power and authority over every age of humanity. The Father has made God the Son the head of the Church, whose members are His Body and promised a share in His glory.

The Gospel of Mark 16:15-20 ~ Jesus Gives the Great Commission to His Disciples and Ascends to the Father
15 He said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. 18 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." 19 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. 20 But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

The four Gospels record Jesus's different resurrection appearances to the Apostles. In the Gospel of Luke 24:36-49, Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, He ate meals with them (i.e., Lk 24:30-31; 40-43; Jn 21:9-14), and in John 20:19-23, Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, giving them the power to "bind and loose" sins as they govern the Church, His Kingdom of Heaven on earth. He appeared privately to St. Peter, to St. James, His kinsman who became the first Christian Bishop of Jerusalem, and to more than 500 disciples at one time (1 Cor 15:5-7). In verse 15, Jesus gave His disciples the commission to carry the Gospel message of salvation to the ends of the earth and work miracles in His name. The Book of Acts records the "signs" of power that He gives the Apostles, including St. Paul's experience with a poisonous snake (Acts 2:4-8; 5:16; 28:3-6).

16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.
In verse 16, Jesus makes an important statement about baptism. Faith in Jesus Christ is the first step, but action must follow belief by submitting to the Sacrament of Baptism, which is necessary for salvation! On Pentecost Sunday, the Jewish crowd cried out to St. Peter, asking what they need to do to be saved, and Peter answers: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children (Acts 2:38-39a). God will save whomever He wants, but the Church has received no other way to bring humanity to salvation other than the Sacrament of Baptism. See CCC 1257.

19 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. 20 But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.
The First Reading records the Ascension of the Christ in greater detail, but St. Mark gives some significant information not included in the Acts account: [He] took his seat at the right hand of God. Jesus rules over humankind from the right hand of God the Father in the heavenly Sanctuary, just as the prophet Daniel saw in his vision: 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 (Dan 7:13-14). Jesus's Ascension to the Father fulfilled the promise of the Davidic Covenant when God promised David, Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever (2 Sam 7:16).

Even though Jesus has ascended to the Father, He did not abandon His disciples, nor did He leave us to make our journey to salvation alone. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit: the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs (verse 20). The miracles the disciples performed in Jesus's name confirmed for them His divine presence throughout their mission to carry the Gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. And, in the Sacraments Jesus gave His Church, He continues to nourish, protect, and guide us on our journey to salvation and enable us to carry out our covenant obligations. The command the disciples received to Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature is the same commissioning every baptized Christian receives in the Sacrament of Confirmation. Jesus calls us to take up the mantle of apostleship and to fearlessly proclaim the Gospel of salvation. If we are obedient to the same command Jesus gave His Apostles, then one day, when we also ascend to the heavenly kingdom of our Lord, He will welcome us with the words: "Well done, my good and faithful servant!"

Catechism References (* indicates Scripture 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*)

Mark 16:15 (CCC 888*); 16:15-16 (CCC 977, 1223*), 16:16 (CCC 161, 183, 1253*, 1256*, 1257*); 16:17-18 (CCC 670*, 1507*); 16:17 (CCC 434*, 1673*), 16:18 (CCC 699*), 16:19 (CCC 659*); 16:20 (CCC 2, 156*, 670*)

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*)