ASCENSION OF THE LORD, YEAR C - Gospel (Luke 24:46-53) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven.” (Lk 24:50-51)

FIRST READING - Acts 1:1-11

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

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.”

SECOND READING from the Letter to the Hebrews - Heb 9:24-28; 10:19-23

Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,

a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,

that he might now appear before God on our behalf.

Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,

as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary

with blood that is not his own;

if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly

from the foundation of the world.

But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages

to take away sin by his sacrifice.

Just as it is appointed that men and women die once,

and after this the judgment, so also Christ,

offered once to take away the sins of many,

will appear a second time, not to take away sin

but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus

we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary

by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,

that is, his flesh,

and since we have "a great priest over the house of God,"

let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,

with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience

and our bodies washed in pure water.

Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,

for he who made the promise is trustworthy.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - 24:46-53

From the Gospel according to Luke

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer

and rise from the dead on the third day

and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,

would be preached in his name

to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

You are witnesses of these things.

And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;

but stay in the city

until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Then he led them out as far as Bethany,

raised his hands, and blessed them.

As he blessed them he parted from them

and was taken up to heaven.

They did him homage

and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

and they were continually in the temple praising God.

ASCENSION OF THE LORD YEAR C - Gospel (Luke 24:46-53)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

The Word of God in today's Gospel recounts the event of the Lord's Ascension into Heaven, occurring 40 days after His death. But did the Lord truly return to Heaven after 40 days?

No! Because wherever God is, there is Heaven. When Jesus Christ came to earth and became a human to live among us, the Kingdom of God was already coming. The earth is temporary, passing quickly, while the Kingdom of Heaven is eternal—the place humanity longs to enter.

But why did God allow humanity to witness such events—Jesus’ death, His resurrection, His many appearances to the disciples—and then wait until the 40th day to reveal His Ascension? Because God wants people to experience love for God the Father through faith in the Son of God, who came to earth, died, and rose again after three days.

To attain eternal and sincere love, we must go through daily experiences—experiences rooted in the Lord’s Resurrection—that strengthen the faith of the disciples and all of God's children. Jesus Christ is God, who became human. He died and rose again once and for all. He will never die again, for His one death is sufficient. Through the Holy Spirit, He reveals to us that Jesus Christ is alive, reigning, and present with us in our daily lives.

It is not that He died, rose, and ascended into Heaven to become just a part of history. No! For Christians, God is always alive, always working, and always with us until the end of the world—when He will come again to save His people.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Yet today, many people are forgetting the image of a living Christ. That is why God has a plan: He sends the Holy Spirit to accompany us, to remind us of the words and presence of the living Jesus who reigns in each person, in daily life. This promise has been most clearly fulfilled through the Apostles, in the Church, and even now. It is the Holy Spirit who brings the Church to life and helps people recognize that Christ is the head, the Church is His body, and each soul is a part of that body. Therefore, each soul is the body of Christ.

If a soul sins and dies, Christ suffers deeply. That is why He sent the Holy Spirit—to accompany, guide, and assist us, so that we may always remain united with Christ, the head, just as branches are united with the vine. Therefore, we must never be separated from Him, and we must not cause Him to suffer.

The sign of the Holy Spirit’s work became evident from the time of the early Church and has continued through every stage of its history. Today, the Holy Spirit continues to act within the plan of God the Father in the House of God the Father. This divine action is made manifest in the unity of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This unity is clearly revealed in every work carried out in the House of God the Father, and through those chosen by Him.

This began with the influence of the Spirit in Chu Thien Thuong to write the Word of God the Father. The Holy Spirit was imparted to the priests who, in the name of the Holy Trinity, cast out Satan from souls. His Spirit works specifically and clearly through the incarnate angels. These are the works through which the Holy Spirit enlightens, guides, and teaches humanity.

Whoever believes will be saved. But whoever does not believe God gives free will.

Thanks be to God. Amen