The Ascension of the Lord, Cycle B May 13, 2018

First Reading
Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11
Jesus is taken up to heaven in the presence of the apostles.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 47:2-3,6-7,8-9
Sing praise to God as he mounts his throne.

Second Reading
Ephesians 1:17-23 or Ephesians 4:1-13 (shorter form: Ephesians 4:1-7,11-13)
God raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his right hand.

Gospel Reading
Mark 16:15-20
Jesus is taken to heaven, and the disciples go forth to preach as Jesus
commanded.

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.


Background on the Gospel Reading

(In places where the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord is not designated
as a Holy Day of Obligation, the feast is moved to the following Sunday.)

Today is our liturgical celebration of the Ascension of the Lord, when
Jesus was taken to heaven on the fortieth day after Easter. In Cycle B,
our Gospel is taken from the conclusion of the Gospel of Mark. Scholars
have long noted some irregularities about the ending of Mark's Gospel.
There is a natural break in the story line at verse 8, when Mark's report
of the discovery of the empty tomb comes to an abrupt conclusion. This
verse reports that the women were so frightened by what they had seen at
the tomb that they told no one. This may be the original ending of Mark's
Gospel, but it is also possible that the more complete ending has been
lost.

Some manuscripts of Mark's Gospel, written between the fourth and ninth
centuries, include what scholars have termed the Shorter Ending. This is
often printed in our Bibles for reference. This ending indicates that the
women told their story to Peter's companions. Scholars believe that this
ending is not original to Mark. They theorize that this ending was added
by copyists who sought to resolve the original abrupt ending at verse 8.

Other early manuscripts include a Longer Ending that scholars also believe
was written by someone other than the Evangelist. Nonetheless, quotations
from this Longer Ending are found in the writings of the early Church
Fathers, and it was accepted at the Council of Trent as part of the
canonical Gospel of Mark. Our Gospel for today's celebration of the Feast
of the Ascension is taken from this Longer Ending.

There are similarities in the reports of Jesus' Ascension found in the
Synoptic Gospels—Mark, Matthew, and Luke. In each case, Jesus assigns his
disciples the task of proclaiming the gospel message to the entire world.
There are also notable distinctions. In the Gospels of Mark and Matthew,
the disciples are sent by Jesus to baptize and to preach. In Luke's
Gospel, however, the commission to baptize is absent. Instead, Jesus
directs the disciples to return to Jerusalem to await the fulfillment of
his promise to send them the Holy Spirit. Curiously, only the Gospels of
Mark and Luke actually report Jesus' ascension into heaven. Matthew's
Gospel concludes with Jesus' promise to remain with his disciples forever.
Only the Gospel of Mark notes that Jesus ascended to sit at the right hand
of God. In noting this, Mark teaches that Jesus' ascension affirms the
glory Jesus received from God after his death and Resurrection.

Even if this ending to Mark's Gospel was written by someone other than the
Evangelist, in the commission that Jesus gives to his disciples, there are
elements that are quite typical of Mark's Gospel. The signs that will
accompany belief in Jesus are as vivid as the action performed by Jesus
during his ministry. Those who believe in Jesus will be empowered to do
what Jesus himself has done. During his ministry, Jesus sent his disciples
to preach, to heal, and to drive out unclean spirits. Now they are sent
again to do these things and more. From his place with God in heaven,
Jesus helped his disciples, and he continues to help us as we try to live
as his followers.


Family Connection

It can be very important whom we sit next to. Any family that has tried to
sit down to a family dinner or packed the car for a trip has heard
children argue at least once about who should sit where. To sit next to
someone, especially if that person is important, is to have a place of
honor. Jesus has this place of honor seated at God's right hand, but
there's more to this metaphor than where Jesus sits in relation to God. To
be in the place of honor is also to be in a place of power. Knowing people
in powerful places can be helpful. Our children remind us of this each
time we are called upon to referee a conflict. Jesus, honored at God's
right hand, is a powerful ally for us.

As you gather as a family, recall a time when there was a discussion, or
perhaps even an argument, about where people were going to sit. Talk about
why it might be important to a person to sit in a particular place.
Observe that in today's Gospel we will learn about Jesus' place in heaven.
Read together today's Gospel, Mark 16:15-20. Talk about what we might
learn about the relationship between God and Jesus from today's Gospel and
what we learn about Jesus' relationship to us.

Observe that one of the things we learn is that Jesus continues to help us
from this place of honor in heaven. Pray together the Apostles' Creed.


Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings