Collect for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD YEAR B

The Mass: Collect Series Icon.

COLLECT 

The Collect for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord Year B reads as follows:

Gladden us with holy joys, almighty God,

and make us rejoice with devout thanksgiving,

for the Ascension of Christ your Son is our exaltation,

and, where the Head has gone before in glory,

the Body is called to follow in hope.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

 

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

 

In making this prayer tangible, the following reflection questions emerged:

What does holy joys and devout thanksgiving mean to me?

What difference does the Solemnity of the Ascension make to my life?

How will I live in the hope of future this coming week?

What spiritual changes do I need to make this coming week to my spiritual life?

What hope do I really have in my heart regarding following Jesus to heaven?

 

GOSPEL REFLECTION

The Ascension of Jesus.

The Gospel for today is from Mark 16: 15-20. Here Jesus gives the disciples and the Church its mission:’ Go out to all the world and tell the good news’.  He also points out that those who believe will be saved but those who do not will be condemned.  In other words, believing in the Good News of Jesus is our choice, but when we make that choice, we know that we either will be saved or condemned.  

 

Then Jesus tells His disciples and the church too what to expect from believers by providing them with the signs.  Some of these signs seem difficult for us to comprehend such as picking up a deadly snake and not being harmed.  However, this is the point.  The more difficult the sign to comprehend the more we need faith to believe and to know that we, too as believers can partake of these signs today in 2021.

 

It must have been difficult for the disciples to see Jesus go back to heaven especially as they had reconnected with Him after His Resurrection.  Yet, the disciples went out and preached everywhere.  They responded to the command of Jesus when He was no longer physically present to them. 

 

Are we preaching everywhere too, such as our family, workplace, supermarket, person in the street?  Often a smile or a kind word or withholding a critical judgement can make a huge difference to the life of another person.  Are we filled with hope of future glory?  If my life ended today, am I ready to go to Heaven?

 

Every day we need to be making progress on reaching the goal of Heaven.  We need to be looking forward not backwards.  We may have made huge mistakes. Go to the sacrament of Reconciliation and be healed and absolved from our sins by Jesus through the ministry of the priest.  We need to want to take others to heaven with us. We need to live in hope of future glory.