Collect Series; Collect for Solemnity of Ascension Year C

 COLLECT SERIES

The Mass: Collect Series Icon.

SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD.

 

 

The Collect for the Ascension of the Lord in Year C is 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.

 

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

1. Why am I asking God to gladden me with holy joys?
2. Why should I rejoice with devout thanksgiving on this Solemnity?
3. What does the Solemnity of the feast of the Ascension mean to me?
4. How will this Solemnity affect this coming week in my life?
5. How will I prepare my spiritual plan for this coming week?
6. How might I live in the glory and hope of the Ascension this week? 

WHY IS THE ASCENSION SO IMPORTANT TO US?.

The Ascension of Our Lord is essentially a feast of hope since we can look forward to eternal life. We must however not sit on our hands and wait. Christ has given us His command and we need to live lives worthily, so that we can enter through the narrow gate.

The other beautiful aspect of the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord is that Christ goes back to Heaven.  We feel His absence and yet, He lives on here on earth in the presence of each of us.

 Are we always aware of His presence to us?  How are we going to make His presence known to others?

 

THE FOUR-FOLD COMMAND OF CHRIST

 

The four-fold command of Christ to His disciples is a command to us and gives us a mission- a focus.

• Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations,
• Baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
• Teach them to observe all the commands I gave you
• Know that I am with you until the end of time.

So how can we make disciples of all the nations? We need to be ready with our answer should someone asks us for our reason for our belief. 

 Most of us can evangelise others by not even saying a word- it is by the example of our lives we lead.

Evangelization does not have to be difficult.  If we are trying our best to live good Christian lives, other people will be attracted to it. Then when a casual question or conversation occurs, it may be our time to speak.  More importantly it is a time to listen, since it is the question of the enquirer that is important.  As the journey unfolds, then there will be a time for them to want to be baptised in the name of the Father, Son and Spirit.  This will be God's timing, not ours, since it is God who is leading the person to Himself.  Then as their journey continues, it is time for learning and teaching (RCIA for example is part of the process), and as catholic pilgrims on the journey, we need to remember and encourage each other in our struggles knowing that Jesus is with us always.

 

So yes, the feast of the Ascension is a feast of hope of future glory. We need to have this hope in our hearts and try to live our lives now with this future glory in mind.

The Ascension of the Lord

 GOSPEL REFLECTION

Gospel Reflection on Luke 24:50–53

The Ascension Through Luke’s Eyes: A Departure That Blesses

In this short but rich passage, Luke offers a distinct portrayal of the Ascension not found in the same form in the other Gospels. While Mark (briefly) mentions the Ascension (Mark 16:19) and Matthew concludes with the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16–20), only Luke gives us this tender, priestly image: Jesus lifting His hands and blessing them as He departs.

1. Jesus Blesses As He Leaves:

Luke alone presents this extraordinary detail: “While he was blessing them, he withdrew.”
This means the last physical act of Jesus on earth was to bless. Unlike earthly goodbyes that are often marked by sorrow or anxiety, Jesus’ farewell is bathed in divine peace. It is not a break in relationship but a deepening of it. He is not turning His back to them, but extending grace as He goes. His priestly gesture—hands raised in blessing—is reminiscent of Aaronic blessings (Numbers 6:24–26), yet here, it is Jesus as eternal High Priest.

Spiritual insight:
The Christian life begins and ends with blessing. Jesus leaves blessing behind, and this becomes the lens through which the disciples see His departure—not as loss, but as gift. Perhaps our own leavings and transitions can become occasions of blessing when lived in Him.

2. Great Joy Instead of Grief:

Another uniquely Lukan detail: “They returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”
At first glance, this is odd. Shouldn't they be sad? Their beloved Master is gone. But Luke frames the Ascension as a moment of joy, because the disciples now fully understand who Jesus is. His presence is not ended, but transformed. Their joy springs from the Spirit-filled anticipation of what is to come—Pentecost, mission, the birth of the Church.

Spiritual insight:
The Christian view of absence is always shadowed by presence. Just as Jesus was known in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:35), so now He is known in the broken moments of life. The joy of the disciples is a prophetic joy—anticipating union without visibility. This is Eucharistic living: encountering Christ in mystery.

3. Continuity With the Temple:

Luke also mentions that “they were continually in the temple blessing God.”
This echoes the start of the Gospel, which opens with Zechariah in the temple (Luke 1:8–9), and Simeon and Anna waiting in the temple (Luke 2:27, 37). Now, Luke ends Volume I (the Gospel) where it began—in the temple, but with a transformed people. Their worship is no longer a longing for redemption, but a response to its fulfilment.

Spiritual insight:
Worship is the natural response to revelation. Jesus has ascended, but worship keeps the heart tethered to heaven. The Church is born in praise, not in fear. Worship is no longer confined to a place, but begins in the temple and spills into the world. Luke sets the stage for this in Acts, where the Spirit will come and the Church will move from temple to every nation.

  Luke’s Gospel doesn’t end with a curtain falling. It ends with uplifted hands, open hearts, and a Church in praise. The Ascension isn't a retreat—it’s a launch. Jesus ascends, not to be absent, but to be present in a new way: in the Spirit, in the Word, in the Eucharist, in the community that worships and waits.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, may your final blessing over your disciples extend to us today.  

Help us to live in the joy of your presence, even when unseen.

May our lives be a temple of praise,

and our witness a continuation of your blessing to the world. Amen.

 

Next week, it will be Pentecost Sunday.   However, in the light of today's Solemnity, we can start to get ready this week with hope in our hearts and future glory in mind and examine our lives right now. We can then decide and prepare our own personal spiritual plan for the remainder of the year.

 

What will we do with Christ's 4-fold command this coming week in our family, parish, workplace and neighbourhood?