St. Matthias Men's Life Ministry
Saturday, May 27th, 2017, 7:00 AM
" In Deo Speramus "
(In God We Hope)
(Contact First Name)
The Ascension of the Lord
All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them
in the name of the
Father,  and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
Readings:
Oremus pro invicem
(Let us pray for one another)
Jesus, 
in your ascension
you took all your (and all our) humanity
into the fullness of the
divine being.

All is 
holy now.
We belong to you. 

 We are as sure of your prayers
as that the sun will 
rise in the
morn.

We ask you for your
 understanding, knowledge,
courage and wisdom.

Let your Spirit
never leave
us alone,

with our roots 
needing
 rain.

Amen
First Reading
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 the 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."

The Word of the Lord
Discussion Questions
1. Jesus said his apostles they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. They would be his witnesses unto the ends of the earth. On whom did the disciples depend for understanding of what that meant for them? Did they understand right away or did it take some time? On whom do we depend for any spiritual understanding?

Second Reading
Brothers and sisters:
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.
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,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,
in accord with the exercise of his great might,
which he worked in Christ,
raising him from the dead
and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
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.
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.

The Word of the Lord
Discussion Questions
1.
God gave Christ "the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way." What is this fullness? What might be some "everyday" kinds of fullness? What kind of fullness would you like to have in your life?
Alleluia, alleluia.
 MT 28:19A, 20B
Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;
I am with you always, until the end of the world.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
"All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

The Gospel of the Lord
Discussion Questions
1.
  "Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." Jesus said this after telling the eleven to make disciples of all nations. Discuss what Pope Francis said about that:

He is with God the Father, where he always intercedes in our favor. Jesus is no longer in a definite place in the world as he was before the Ascension. He is now in the lordship of God, present in all space and time, next to each of us. In our life we are never alone: we have this Advocate who awaits us, who defends us.


 For what are we born if not to aid one another?

Ernest Hemingway

 

 

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then we'll have peace."

By: Jimi Hendrix

 

"My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."

Abraham Lincoln

 

 

If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is brought to perfection in us.

1 John 4:12
 

 

Deus fit homo ut homo fieret Deus

God became human so that humans might become God

(Catholicism, Page 2 by Fr. Robert Barron)

 

"The Glory of God is a human being fully alive."

Meyers, Robin R. (2009-02-19).  Saving Jesus from the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus (Kindle Location 639).  Harper Collins, Inc..  Kindle Edition.

 

God "dwells in us." 
God's love is not meant for us alone;  
we must give it away.

 

 

Do small things today and for many tomorrows,
with a generous heart.

 

Give God Away Today!
Help us then, Lord,  
to be so united with the paschal mystery of Jesus,  
that through Him the world can become a better place to dwell.  
You promise us much for this life  
and for our eternal presence with You;  
may we live into that promise  
each day.

 

 
An interesting thought:

The birth of St. John is celebrated on June 24th, in the moment of the summer solstice. From that point onward, daylight begins to reduce. On the other hand, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated on December 25th, during the winter solstice. From that point onward, daylight begins to grow, to get longer.