A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 16:`15-20
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.
REFLECTION
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.
In our PAPA Handbook we find the song, The Seven Joys of Mary. It goes:
The next good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of seven;
To see her own Son Jesus Christ
Ascending into Heaven.
Ascending into Heaven, Good Lord;
And happy may we be;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
To all Eternity
St Augustine stated that this was a new moment in the life of the Church, both by continuity and discontinuity. Discontinuity because Jesus removed Himself from our physical vision. Continuity because Jesus returned to the Father and this means that His saving mission goes on. (1)
Jesus is now present to so many people through the sacraments. His priests serve as mediators of these graces. They act in the name and person of Jesus Christ. We pray that each member of His Body will follow His ascension into glory.
Mary was joyous at the Ascension. She knew that Jesus in His divine plan of salvation would be present to us in the Sacraments. In the Holy Eucharist we receive the glorious, resurrected Body of Jesus. Through out the world, there always is a Mass celebrated.
Jesus, to make this happen, commissioned the apostles to be His hands, His voice. The Church cannot exist without the priests.
Mary participates in this Priesthood and is the Mother of priests. The authority given to priests comes from the Risen and Glorified Ascended Christ. At the time of the consecration, the bread and wine become the real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
Our purpose of life is to possess God. What a happy moment when Jesus ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father. Jesus has conquered death and is inviting us through His gift of faith to be with Him for eternity.
May our prayer life revolve around the real presence of Jesus. Please pray the PAPA Prayer for Priests.
(1) The Seven Joys of Mary, Magnificat, Romanus Cessario, O.P.
God Bless You
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