Ascension Sunday
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves” (Mt 11:28-29).
The Lord invites us to find peace and joy in Him this Sabbath as we set aside time to worship and rest.
“Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God.”
Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word “Shabbat”, which literally means “to stop.” Keeping holy the Sabbath is not just a commandment, but an invitation. An invitation from the Lord to stop our work, stop our worrying, stop our striving. An opportunity to fid rest and to be renewed. A chance to refocus on the things that truly matter - the Lord, family, community. In our culture, Sunday has become a day to “catch up” on everything that didn’t get done during the week, and any time left over is often seen as an opportunity just to “get ahead” for next week. But we Christians have a chance now to remember what it means to keep the Sabbath. During this pandemic the Lord is calling us back to Himself, offering us a chance to reclaim the gift of the Sabbath, reminding us again what it means to “keep it holy.”
A basic principle for observing the Sabbath is only to do things that can be considered “rest” or “worship”. Here are a few ideas to consider to begin more to enter into the Sabbath. Maybe pick just one thing to focus on this Sunday, then next Sunday keep that practice in addition to a second one. And then the next Sunday add a third, to slowly over time begin to enter into this great gift of the Sabbath more and more.
Keep the Lord at the center - read the Mass readings ahead of time, participate in Mass, make more time for prayer, spend some extra time in silence focusing on the Lord
Try not to work - resist the urge to check your email, or catch up on a few things, and leave it for Monday
Plan ahead - take care of what needs to be done before Sunday, so plan the rest of your week to make sure you get the laundry done, have gone grocery shopping, etc.so you don’t have to do any of it on Sunday
Spend the day “screen free” - try to stay off social media, internet news, and your phone as much as possible. If you can’t make it the whole day try to go for at least a few hours
Be intentional with others - if you live with others (ie. family, roommates), is there something you can do together like play a game or go on a hike? If you live alone, can you reach out to a good friend and catch up?
Leisure, not entertainment - try to do things that are life giving; binge-watching a favorite show or playing video games for hours rarely leaves anyone with a new zeal for life. Read a good book, go on a long walk, develop a hobby.
PARTICIPATE
“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). Each Sunday we are called to “keep holy the Sabbath” and although that may look different for right now we will still come together as a St. Ann community through the gift of technology.
MASS READINGS
GIVING
Take a few minutes to give to St. Ann Parish. Please give generously and sacrificially as an act of faith during these difficult times. You can give online:
After giving, offer ways to be generous of your whole self during this trying time for our world.
“Each must do as already determined without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.”
PROCESS
Jesus said to his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” (Mk 16:15)
In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus’ parting words to His disciples before Ascending into heaven. He commands them to go and to proclaim the gospel, the Good News of salvation. In the Greek of Mk 16:15, the structure is actually: “Going into the whole world, proclaim the good news to every creature.” The primary command is to proclaim, kerugsate, the verb from which we get the word kerygma, meaning the proclamation of the central mysteries of the faith. In Matthew’s Gospel this final command of Jesus is expressed as: “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.” (Mt 28:19-20) This is called the “Great Commission” and it is a command given not just to the disciples of Jesus present at His Ascension, but to all of Jesus’ disciples, including us. We are told to proclaim the Good News to the world. And what is this good news? That Jesus loves us, died for us, and wants for us to know Him! That while sin separates us from God, Jesus came to forgive sin and reconcile us to God so that we can be with Him some day in heaven! This good news is the best news imaginable! And it is news that a troubled, divided, broken world desperately needs to hear.
Jesus’ command to make disciples isn’t just a vague concept, a general notion of hoping the church is fruitful in evangelization. It is a deeply personal mission entrusted to every follower of Jesus Christ. Each of us are in relationship with people who are hurting and need to know that they are deeply loved by the One who is Love, who are broken and need to encounter the One who is the Healer, who are lost or confused and need the One who is the Way, who are lonely or afraid and need to know the One who is the Good Shepherd who never leaves us abandoned. But how will they ever come to know these things if we are afraid to tell them? There is someone in our life who may never hear the beauty of the Gospel if we don’t share it with them. This is the vision we have here at St. Ann: To bring people to Jesus, form disciples, and send them to transform the world. This is not just a vision for our programs or for our priests and staff, but truly for all St. Ann parishioners. That each of us are responding to the mission Jesus has given us to make disciples.
As Jesus goes up to heaven to take His seat at the right hand of God His closest followers, who had been with Him for the last three years, stand in wonder, as if they aren’t sure what to do next. The angels have to say to them “why are you standing there?” Sometimes in this call to make disciples, perhaps we don’t even know what to do. It can seem intimidating but we are not alone in this mission. Jesus tells us that without Him we can do nothing (Jn 15:5; Gospel for the 5th week of Easter) but when we are rooted in Him we can bear good fruit for the kingdom, fruit that will last. He equips us by the power of the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:19; Acts 1:4-5, 8) which He gives in fullness at Pentecost. Liturgically, for the next week we are commanded to remain with Him “in Jerusalem”, dedicating ourselves to prayer, as we await the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is only by the Holy Spirit – by being immersed in His power, baptized in His strength – that we are able to preach the kerygma effectively and answer Jesus' command to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world.
Practice
Before Jesus ascends to heaven He gives His followers a final command: ““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.” (Mt 28:19-20) This is called the “Great Commission.” At St. Ann we try to live out this call as expressed in our Vision Statement: St. Ann Catholic Parish brings people to Jesus, forms disciples, and sends them to transform the world.
For the practice this week we invite you to reflect on that vision and how Jesus might be inviting you to live it out:
BRING - Who is someone you have brought to Jesus? Have you tried to bring someone to Jesus in this past year? Is there someone the Lord has put in your life currently that He might be calling you to bring to Him?
FORM - What are ways that you are helping to form others as disciples? What are ways you are striving to be formed as a disciple? Are there any ways where your growth as a disciple has become stagnant? Is there something more you could do to grow, or to help others grow, in their walk with Jesus?
SEND - Do you feel you are a transforming presence in the world today? Transforming the “world” can sound overwhelming, but what are areas in your life where you do have some influence? Are there people, situations, or organizations that the Lord might want to send you to?
After reflecting on these questions pick just one area to focus on. What is one thing you could do in the coming weeks to bring, form, or send so as to better live out Jesus’ command to make disciples.
Discussion Questions
Think about how you can continue to reflect on God’s word to you this week, and how you can invite others into the conversation. You can use the questions below for personal reflection, or to grow with others. Be creative! You could consider gathering with friends and family, or starting a group text, or a group FaceTime, to discuss the questions below.
What stands out to you from the readings this week? What might God be speaking to you at this time?
Were you able to experience anything last week that was life-giving and filled you with joy?
The first reading tells us that after Jesus ascended to heaven the Apostles stood there looking at the sky. What thoughts, feelings, or questions do you think they were experiencing? Can you relate to any of those?
Mark’s Gospel tells us: “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.” The Gospel of Matthew words it a little differently: “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.” (Mt 28:19-20). This is called the “Great Commissioning.” How familiar are you with this command of Jesus?