Meditation for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Today is Ascension Thursday, forty days after the Resurrection.  As I’ve read, only the dioceses of Boston, Hartford, New York, Omaha, and Philadelphia have in the United States today as a Holy Day of Obligation.  More than likely if you are reading this, the celebration of the feast for you is pushed over to Sunday.  Well, after some early confusion, I realized I had to get to Mass today, and I did.  It was worth it.  The readings are wonderful.  Today’s Gospel is taken from Mark’s Ascension narrative.

 

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.

~Mk 16:15-20

This is the famous snake handler passage.  Do not do this.  People have actually died following this.  How is one supposed to read it?  It’s a sign of the power of evangelizing, not the literal prevention from harm.

More importantly, Fr. Geoffrey Plant provides the theological underpinnings of the Ascension.

 

The Glory Cloud is the key to the passage! 

 

Meditation: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”