OXYGEN

21 May – Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Christ’s Eternal Glory
We celebrate today Christ’s ascension to his eternal glory in heaven and express our Christian hope that where he, our Head, has gone before us, his Body, we will one day follow, to live for ever in the Kingdom of our Father.

- the Sunday Missal
____________________

Acts 1:1-11

In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning until the day he gave his instructions to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God. When he had been at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait htere for what the Father had promised. “It is,” he had said, “what you have heard me speak about: John baptised with water but you, not many days from now, will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.”

Now having met together, they asked him, “Lord, has the time come? Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know times or dates that the Father has decided by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends of the earth.”

As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. They were still staring into the sky when suddenly two men in white were standing near them and they said, “Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same way as you have seen him go there.”
____________________

Ephesians 4:1-13

I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all.

Each one of us, however, has been given his own share of grace, given as Christ allotted it. It was said that he would:

When he ascended to the height, he captured prisoners,
he gave gifts to men.

When it says, “he ascended”, what can it mean if not that he descended right down to the lower regions of the earth? The one who rose higher than all the heavens to fill all things is none other than the one who descended. And to some, his gift was that they should be apostles; to some, prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers; so that the saints together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ. In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.
____________________

Mark 16:15-20

Jesus showed himself to the Eleven, and said to them, “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out deveils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.”

And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven: there at the right hand of God he took his place, while they, going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it.
____________________

Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.

After my ‘O’ Levels, a close friend of mine casually asked if I was interested in going for a mission trip. Without any consideration, I replied with a casual “Okay!” And off we went to the Philippines for three weeks.

We had to do a process of reflection and sharing every night. Sharing my thoughts and feelings in a group was daunting and dreadful. Daunting because I had to search and reflect within myself and dreadful because I felt vulnerable in sharing with others. Moreover it was my first time and sharing deeply was never a culture at home, school or church.

Slowly, I opened myself up to people and to God. The mission trip has been the turning and anchor point in my life. It is also an experience I continue to proclaim by sharing with others how God changed my life.

Before we go out to the whole world to proclaim Jesus, we must encounter Him by first allowing Him to encounter us. He will enter even through the tiniest opening of our hearts. In meeting Christ, he will reveal our belovedness.

To know that we are greatly loved is a gift he gives unceasingly. With open hearts and hands, let us receive His love, so that we might go out of our comfort zones to love others unceasingly too. To proclaim, is to share the good news, wonders, miracles, experiences of Christ in our lives.

Let us continue to say ‘yes’ to life everyday so that we might begin to realize and share our small discoveries of how God is working in our lives with our families, friends, and to the whole world.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Marianne Tan)
____________________

Prayer: Father God, grant us the grace to know that we are so loved by you. Give us the courage to transcend our fears and inhibitions so that we might always proclaim and share your love to others.

Thanksgiving: Thank you for the opportunity to live today. It is a privilege to be called and chosen to know You.

Upcoming Readings:
Fri, 22 May – Acts 18:9-18; John 16:20-23; Memorial for St. Rita of Cascia, Religious
Sat, 23 May – Acts 18:23-28; John 16:23-28
Sun, 24 May – Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; 1 John 4:11-16; John 17:11-19; Seventh Sunday of Easter; 43rd World Communication Sunday