The text gives a synthetic overview of all of Matthew's book. Like the finale of a symphony, he resumes and merges into one single harmony ,the themes developed in his Gospel . The text is addressed to readers so that they too the experience of the first disciples They have to go to Galilee, "on the mountain" indicated to them by Jesus. There they see Him and worship Him. It is also part of the meeting the doubt , whose faith represents the overcoming. Whoever goes up to the mountainmeets "the Son" and to this it is given His own power. It is that of becoming brother of all, so that every man be immersed in the only Love of the Father and of the Son, who makes able to do what Jesus has commanded. In this way He is God-with-us, to lead the world to its fulfillment. His being with us makes it possible our being with Him. The Nazarite, Crucified and Risen, is present every day. He meets us each day and every hour when, faithfully and wisely, we listen and do what He has done and said. His ascension - exalting his humanity to the dignity of the Son of God - is certainty of blessing for every man. In Him we see the hope to which we have been called, the treasure of glory that encloses our heritage. (Eph 1:18). In Jesus ascending to heaven, we fully know the mystery of man and his body. We know where He comes from, because we see where He goes: He comes from the Father of light, and He returns to Him. Our life is no longer suspended in the void it found its principle and its aim. Jesus does not leave us orphans and without homeland . Precisely with His staying away He shows us the Father and His home, where He preceded us. Our homeland is in heavens and our life is now hidden with Christ in God. In Him we too have already been resurrected, have sat down in heavens and glorified. (Fil.3,20). Where is our treasure, there is also our heart, and where is our heart, we will be there too. The commandment of love is the way to reach it. Now we finally know the One whom we are looking for and how to find Him. For this reason the disciples are filled with joy! The Lord, ascending up, He has accomplished the greatest wonders in our favor. He has destroyed slavery that separates us from the homeland of desire, winning our death and giving Himself as the sense of our life; He has distributed all His gifts, offering to us His Spirit and the opportunity to live His life. Now we are free, similar to Him and we see through Him what we are: sons in the Son, finally adults and responsible, we can testify and proclaim to the brethren Father's Love, going on to do and to teach to the extreme ends of the earth as much as He began to do and to teach from Galilee to Jerusalem. "Go therefore and make disciples of all peoples," says Jesus to eleven ones. When he ended His own mission, those who welcomed Him ,they begin their journey. It is the same one of the Son, who witnesses Father's Love to the brothers who do not yet know Him. The one who, in Him, has discovered his son's name, realizes, as he does, going toward his brothers, until the Father's name is sanctified throughout the earth. Time is a journey, the goal of which is to be with He who is always and forever with us. This will be when, through the testimony of the disciples, we all will become children and brothers.
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 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.” Responsorial Psalm PS 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
R. (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord. or: R. Alleluia. All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with cries of gladness, For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome, is the great king over all the earth. R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord. or: R. Alleluia. God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy; the LORD, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise. R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord. or: R. Alleluia. For king of all the earth is God; sing hymns of praise. God reigns over the nations, God sits upon his holy throne. R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord. or: R. Alleluia. Reading 2 EPH 1:17-23
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.Alleluia MT 28:19A, 20B
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Go and teach all nations, says the Lord; I am with you always, until the end of the world. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel LK 24:46-53
Jesus said to his disciples: “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.
The text gives a synthetic overview of all of Matthew's book. Like the finale of a symphony, he resumes and merges into one single harmony ,the themes developed in his Gospel .
RispondiEliminaThe text is addressed to readers so that they too the experience of the first disciples
They have to go to Galilee, "on the mountain" indicated to them by Jesus. There they see Him and worship Him.
It is also part of the meeting the doubt , whose faith represents the overcoming. Whoever goes up to the mountainmeets "the Son" and to this it is given His own power. It is that of becoming brother of all, so that every man be immersed in the only Love of the Father and of the Son, who makes able to do what Jesus has commanded. In this way He is God-with-us, to lead the world to its fulfillment. His being with us makes it possible our being with Him. The Nazarite, Crucified and Risen, is present every day. He meets us each day and every hour when, faithfully and wisely, we listen and do what He has done and said. His ascension - exalting his humanity to the dignity of the Son of God - is certainty of blessing for every man. In Him we see the hope to which we have been called, the treasure of glory that encloses our heritage. (Eph 1:18).
In Jesus ascending to heaven, we fully know the mystery of man and his body.
We know where He comes from, because we see where He goes: He comes from the Father of light, and He returns to Him.
Our life is no longer suspended in the void it found its principle and its aim.
Jesus does not leave us orphans and without homeland . Precisely with His staying away He shows us the Father and His home, where He preceded us. Our homeland is in heavens and our life is now hidden with Christ in God. In Him we too have already been resurrected, have sat down in heavens and glorified. (Fil.3,20).
Where is our treasure, there is also our heart, and where is our heart, we will be there too.
The commandment of love is the way to reach it.
Now we finally know the One whom we are looking for and how to find Him.
For this reason the disciples are filled with joy! The Lord, ascending up, He has accomplished the greatest wonders in our favor. He has destroyed slavery that separates us from the homeland of desire, winning our death and giving Himself as the sense of our life; He has distributed all His gifts, offering to us His Spirit and the opportunity to live His life. Now we are free, similar to Him and we see through Him what we are: sons in the Son, finally adults and responsible, we can testify and proclaim to the brethren Father's Love, going on to do and to teach to the extreme ends of the earth as much as He began to do and to teach from Galilee to Jerusalem.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all peoples," says Jesus to eleven ones.
When he ended His own mission, those who welcomed Him ,they begin their journey. It is the same one of the Son, who witnesses Father's Love to the brothers who do not yet know Him. The one who, in Him, has discovered his son's name, realizes, as he does, going toward his brothers, until the Father's name is sanctified throughout the earth. Time is a journey, the goal of which is to be with He who is always and forever with us. This will be when, through the testimony of the disciples, we all will become children and brothers.
Reading 1 ACTS 1:1-11
RispondiEliminaIn 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 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.”
Responsorial Psalm PS 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
R. (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2 EPH 1:17-23
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.Alleluia MT 28:19A, 20B
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;
I am with you always, until the end of the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel LK 24:46-53
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them
and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage
and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and they were continually in the temple praising God.