7th Sunday of Easter - Ascension Sunday - Year A - May 21, 2023

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The feast of the Ascension of the Lord Year A commemorates the day that Jesus Christ ascended into heaven. He also gave the Great Commission, that all of the world should be saved. In the first reading the ascension of Jesus is recounted and the Apostles are told they will receive the Holy Spirit. In the second reading we hear that Jesus Christ rules heaven and earth. And in the gospel, Jesus tells his disciples to preach the Good News to the whole world.
·       The Ascension: The first reading for the Ascension of the Lord Year A tells us that Jesus appeared to his disciples over a period of forty days after his resurrection and taught them about the kingdom of God. Before his ascension, Jesus told his disciples to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit to come upon them. The second reading speaks of the ascension as an exaltation of Jesus Christ, who is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven, with power and authority over all things, and is a source of hope and enlightenment for believers.
·       The Great Commission: This is a command given by Jesus to his disciples to go out to the world and make disciples of all nations. The Great Commission requires the disciples to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations. This emphasizes the importance of reaching out beyond one’s own community to share the message of Jesus Christ.
·       Evangelism: This is the act of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others. The Great Commission in all three passages emphasizes the importance of evangelism as part of making disciples.
·       Getting out of our comfort zones: Making disciples often requires stepping outside of one’s comfort zone and engaging with people who may have different backgrounds, cultures, or beliefs. This is emphasized in the Great Commission as disciples are called to go out to all nations.
·       Holy Spirit: In the first reading, Jesus tells his disciples that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. The Holy Spirit is also mentioned in the second reading as the source of wisdom and revelation that helps believers understand the hope to which they have been called. In the gospel, Jesus promises to be with his disciples always, even to the end of the age, indicating that his presence will be with them through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is thus a vital component of the Great Commission and evangelism.
 
Entrance:
1.         Diha sa Halaran
2.         Awit sa Himaya
3.         Mag-ambahan Kita
4.         Magsiawit sa Panginoon (Isidro and Que)
5.         Bayan, Umawit (Borres, Baltazar, and Francisco)
6.         Purihin ang Panginoon (Isidro and Ramirez)
7.         Sing a new song (Schutte). Don’t forget to replace “Yahweh’s people” to “O God’s people.”
8.         Sing to the Mountains (Dufford)
9.         Play before the Lord (Dufford) Stanza 2 ang priority.
10.      Lover of us all (Schutte)
 
Reading 1                          Acts 1:1-11
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                             Mt 28:16-20
The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,

“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
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.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
 
Offertory:
1.         Dios Nia Ko
2.         O Dios Dawata
3.         Diyutay Lang Kini
4.         Daygon Ikaw Ginoong Dios
5.         Narito Ako (San Andres)
6.         Narito Ako, Panginoon (Que)
7.         Unang Alay (Magnaye)
8.         Dwelling Place (Foley)
9.         How shall I sing to God (Haas)
10.      One Bread, One Body (Foley)
11.      Prayer for Generosity (Arboleda) “That I do Your most holy will”
 
Communion:
1.         O Dios Ikaw Haduol
2.         Mao Kining Akong Lawas
3.         Way Sukod ang Pagmahal
4.         Kaibigan, kapanalig (Ofrasio & Hontiveros)
5.         Pagsibol (Aquino)
6.         Kaibigan “’Di ka nag-iisa, kasama mo ako”
7.         Pagkakaibigan (Cenzon & Abad-Santos)
8.         Huwag kang Mangamba (Pagsanghan & Francisco)
9.         Tubig ng Buhay (Valdellon)
10.      Far Greater Love (Go & Francisco)
11.      Here in this Place (Haas)
12.      I am the Bread of Life (Toolan)
13.      Here I am Lord (Schutte)
 
Recessional:
1.         Kinsa?
2.         Ang atong Tulubagon
3.         Humayo’t Ihayag
4.         O Bayan ng Dios (Aquino)
5.         All my days (Schutte & Murray)
6.         I will sing forever (Francisco)