Seventh Sunday of Easter

Note: In some dioceses in the United States, the Ascension of the Lord is observed on this Sunday.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

(Chapter 1:1-11)

This reading should be exciting for Christians, because it is an account of the beginnings of the Church in the sense that the Church is the gathering of disciples of Jesus who pray, as the author writes, "of one accord." It is good for us to remember that the relatively small assemblage Luke describes in this passage, the apostles and "some women," including the Blessed Virgin, evolved and grew into the Church we know. In other words, there is an unbroken line between that modest group and us, the Church in the 21st century, still gathering to pray "of one accord." 

Responsorial Psalm

(Psalm 27:1, 4, 7-8)

 "I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living." According to tradition, this psalm was written by King David, which would mean it was written about nine centuries before the birth of Jesus, But for Christians, it expresses the promise of the Resurrection. During this Easter season, we celebrate that promise, namely that, like Jesus, and because of the grace we receive through his sacrifice, we can overcome death and live forever in God's presence. 

A reading from the first letter of Peter

(Chapter 4:13-16)

"If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." Scholars differ on whether this letter refers to social rejection of Christians or persecution by the Roman Empire, which didn't begin in earnest until the reign of Domitian, almost 50 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Either way, we can apply the author's encouraging words to ourselves. We may feel slighted or even ridiculed for adhering to our Christian faith in an increasingly secular and materialistic society, but we know that the difficulties of this live are temporary and the promises of the next life, through the grace of Jesus Christ, will be forever. And it might help us see our own situation in perspective by praying for Christians around the world who are not only denigrated but brutally persecuted.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John

(Chapter 17:1-11a)

“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.... And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.” In this passage, Jesus is referring to his resurrection and ascension into heaven. That's what he means by saying that he will no longer be in the world. But when he says of his disciples, which includes us, that "they are in the world," he doesn't mean only that he has ascended to the Father, and that he has left us behind. While we are in this world, we are called to make him present, too, through our witness and through our acts of generosity, mercy, and justice. That is our mission as members of his Mystical Body. 

 ✝️

Painting: Part of Rembrandt van Rijn's Passion Cycle for Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (1636). Public Domain.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL). All rights reserved.
 
Bill Ayres was a founder, with the late singer Harry Chapin, of WhyHunger. He has been a radio and TV broadcaster for 40 years and has two weekly Sunday-night shows on WPLJ, 95.5 FM in New York. He is a member of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Centerport, New York.