Readers’ Notes
These notes are provided by Sr Vivienne Kellett RSC and are intended to be used in any way which will be of help to readers in their task of proclaiming the word of God at Mass or perhaps of stimulating discussion amongst scripture or liturgy groups in parishes and communities. We would welcome feedback.
THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD YEAR C
The Gospel, Luke 24:46-53, concludes Luke’s account of the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here, the risen Lord is speaking to the disciples – every one of us. W are to see how Jesus fulfilled all that was written in the prophets. As a consequence, repentance for the forgiveness of sins is the gospel, the good news for all people everywhere. The disciples who were present when he spoke these words were witnesses to this. He promises they will be empowered for the mission. Then as he blesses them he ascends to heaven. The final sentence sees their return to the city to prepare for the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost with worship, joy and praise.
The First Reading, Acts: 1-11, is the opening of Luke’s second book, the Apostles 1:1-11. The first paragraph is a summary of his Gospel. The story continues from the promise of Jesus that they would soon receive the baptism of the Spirit. At this point they know him to be their Risen Lord yet they still have not fully understood why and think that he may yet restore the kingdom to Israel. Jesus does not answer directly but points out that God has much in store that has not yet been revealed. However, they will receive power when they receive the Spirit and will witness to Jesus in place ranging from Judea to the ends of the earth. This is message is for us today. It is the purpose of our lives and we are given the power to do it by the Spirit we have received. The careful minister of the word today will direct the words to the congregation of listeners. We have the mission. We have the power. This reading calls for us to wake up to the fact. We are not to spend our lives gazing up to heaven.
Some verses from Psalm 46 are chosen for our response as we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus not to abandon us but to be our hope. Where he has gone, we hope to follow.
The Second Reading: Ephesians 1:17-23. It can be read as a prayer for the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost; a prayer for light, for insight. This will certainly help us grow in knowledge and understanding of Jesus. It is not left there, however. It is also a prayer that we may know what hope his call holds for us. We can see from the power of God at work in Jesus what the same God can do in and through us. Jesus, as the ruler of everything, is the head of the church. His fullness fills the whole creation. And we are his body.
PENTECOST SUNDAY Year C
Today we have another part of Jesus’ teaching, from the Gospel according to John 14:15-16, 23-26. The words are simple but the truth they express is very deep and though we may ponder them over and over we will not come to an end. There will always be more to learn, because love is a mystery, the mystery of God, and we will spend time and eternity entering ever more deeply into love, into the truth of God. Pondering is not all, of course. Jesus is quite clear that love is proved by deeds. As the old proverb says, “Actions speak louder than words!” If we love, we will keep the commandments; if we love, we will keep his word; we will keep his words. And he tells us these are not his own but they are his Father’s. The Word made flesh in Jesus will be made flesh again in us. And the Father will love us and with Jesus will live in us. How can we grasp such a wonder? By the power of the Spirit, says Jesus, for the Holy Spirit, the One who helps us, will teach us and help us to understand and live the word of Love ever more deeply.
The First Reading, Acts 2:1-11, is very dramatic and the wise Reader will spend time preparing to do it justice. The scene is set in the upper room where the apostles had spent the nine days since the Ascension “in continuous prayer, together with several women, including Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” The feast of Pentecost arrived, as indeed it did every year, but this time it was different. A mighty wind, the sound filling the house! Flames like tongues of fire resting on every head! What on earth was happening? Something from heaven was happening! They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Let us not rush on to the rest of this sentence. The most amazing thing in their lives was happening to them. Everything that follows for them, in them, and through them depends on this event, this experience they were sharing. Something of the wonder and excitement should come across to our listeners as we proclaim it. Jesus had told them it would happen, sure enough. But it had never happened to them before. How could they be ready for this baptism in the Spirit that he had promised? The second half of the reading is about the gift of tongues that they received, and this was no less a wonder to their hearers, who were from many different lands with many different languages. (A word to the wise Reader: spend a few minutes practising the names of the different nationalities so they will trip off your tongue, not trip you up!)
Our response from Psalm 103 is both an appeal for new life in the Spirit and a poem of praise for the wonder of God.
In the Second Reading,Romans 8:8-17 Paul draws contrast after contrast: each time pointing out that since the Spirit lives in us, we are not bound by negative things like the unspiritual, sin, death…. There is no necessity for us to be bound by them. Because the Spirit of Jesus, the Son of God, lives in us we are God’s sons and daughters and can call God our Abba, and like Jesus, having suffered for being true and loving, we are heirs to the kingdom of heaven.
TRINITY SUNDAY YEAR C
Today we have a short Gospel Reading, John 16:12-15, taken from Jesus’ last words to his disciples, after they shared with him the final Passover meal of his life, just before he was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. It was a time of deep emotion for all who were present. As he spoke to them he kept returning to the coming of the Holy Spirit, and to all that the Spirit would do for the infant church. In this context he tells them that although there is yet much for them to learn they would be unable to take it in. They must wait for the “Spirit of truth” to come. Gradually all that Jesus has to say about the past, about the present, about the future, will be revealed to the church. All that the Father has belongs also to Jesus, the Son, and the Spirit conveys this to us. The unity of the trinity is underlined for us in the choice of this gospel for today, Trinity Sunday.
The First Reading is from Proverbs 8:22-31. It is poetry at its best – there’s not a word too many in this wonder-filled, fresh, vibrant description of the wisdom of God seen at work in the whole of creation. As long as God is God, the wisdom of Father, Son and Spirit is both at work and at play in the creation, happy to be with us in what we tend to call “our” world. This is a great mystery, a delight for us to enjoy as our understanding deepens. In these days when we are so aware of how we can damage the earth it is a privilege for us Readers to express the delight of God in this world and to instil, as best we can, a reverence and a sense of responsibility for the earth as we proclaim the word today.
The response to this is from Psalm 8, (the psalm that inspired the hymn “How great thou art”) with the refrain, “How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth.”
In our Second Reading, Romans 5:1-5. Paul reminds us that it is through Jesus we have the gift of faith, are in the state of grace, and on the way to glory. Wonderful! However, we have not yet arrived, and while we look forward to this glory we have to endure the suffering that is our human experience. Paul tells the Romans (and us) that this is part of the glory. How can this be? He says it is because we have been given the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who has poured the love of God into our hearts. Notice the word “poured” – it is not merely sprinkled or trickled. This is the amazing truth. You and I have received this love of God into our human hearts. That, says Paul, is why we can accept our suffering cheerfully, grow to be patient, stay true to our calling and live with hope that does not and will not deceive us. It is because of the love of God, Father Son and Spirit, poured into our hearts. Let us hope and pray that as we proclaim this word both we and our hearers will be led to believe and to discover more deeply the love in the heart of each and every one of us.
SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST YEAR C
The Gospel is Luke 9:11-17. It is about Jesus feeding lots of people with five loaves and a couple of fish. All four Gospels tell the story. We run the risk of not quite listening because we think we know! Just before this incident, Jesus had sent the apostles out on a mission. When they returned, Luke tells us, he ‘withdrew privately’ to Bethsaida with them. The crowd discovered this and followed them. We are not told how the people were received by the twelve but Jesus made them welcome. He talked to them about the kingdom of God. He cured those who needed healing. And so the hours went by. Late in the afternoon the twelve came to him, suggesting it was time to send the crowd away. Not so, says Jesus. Get them all to sit down in groups and then give me what food you have. He takes the food, looks to heaven, blesses and breaks the loaves and the fishes and gives the pieces to the twelve (Luke calls them ‘disciples’ this time) to distribute. And there was more than enough for all, since each of the twelve had a basketful left. There is much to be learned from this gospel. It tells us a great deal about the Lord, about the Mass, about being disciples, about caring and sharing, about being healed by the word of the Lord before we receive Holy Communion and about having lots to share when we are sent out to love and to serve.
The First Reading, Genesis 14:18-20, is brief. Abraham is on his way home with the men of his household, having rescued his nephew Lot and his family who had been captured by enemy forces together with all he possessed. The king of Salem (same meaning as shalom, peace and tranquillity) comes to meet him, bringing food and drink – bread and wine as well as a blessing. He prays that God Most High, creator of all, will bless Abraham and he blesses (praises) God for granting Abraham the victory. In return, Abraham gives Melchisedek a tenth of all he has rescued from his enemies. At first glance this may seem a very slight reading but it has depths of meaning and relevance for today’s celebration.
Our Response is from Psalm 109 and it links the priesthood of Melchisedek with the eternal priesthood of Christ, who offers himself as the perfect sacrifice in the Eucharistic bread and wine.
The Second Reading, 1st Corinthians 11:23-26, is a clear statement of the tradition begun at the Last Supper by Jesus himself and carefully passed on through the centuries up to this present gathering of the church today. It was begun on the night he was betrayed, when he took bread and thanked God and said ‘this is my body’ and it ‘is for you’ and it is a memorial, it reminds us of the covenant made ages before between God and his people. And still today, when we eat this bread, when we drink this wine we proclaim his death. This is the new covenant, in the blood of the Lamb of God and it looks not just to the past but to the future, until he comes again.
