The Good News

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Today, the Seventh Sunday of Easter, we celebrate the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, it is the fortieth day after Easter when Jesus ascended to heaven. This solemnity directs our attention to Christ, who ascended into heaven before the eyes of his disciples and who is now seated at the right hand of the Father. He is there to prepare a place for us in the Kingdom of heaven, and is destined to come again. 

The Ascension is an image used in praying the glorious mysteries of the Rosary. It is the second glorious mystery and the fruit of this mystery is hope. We as Christians live in hope of being united with Christ in heaven and for Christ’s second coming, when Jesus ascended it did not mean that he was gone forever. At the beginning of the Gospel reading, Jesus commissions the disciples to go out and proclaim the Good News to all the world. He then gives a list of signs which will accompany those who believe in Him and are baptised in His name. They will have the power to preach, heal, and cast out demons in Jesus’ name. After Jesus said these words, he was taken up to heaven, seated at the right hand of God. Then the disciples left and started to preach everywhere, the Lord was with them as they were able to perform miracles in the name of Jesus. 

Today’s Gospel does not point to Jesus’ absence but tells us that he is alive in our midst in a new way. Jesus is now in the Lordship of God, present in every space and time, he is close to every one of us. Whilst Jesus is at the right hand of the Father he still dwells in his Body, the Church. Through the Church, Christ acts in the world. Jesus sends out his disciples and that includes us to continue his work of proclaiming the Good News through our words and deeds. At the end of every mass the Priest ‘sends us out’ to announce the Gospel, not all of us can go out into the whole world but we as Christians are called to bring the Good News to others in our daily lives. It’s a call to the whole of creation. We can ask ourselves if there are any areas of our lives where we can bring good news to others or for the environment around us. Do we need to reconcile ourselves with a member of our family with whom we have quarrelled? Can we commit to recycling waste or reduce consumerism, share with those in need or plant a tree! 

The Ascension, today, directs our gaze towards heaven and reminds us that the mission of the Church is a boundless mission. The Lord’s Ascension into heaven was the start of a new era, a new form of Jesus’ presence among us, Pope Francis says, “it calls us to keep eyes and hearts open to encounter Jesus, to serve him and bear witness to him to others.” Through our baptism we are called to be “men and women of the Ascension” and with the same power given to the first disciples he sends us today to establish visible and concrete signs of hope. This hope comes from the Risen Christ who went to heaven and opened the gates, and we live in the hope that we will one day reach it.  

A reading from the Gospel Mark (Mk 16: 15-20) 

Jesus said to his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.   

The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

  1. Read the Gospel story so that you are familiar with it.
  2. Reflect on what the Gospel is saying to you. Which points would you highlight and why? 
  3. During this coming week reflect on whether you are doing enough to proclaim the good news to others? Could I do more? If yes, how? 
  4. Try to pray the Rosary every day with your family. Pray especially the Glorious mysteries (Sunday and Wednesday) as we move closer to Pentecost Sunday.  
  5. Together with your family find the right time to read this Gospel. The environment helps, so before you start, prepare: 
    i. The Bible reading from St Mark (16: 15-20)
    ii. A candle
    iii. Cover the table with a white cloth
    vi. A computer/laptop with the reading and clips
  6. Go through the steps with your children (2 age groups are being suggested)
  7. Feel free to adapt to your situation
  8. Be creative 😊

Forty days after he rose from the dead Jesus was talking with his friends when suddenly he was taken up to heaven. He disappeared through the clouds and returned to God the Father. Today let us celebrate Jesus’ return to the Father in heaven, and remember that we hope to join them some day!

– YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.
www.youtube.com
  • Amazing things happen when we follow Jesus
  • Jesus continues to help us from Heaven where He is with God the Father
  • H is for Heaven printout
  • Colours/paints
  • Glue
  • Cotton wool balls
PrintoutDownload

When Jesus was alive his disciples saw him do and say many amazing things. Can you think of any of his miracles? Let me remind you, he healed the sick and the blind, he walked on water, calmed a storm and he changed the water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana. The most amazing thing that he did was to die on the cross so that our sins would be forgiven and then three days later, he rose from the dead! 

After his resurrection, he stayed with his friends for forty days teaching them about God’s kingdom, he showed them that he was really alive. Jesus was preparing the disciples because he was going to give them a very special job to do when he would not be any longer with them because at that time the disciples did not know that Jesus was going up to Heaven. Jesus told his disciples “go everywhere and tell everyone about the Good News.” What do you think this Good News is?

It is connected to all the amazing things which Jesus said and did when he was on earth, it is the Good News that God loves all of us and that he wants us to believe in Him and to follow Him. That Jesus died for us on the cross so that our sins may be forgiven, and that one day we will be with him in Heaven. This really is Good News! After Jesus gave them this job to do, another amazing thing happened. Jesus was taken up into Heaven, He sat at the right hand of God the Father, the place of honour. Today Jesus is still helping us do amazing things in His name from His place of honour in Heaven. 
To remind you that Jesus is helping us from Heaven you can print out the ‘H is for Heaven’ poster and paint or colour the background blue (like the sky). Then stick the cotton wool balls on the letter ‘H’ like clouds, whilst listening to this song, Thankful. 

Sign of the cross

We thank you Jesus for not leaving us alone. Thank you for showing us your love through all your amazing deeds and words. Help us to share your love with our family and friends. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen

Today the Gospel reading is from Mark’s Gospel and it tells us what happened just before Jesus ascended into Heaven. He had one last set of instructions for the disciples to follow. It is called the feast of the Ascension and is celebrated forty days after Easter. 

– YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.
www.youtube.com
  • Jesus calls us to be witnesses of the Good News
  • Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven and has prepared a place for us
  • The Great Commission template
  • Colours
  • Scissors
  • Stapler or hole punch and string
PrintoutDownload

On today’s feast we celebrate the ascension of Jesus into Heaven. It’s hard to imagine just what the disciples were thinking as they watched Him being taken up into the clouds. But before Jesus left them he gave them a message of hope and he gave them a job to do. They were challenged to go out and proclaim the Good News to all of creation. It is called the Great Commission and it applies to us too. Jesus says those who believe in me will be able to do great things in my name. They will have the power to preach, to heal, and to cast out demons in the name of Jesus.  

What exactly is the Good News which we are asked to tell others about? God wants everyone to hear and experience how much He loves them. God wants everyone to know Him. Jesus came to show us how to tell others about God’s love, He had completed the work He had come for, He died on the cross for all of our sins and rose again. After Jesus finished instructing the disciples, He was taken up to Heaven and sat at the right hand of God the Father. The disciples went out and shared the Good News with everyone around them. God used them to do many amazing things and they taught others to do the same. That is what it means to be a follower of Jesus! Now it is up to us as baptised Christians to tell others about Jesus, to be witnesses to the people around us at home, at school, in our community, in our country and even throughout the world. This is what missionaries do when they go to a foreign country to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ through their words and their actions. We are called to carry the love of Jesus with us and to share it with others.  

Let us ask God to help us to be good followers and to be able to tell others about the Good News of Jesus Christ. Think about 4 ways in which you can do this and write your ideas on the blank pentagons on the ‘Great Commission’ Template. Use colours to colour all the pentagons and then staple them together or punch a hole and thread a ribbon or string through them to make a small booklet. If you cut them out and stick them onto card it would make them stronger ☺ you can listen to this song whilst you are doing this, . You might also like to watch this video.

Sign of the cross.

Heavenly Father, we ask you to help us through the Holy Spirit to be bold enough to share your Good News with others. Since Jesus is now with you in Heaven, we ask Him to help us also to be good witnesses as we try to follow His example. 

Amen  

Coming soon.

How to use this space

God speaks to us in many ways, including through the Sunday Scripture readings. Here you will find useful background and activities to better understand the upcoming Sunday's Scripture readings, helping you to connect the Scripture to daily life in a meaningful way.