Ascension Day Sermons and Commentary

THE COLLECT.
GRANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that since we do believe thy only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into the heavens; so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend, and with him continually dwell, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

THE EPISTLE. Acts 1. 1
THE former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: to whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs; being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: and, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

THE GOSPEL. S. Mark 16. 14
JESUS appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.

INTROIT. Ps 47:1-7
O CLAP your hands together, all ye people; / O sing unto God with the voice of melody.
2 For the Lord Most High is to be feared; / he is the great King over all the earth.
3 He subdued the peoples under us, / and the nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage for us, / even the glorious land of Jacob, whom he loved.
Ant. God is gone up with a merry noise, / the Lord with the sound of the trump.
6 O sing praises, sing praises unto our God; / O sing praises, sing praises unto our King.
7 For God is the King of all the earth: / sing ye praises with understanding.
Glory be. Repeat Antiphon.

GRADUAL. Ps 68:17-20
17 The chariots of God are ten thousands, yea, even thousands upon thousands; / and the Lord is among them, as in the holy place of Sinai.
18 Thou art gone up on high, thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts among men, / yea, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell with them.
19 Blesssed be the Lord, who daily beareth our burden, / even the God who is our salvation.
20 He is our God, even the God of whom cometh deliverance; / and God is the Lord by whom we escape death.
* During Eastertide, Alleluia is said twice before the psalm portion, and once after the last verse. It may be said after each verse.

Additional Propers for Eucharistic Devotions