Ascension Sunday
Sunday 17 May 2026
Lectio Divina:*
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Meditatio:
‘ I am with you always. (Matthew 28:20)
Commentary:
What was formerly celebrated as Ascension
Thursday has become—at least in Ireland—Ascension Sunday. This is something of
a loss, as it interrupts the traditional and indeed biblical pattern of a nine‑day
period of prayerful preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
The first Christian novena was this very prayer to the Holy Spirit, made in the
company of the Apostles and Mary, the Mother of Jesus (cf. Acts 1:14).
This Sunday’s Gospel is taken from the very
closing section of the relatively long Gospel according to Matthew. While
written with a Jewish audience particularly in mind, it reminds us that the
universal call to salvation now extends to all nations. There are no privileged
groups or insiders now. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
the Lord Jesus Christ, who sends us out as his missionaries of healing and good
news.
The Ascension reminds us that while our
hearts are lifted to the heavenly places where Christ is seated at the right
hand of the Father, we are nonetheless mandated, commissioned, and sent to
continue the saving mission of Jesus in a broken and waiting world.
Matthew ends his Gospel by reporting these
words of Jesus:
“And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Jesus—who is the eternal “I AM”—is with us
always. Always. Always. Including in those moments when we might feel that God
is absent or silent.
In contemporary Western post‑modern
culture, some adopt what might be called a practical atheism, living as
though God were irrelevant to life here and now. With genuine respect for those
who hold such views for pragmatic or experiential reasons, it must still be
said that the fullness of human meaning, identity, and purpose ultimately finds
its home in a trusting faith in a loving and personal God. More than that,
Christians believe that God seeks us, finds us, and meets us in Jesus Christ.
As St Irenaeus famously taught, “the glory of God is the human person fully
alive”—and our coming fully alive takes place in the light and truth of
God.
Even if our churches seem to be weakening
in parts of Europe, it may be that we are being led back, so to speak, to
Galilee: to the places of first encounter, original faith, and missionary
impulse, rather than relying on the spiritual prestige or security of former
centres of influence.
Along the way, we may have to contend with
doubt—but doubt need not prevent worship, for as Matthew tells us:
“When they saw him, they worshipped him;
but some doubted.” (Mt 28:17)
Our call is to be open to the fullness of
life given by the Holy Spirit. From that life and light, we are invited to
become bearers of hope – candles in the darkness - for others. This is our
commission, rooted in the sacrament of Baptism, nourished by the teaching of
the Word of God, and sustained by the mutual care that must be the hallmark of
a living, and not a dying, Church.
We are sent to bless the world not in three
separate names but in one Name—the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit. And this Name is Love (cf. 1 John 4:8).
Some extras:
Collect
of the Word for this Sunday (Church of Ireland)
Eternal and gracious God, we believe your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to have ascended with triumph into your kingdom in heaven; may we also in heart and mind
ascend to where he is, and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen
Post-Communion
prayer (Church of Ireland)
God our Father, you have raised our humanity in Christ and feed us with the bread of heaven. Mercifully grant that, nourished with such spiritual blessings, we may set our hearts in the heavenly places; where he now lives and reigns for ever.
Post-Communion prayer (Roman Catholic missal of
1970)
Father, in this Eucharist we tough on the divine life you give to the world. Help us to follow Christ with love to eternal life where he is Lord for ever and ever.
Private prayer after Holy Communion
(from The Family Missal and Prayer Book
of the Church of the Holy Spirit, Ballyroan, Co. Dublin, 1976)
Lord Jesus, King of glory, you ascended in victory to the Father; but you do not leave us orphans. I treasure your promise “Know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time. Stay with us, Lord. Lord Jesus, send the one you promised, the gift of the Father, the Holy Spirit, that your Church may spread your saving gospel to the ends of the earth.
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