Catholic Missal of the day: Thursday, May 25 2017
Ascension of the Lord - Solemnity
Ascension of the Lord - Solemnity
1. ReadingActs of the Apostles
1,1-11.]In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
]until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
]He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
]While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for "the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak;
]for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit."
]When they had gathered together they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
]He answered them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.
]But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
]When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
]While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
]They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven."
Psalms
47(46),2-3.6-7.8-9.]All you peoples, clap your hands;
shout to God with cries of gladness.
]For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
]God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
]Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
]For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
]God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.
Letter to the Ephesians
1,17-23.]Brothers and sisters: May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.
]May the eyes of (your) hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones,
]and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might,
]which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
]far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.
]And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
]which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew
28,16-20.]The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
]When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
]Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
]Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,
]teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."
St. Bede the Venerable(Priest and Doctor of the Church (673-735))
SAINT BEDE THE VENERABLE Priest and Doctor of the Church (673-735) Venerable Bede is a saint from the Anglo-Saxon Church and the first English historian. At 7 years old, he was consecrated to God and entrusted to the care of St. Benedict Biscop in Wearmouth. He became a monk in the sister-house of Jarrow and trained no less than six hundred scholars. To the toils of teaching and the exact observance of his rule, Bede added long hours of private prayer and study. He was familiar with Latin, Greek and Hebrew. In the treatise that he compiled for his scholars, he put together all that the world had stored in history, chronology, physics, music, philosophy, poetry, arithmetic and medicine. In his Ecclesiastical History, he recorded the lives of Anglo-Saxon Saints and Holy Fathers, and his commentaries on Holy Scripture are still in use by the Church. He is generally accepted as the father of English history. Venerable Bede translated the Gospel of St. John from Greek up to the hour of his death on Ascension Day, 735. "He spent that day joyfully," writes one of his scholars. After his attendant had written one last sentence, he said, "Consummatum est. Take my head and face me toward the old praying-place..." Laying on the floor, he sang, "Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost," and breathed his last. His translations of Sacred Scripture spread Christendom throughout England. He was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1899.
St. Gregory VII(Pope (c. 1013-1085))
SAINT GREGORY VII Pope (c. 1013 - 1085) Pope Gregory VII, born Hildebrand, was from southern Tuscany. He was educated at a monastery and was appointed deacon and legate by four successive popes. As the legate of Victor II, he condemned simony at a council in Lyons. He also successfully opposed the Roman aristocracy's appointment of an antipope, Benedict X. He was elected pope in 1073 by popular support. He then codified priestly celibacy and banned simony. Pope Gregory's reforms were unpopular among churchmen associated with Emperor Henry IV of Germany. The Emperor was at war with Catholic princes; and the pope's denunciation of certain clergymen provoked his anger. The first threat against Pope Gregory's life came from Cencio Frangipane. The latter, who practiced investiture and attempted to influence papal elections, wounded Pope Gregory during the Christmas midnight Mass of 1075 and imprisoned him. Pope Gregory was rescued the next day by the populace. Pope Gregory's conflict with Emperor Henry escalated when the latter convened a council to depose the elected pope. The populace and the majority of German princes opposed Henry's move; and the latter was forced to reconcile. However, further military victories against Catholic princes emboldened Henry, who captured Rome in 1084. Henry then instated an antipope and besieged Pope Gregory at the castle of St. Angelo. Pope Gregory set into canon law that only the College of Cardinals could elect a pope. In addition, only the pope could invest bishops with authority. The reforms were deeply unpopular overseas, including France and England. His reforms were the first to secure the independence of the Church and integrity of the priesthood. On May 25, 1085, at the age of 72, during the twelfth year of his pontificate, he went to his eternal reward. He was canonized in 1748.
Bl. Mykola Tsehelskyi(Priest and Martyr (1896-1951))
Blessed Mykola Tsehelskyi Greek-Catholic Priest and Martyr (1896-1951) Mykola Tsehelskyi was born on December 17, 1896, in the village of Strusiv, Ternopil District, Ukraine. He completed his course at the theological faculty of Lviv University in 1923. On April 5, 1925, Metropolitan Andriy Sheptytsky ordained him a priest. Fr. Mykola zealously raised up the spirituality, education and welfare of his parishioners. He ministered in the village of Soroko, where he built a new church. After World War II, the era of total repression began. Fr. Mykola experienced intimidation, threats and beatings. On October 28, 1946, Fr. Mykola was arrested. On January 27, 1947, he was sentenced to ten years in prison. Although he had a wife, two sons and two daughters, he was deported to labor camps in Mordovia. He lived in extremely horrid conditions at a camp that was notoriously strict and cruel. Fr. Mykola suffered from severe pain and died a martyr on May 25, 1951. Miracles from his intercession and proof of his heroic virtues show that he gained the beatific vision. He was beatified with 24 other Greek Catholics by Pope John Paul II on June 27, 2001, in Lliv.
Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2017 / Catholic Missal of may 2017
Published: 2026-07-14T18:16:17Z | Modified: 2026-07-14T18:16:17Z