Ascension of the Lord - Solemnity

Acts of the Apostles

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

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 Hebrews

Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world. But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment,
so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.
Therefore, brothers, since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary
by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh,
and since we have "a great priest over the house of God,"
let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.
Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke

And he said to them, "Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things."
And (behold) I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."
Then he led them (out) as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and they were continually in the temple praising God.

St. Mother Ursula (Giulia) Ledóchowska(Religious (1865 - 1939))

M. Ursula (Giulia) Ledóchowska Religious (1865-1939) "If only I knew how to love, to burn and consume oneself in love," so Giulia Ledóchowska wrote at 24 years old. She then professed vows as a novice at the Ursuline convent in Krakow. She took the name "Maria Ursula of Jesus," and the words she wrote became the guidelines of her entire life. In her mothers' family of Swiss nationality, from the dynasty of the Salis, and her father's Polish family, there were many politicians, military men and ecclesiastics. They were involved in the history of Europe and the Church. She was raised in a large family where affectionate and disciplined love was given freely. The first three children, including Mother Ursula, chose the consecrated life: Maria Teresa (beatified in 1975) founded the Society of S. Peter Claver, and the younger brother, Vladimiro, became the father general of the Jesuits. Mother Ursula lived at the convent in Krakow for 21 years. Her love for the Lord, educational talent and sensibility toward the needs of youngsters put her at the center of attention. When women won the right to study in universities, she organized the first boarding house in Poland for female students. The students found a safe place to live and study and received a solid religious preparation. Her passion, together with Pope Pio X's blessing, gave her the strength to move to Russia, which was hostile toward the Church and where religious life was prohibited. When she left with another Sister for Petersburg, she did not know that the Holy Spirit would lead her on unforeseen paths. In Petersburg, Mother Ursula, with a steadily growing community of nuns, soon established an autonomous structure of the Ursulines. They lived discreetly, under constant surveillance by the secret police. They brought forward an intense educational and religious project that also encouraged friendship between Poles and Russians. When war broke out in 1914, Mother Ursula departed Russia for Stockholm. During her travels to Sweden, Denmark and Norway, she concentrated on education, the life of the local Church, giving aid to war victims and ecumenical work. The house where she lived with her nuns became a point of reference for people of different political and religious orientations. Her strong love for country was equal to her love of diversity and acceptance of others. Once asked to speak of her political orientation, she promptly answered, "My policy is love." In 1920, Mother Ursula, her sisters and a vast number of orphan children of immigrants returned to Poland. The Apostolic Headquarters transformed its autonomous convent to the Ursulines of the Sacred Agonising Heart ofJesus. The spirituality of the congregation is concentrated on the contemplation of the salvific love of Christ and participation in His mission by means ofeducational projects and service to others, particularly to the suffering, the lonely and the abandoned. Mother Ursula educated her sisters to love God above everything else and to find God in every human being and in all creation. By means of her smile, serenity and capacity to live the ordinary, everyday routine as a privileged road toward holiness, she gave a particularly credible testimony to the personal bond with Christ. The congregation developed quickly in Poland. Communities of the Ursuline nuns were also established on the country's eastern frontiers. In 1928, the Generalate was established in Rome along with a boarding house for underprivileged girls. The Sisters began to work in the poor suburbs of Rome. In 1930, the nuns accompanied girls in search of work and established themselves in France. Wherever possible, Mother Ursula founded educational and instructional work centers. She sent nuns to catechize and to work in poor areas. She wrote books and articles for children and youngsters. She initiated and sustained ecclesiastical organizations for children (Eucharistic Movement), for youngsters, and for women. She actively participated in the life of the Church and State and received great acknowledgement and decorations from both. When she passed away in Rome on May 29, 1939, people said she died a saint. Pope John Paul II beatified Mother Ursula on June 20, 1983, in Poznan. He canonized her on May 18, 2003, in Rome.

St. Raymond and companions()

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