(If you celebrate the Ascension in your diocese today, see the reflection below. Otherwise, skip to the next reflection and return to the Ascension reflection on Sunday.)
Ascension of Our Lord (Year A)
“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.” Matthew 28:18–20
What a monumental task the Apostles were given! These are Jesus’ parting words as He stands on the Mount of the Ascension, the final words recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. They are powerful words by which Jesus entrusts extraordinary responsibility to eleven of His closest companions. Their mission was not merely to gain new followers but to proclaim the Gospel to every nation. Additionally, they were to baptize all nations and teach them everything Jesus had commanded.
This incredible task would have seemed daunting, if not impossible. Yet it is grounded in divine authority: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore…” These are not mere words of encouragement but a divine command, rooted in the authority entrusted to Jesus by the Father. With this declaration, Jesus equips the Apostles with the grace to fulfill their mission, knowing they act under His authority.
The Ascension marks a fundamental transition in salvation history. Before the Incarnation, God established covenants with His people and sent prophets to call them to fidelity and prepare them for the coming of the Messiah. With Jesus’ Incarnation, a new era of salvation history began. Through His Passion and Resurrection, Jesus opened the floodgates of grace and inaugurated the final phase of God’s eternal plan. This phase continues today and will only reach its fulfillment when Christ returns in glory to judge the living and the dead and establish the new Heaven and new Earth.
Because we live in this final phase of salvation history, Jesus’ words to His Apostles also apply to us. We are not only among the “all nations” called to be disciples, but we also share in the Apostles’ mission to evangelize the world. While the Apostles, as the first bishops, had a unique role, every baptized person participates in Christ’s mission through the priestly, prophetic, and kingly offices conferred at baptism.
The recently canonized Saint John Henry Newman beautifully illustrates this shared mission in a prayer he wrote: “God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission…I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons….” Each of us has a unique role to play, and we can be certain that God has given us some definite service to act as a link in a chain and a bond of connection between God and others.
Newman continues: “If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.” This reminds us that Jesus, the all-powerful God who holds “all power in heaven and on earth,” can use every aspect of our lives for His glory and mission—if we let Him.
Reflect today on two truths. First, consider your place among the “all nations” called to become disciples. Second, reflect on your duty as a disciple to share in Christ’s mission to evangelize the world. As we celebrate our Lord’s Ascension, hear His commission spoken to you. Embrace the privilege and responsibility of His command, allowing His authority and presence to guide your life and your mission.
Lord of all power in Heaven and Earth, You have called all people to Yourself. I accept that call and open myself to Your gift of eternal salvation. With my “Yes” to You, I also accept the responsibility to share in Your mission of evangelization. Please reveal Your will to me and empower me to fulfill my duty so that all nations will hear Your saving Word. Jesus, I trust in You.
Further Reading – Ascension
Prayer Meditation for the Ascension
(The reflection below is used when the Solemnity of the Ascension is transferred to the coming Sunday.)
One of the Twelve
May 14, 2026
Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle
School Giusepe Ribera de lo Spagnoletta: St. Matthias
“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.” Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles. Acts 1:24–26
Matthias, the saint we honor today, was named an Apostle to replace Judas Iscariot after Judas betrayed Jesus and hanged himself. Matthias was likely from Galilee and had followed Jesus from the beginning of His public ministry. After Judas’ death, Peter led the approximately 120 disciples in selecting Matthias through prayer and casting lots, ensuring the Apostles once again numbered twelve. This election occurred before Pentecost, so Matthias received the Holy Spirit alongside the other Apostles, affirming the Twelve as the foundational body of the Church.
Matthias’ selection is profoundly important for two primary reasons. First, by being counted along with the other eleven Apostles, the group once again numbered twelve. Though there are thousands of bishops today, the foundation began with twelve. Once they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and began their apostolic ministries, their number grew as the Church expanded. Nonetheless, the foundation remained, symbolizing the Twelve Tribes of Israel and uniting the New Testament Church with the Old Covenant.
Second, Matthias’ election establishes a biblical foundation for apostolic succession, one of the four marks of the Church: “I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church” (Nicene Creed). By proclaiming the Church as “one,” we affirm that there is only one Church—“the one Church of Christ” (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 8). While not all are visible members of this one Church, all who are united to Christ in a state of grace are part of His one Body. Nonetheless, “This Church, constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him” (LG 8).
The Church is “holy” because she is united to Christ, her divine Head, who is all-holy. As members of this Church, we are sanctified by Christ’s grace, the sacraments, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that enable us to grow in holiness and reflect the sanctity of God Himself.
The word “catholic” in the Creed is written in lowercase because it does not refer specifically to the Roman Catholic Church as an institution but to the broader meaning of the word “catholic,” which means “universal.” The one Church is universal in scope and mission, welcoming all people. It is the responsibility of the Church’s members to share the Gospel with every person, seeking to draw all into full communion with the one visible Body of Christ.
Finally, the Church is “apostolic,” which is especially celebrated in today’s Feast of Saint Matthias. Every bishop alive today, every bishop in the past, and every bishop yet to be ordained until the end of time takes his episcopal roots from the Twelve Apostles, including Matthias, who received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
According to various traditions, the Apostle Matthias engaged in missionary activity in regions such as Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey), the Caspian Sea area (modern-day Georgia), and possibly as far south as Sudan and Ethiopia. He is believed to have died a martyr, either by crucifixion, stoning, or beheading. Though we do not know who succeeded him, we can be certain that he not only spread the Gospel and celebrated the Sacraments, but also ordained others to serve as apostles within the communities he helped to establish.
As we honor Saint Matthias today, reflect on God’s eternal wisdom in establishing the Church. God did not merely give us a set of rules to follow; He gave us a Church—His one Church—and entrusted His authority to sinful men who act in His name and convey His grace. Rejoice that you are a member of the Catholic Church, in which Christ’s Church subsists. Pray not only for the mission of the Church, but also for those entrusted with apostolic responsibilities, passed on to them from the Twelve Apostles.
Saint Matthias, you were counted among the Twelve and became an essential participant in the foundation of the Church. Through your apostolic ministry, you spread the Gospel far and wide, bringing grace and truth to those you were sent to serve. Please pray for me and for the entire Church, that we may always remain one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, so that the Gospel will continue to be spread to the ends of the earth. Saint Matthias, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.
Saint of the Day – Saint Matthias the Apostle
