(If una dey celebrate di Ascension for your diocese today, see di reflection wey dey below. If no be so, go to di next reflection for today, then come back to di Ascension reflection on Sunday.)
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Solemnity of di Ascension of Our Lord (Year B)
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Jesus tell im disciples: “Make una go everywhere for di whole world and proclaim di Gospel to every creature. Anybody wey believe and receive Baptism go get salvation; anybody wey no believe go receive condemnation.” Mark 16:15–16
Today, we dey celebrate one more step towards di completion of di mission of di Son of God. Human beings don sin for di beginning of time and fall comot from di innocence wey dem first get. God begin immediately to prepare di world for di gift of eternal redemption, as E establish covenant with Noah, Abraham and Moses. E raise different prophets and kings to prepare Im people more for wetin dey come. Then, when di right time reach, God enter our world through di Blessed Virgin Mary. Jesus, di Son of God, later begin Im public ministry: E teach, perform miracles, gather di faithful come meet Imself, die, rise from di dead, and then appear to Im disciples to prepare dem for di Ascension. Di Ascension complete di mission of di Son of God, and today we dey honour dat one decisive moment when God di Son, for Im human nature wey don transform and rise from di dead, go up to di Father by Im own power. E carry our humanity along with Im, so dat all human beings fit go up with Im.
As we dey celebrate di Ascension of Jesus, we must first look at everything wey lead to dat moment and seek to join ourselves with all di events wey happen before am. We must listen to di words of di patriarchs and prophets for di Old Testament. We must especially listen to di teachings of Jesus for di New Testament and accept Im words without hesitation. And we must join ourselves with Im own death, as we die to sin, so dat we too fit share for Im Resurrection. Today, we must also recognise di invitation wey all of us receive to go up with Jesus to di Father. We must understand say dem invite us to follow Jesus go where E don go, if only we believe, accept and live by everything wey happen before dis glorious moment.
Di Ascension na di end of Jesus’ life for Earth, but na also di beginning of how we take dey share for di life of Heaven. As Jesus dey go up, E give Im disciples di mission to go out and “preach di Gospel to every creature.” Dem suppose preach to everybody about God’s plan of salvation wey begin for di time of Adam and Eve and reach completion with di Ascension.
Today, reflect on how God dey call you, no be only to share for dis glorious moment of di Ascension of Jesus, but also to go out and do everything wey you fit do to draw other people enter dis new life. Reflect on Jesus, wey dey speak to you too today, dey invite you to bring other people come dat mountain. As you teach your friends, your family and all di people wey God put for your care to share di Gospel with, you dey fulfil Christ’s mission to “go everywhere for di whole world,” to gather di people wey scatter enter di one flock of Christ, so dat one day dem fit go up with Im enter eternity.
My Lord wey don go up to Heaven, everything throughout history na preparation for di moment when You draw fallen humanity enter Heaven to stay with Your Father forever. Help me to always listen to Your holy words and obey dem, so dat I too go share for Your Ascension. Use me, dear Lord, to go out too and draw plenty other people come meet You, so dat di Kingdom go full with all di people wey You don call. Jesus, na You I trust.
Novena to di Holy Spirit
Wey we dey pray to prepare for Pentecost
E dey begin on Friday, May 14
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Read More – Ascension
Prayer Meditation for di Ascension
Our Lady of Fatima—Memorial wey Person Fit Choose to Celebrate
