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Sunday Reflection for May 20, 2012
Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
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Sunday Summary

Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11 For 40 more days the disciples enjoy the revelation and instruction of the Risen Lord.

Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 God receives royal acclaim in heaven and on earth: blaring trumpets and clapping hands.

Ephesians 1:17-23 or 4:1-13 or 4:1-7, 11-13 Christ returns to heaven in the glory of victory, distributing gifts to his church.

Mark 16:15-20 Jesus departs for the heavens while the disciples are dispatched to the ends of the earth.
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Solemnity of the
Ascension
 
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7th SUNDAY
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Exploring the Word
On the road again
(For the 7th Sunday of Easter, see Quick Download box at right.) The narratives about Jesus by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John fit nicely into a classic American genre: the road story. Jesus and his friends leave the familiarity of home and hearth to light out for the territories, see the world in all its fascination and misery, give some help and get into some trouble, make a few allies and a few more enemies, and take the ultimate journey to the center of their society, Jerusalem, where, according to the genre, they would either triumph or be vanquished . . .
Read More of this and future Reflections
Weekday Homily Reflection for May 18, 2012
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World news in light of the Good News
for Sunday, May 20, 2012
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Preaching the News
» Analysts to investors: Don’t rush to “like” Facebook – The readings for the Solemnity of the Ascension are uplifting in every sense of the word. Investors eager to buy into Facebook can expect to see the stock price skyrocket . . . More...
» Dalai Lama honored with Templeton Prize – God receives royal acclaim in the form of blaring trumpets and clapping hands, the psalmist announces this Sunday. The Dalai Lama was cheered Monday in London . . . More...
» Racial profiling of Latinos? Sheriff Joe says it ain’t so – “Until the day he was taken up,” the Ascension reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells us, Jesus gave instructions to his apostles. Did Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona give instructions to his deputies to target and harass Latinos? . . . More...
» Maintenance worker graduates in classic fashion – The Letter to the Ephesians prays that God grant “a Spirit of wisdom” to early Christians. An immigrant from Montenegro who arrived in the U.S. speaking no English . . . More...
» Baby names take on biblical proportions – Before departing from their midst in the gospel reading for the Ascension, Jesus promises his disciples they will perform many powerful deeds in his name . . . More...
Quote of the Week
“The unity of believers is crucial because the forces arrayed against them are great.”
—Source: Alice Camille, PrepareTheWord Sunday Summary of the gospel reading for the Seventh Sunday of Easter (John 17:11b-19)

Fact of the Week
According to a new study by the Association of Religion Data Archives, the number of Catholics declined 5 percent to 58.9 million between 2000 and 2010.
Source: Reuters.com



Pastoral Trends
Things aren’t what they used to be
Describing one’s own time as one of breakdown and collapse is a consistent and characteristic mistake in social and church commentary. It’s similar to the tendency of the older generation to describe the next in disparaging ways, and in both cases it may spring from the relative age or point of view of those making the critical observation . . .  Read more...