|
55. Jesus' last
Discourses to his Disciples. Ascension.
Jesus said to his
disciples: ‘Everything that is written about me must be fulfilled. So it
is written, and so Christ had to suffer and rise again on the third day,
and have repentance and forgiveness of sins preached in his name among
all nations.’ Again he said to them: ‘All authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me. Go ye therefore into all the world, and
teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you. He who believes and is baptised will be
saved.’ This is the law of holy baptism, by which little children are
baptised and brought into the kingdom of God, so that they may belong to
Christ and remain with him and become pious and saved in the true faith
in him.
‘Lo,’ said Jesus, ’I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’
He also repeated to them the promise of the Holy Spirit and commanded
them to remain together in Jerusalem until the promise was fulfilled.
But everything he said indicated that he would soon depart from them.
Forty days after he had risen from the dead, he remained on earth,
appeared to his disciples and taught them. He still had many things to
tell them that they had not understood before. Finally, after all these
discourses and appearances, he led them to Bethany. There they asked him
when he would return; when he would re-establish the kingdom of Israel.
But they received the answer: ‘It is not for you to know the time or the
hour, which the Father has reserved by his own power; but you will
receive power from the Holy Spirit and will be my witnesses in Judea and
Samaria and to the ends of the earth.’
After this, Jesus lifted up his hands and blessed them and ascended into
heaven. A cloud took him away from before their eyes. As they watched
him ascend into heaven, two men stood by them in white robes and said to
them, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into heaven? This Jesus,
who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come again.’ From this
the disciples worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem, no longer with
sadness and fear, but with great joy.
This is the Promised One, in whom all the families of the earth are to
be blessed, born in Bethlehem, lost in his infancy and found again on
the third day in Jerusalem, baptised by John in the Jordan, tried in the
wilderness, sent by God to establish the holy kingdom of God on earth
and the blessed reunion of men with God: loved by the good, persecuted
by the wicked, betrayed by his disciple, crucified, dead and buried; on
the third day he rose from the dead, ascended into heaven.
God therefore hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is
above every name: that at his name every knee should bow, and every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
|