The Ascension of the Lord

We pray through the Ascension of the Lord and let Saint Augustine stretch our faith beyond a simple goodbye scene. We ask for hearts set above, deeper union with Christ the head and his body on earth, and the courage to live faith, hope, and love in daily life. 
• opening prayers and praise rooted in the Church’s tradition 
• Daily Offering through the Immaculate Heart of Mary for prayers, works, joys, and sufferings 
• Saint Augustine on the Ascension as a call for our hearts to rise with Christ 
• seeking what is above through faith, hope, and love rather than escapism 
• Christ exalted in heaven yet suffering on earth in the members of his body 
• head and body unity explaining how we ascend in Christ by grace 
• Acts account of the Ascension and the call to wait for the Father’s promise 
• thanksgiving prayer that names the Ascension as our exaltation and hope 
If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our publications now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org. 

Transcript

Invocation And Opening Prayer

SPEAKER_00 0:02

The ascension of our Lord, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Morning Offering And Intentions

SPEAKER_00 0:26

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.

Augustine On Hearts Set Above

SPEAKER_00 0:48

From a sermon by Saint Augustine, Bishop. Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven. Let our hearts ascend with him. Listen to the words of the Apostle. If you have risen with Christ, set your heart on the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth. For just as he remained with us even after his ascension, so we too are already in heaven with him, even though what is promised us has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies. Christ is now exalted above the heavens, but he still suffers on earth all the pain that we, the members of his body, have to bear. He showed this when he cried out from above, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? And when he said, I was hungry, and you gave me food. Why do we on earth not strive to find rest with him in heaven even now, through the faith, hope, and love that unites us to him? While in heaven he is also with us, and we, while on earth, are with him. He is here with us by his divinity, his power, and his love. We cannot be in heaven, as he is on earth, by divinity, but in him we can be there by love. He did not leave heaven when he came down to us, nor did he withdraw from us when he went up again into heaven. The fact that he was in heaven, even while he was on earth, is borne out by his own statement. No one has ever ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven. These words are explained by our oneness with Christ, for he is our head and we are his body. No one ascended into heaven except Christ, because we also are Christ. He is the Son of Man by His union with us, and we by our union with Him are the sons of God. So the Apostle says, just as the human body which has many members is a unity, because all the different members make one body, so is it also with Christ. He too has many members, but one body. Out of compassion for us he descended from heaven, and although he ascended alone, we also ascend, because we are in him by grace. Thus no one but Christ descended, and no one but Christ ascended. Not because there is no distinction between the head and the body, but because the body, as a unity, cannot be separated from the head.

The Ascension In Acts

SPEAKER_00 3:21

During the forty days after his passion, he appeared to them and spoke with them about the kingdom of God. As they watched, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. Alleluia. While he was with them, he told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the fulfillment of the Father's promise. As they watched, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. Alleluia.

Thanksgiving Prayer And Devotion

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Gladden us with holy joys, Almighty God, and make us rejoice with devout thanksgiving, for the ascension of Christ your Son is our exaltation, and where the head has gone before in glory, the body is called to follow in hope. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. Let us praise the Lord and give him thanks. All that I have and all that I am, I give to your hands, Jesus, through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother, amen. Sacred heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

How To Keep Praying With Cristeros

SPEAKER_00 4:36

If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Christeros and purchasing our publications now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theChristeros.org.