+JMJ+ I haven’t watched the Ascension Year A episode of the Mass Readings Explained* yet but I will in a few minutes—after I get a fresh cup of tea and the charger for my O2 machine.** (The weekly series on the soul will pick back up after Pentecost.)

Below, video, 6:02 excerpt from the Mass Readings Explained: The Ascension: Why 40 Days?

“There are a number of things that stand out as you read Luke’s account of the Ascension. Number one, the timeframe. Notice that Luke makes very clear that this takes place 40 days after the resurrection of Jesus. So the first question we would have is what is the significance of the 40 days? The second thing that’s important, notice that when Jesus goes up into heaven, when he is taken up into heaven, he is taken up to heaven in a cloud. So why is that the case? What is the significance of the cloud? For example, you might think in the Old Testament of 2 Kings 1, where we have an account of Elijah going up into heaven in a chariot of fire. So what’s the significance of Jesus ascending into heaven on a cloud? Why isn’t it in a chariot of fire or why doesn’t he just disappear? What’s the reason for the cloud? And then third and finally, and this is really important, what does it even mean to say Jesus ascended into heaven? What does heaven mean? What would it have meant to the Apostles, to a first century Jew, to say he went up into heaven? So let’s look at each one of those for just a second.”

From the Mass Readings Explained, Ascension, Year A.

That’s just a taste of what you’ll find in the Mass Readings Explained lesson for The Ascension of the Lord, Year A. You can watch the sample (same sample as the YouTube video above), read the transcript for the first reading quoted in the previous paragraph. Subscribe or login to watch the full lesson and get other materials. Such good stuff, well worth the price. I dearly love this man. I put him right up there with Scott Hahn. On FIRE with love for the Lord and His Church! 

Thank you for visiting and reading. I hope you had a blessed and happy Ascension Day. Until next time, whoever and wherever you are, please stay safe and well. May the Lord bless and keep you and yours, and may His peace be always with you. +JMJ+

Notes and Links

*Dr. Brant Pitre and the Mass Readings Explained covers the Sunays of the Church’s liturgical cycle. I really do dearly love this man and the way he teaches. He even makes incredibly bad puns. Be still my heart! ;)

**I went round and round with the Big Blue unit today, but it wouldn’t keep my O2 sats up, so I’ve been using the little portable machine. So glad I have it, and so glad I bought batteries for it on eBay. I’ve got a lightweight 4-hour battery and 3 heavier 8-hour batteries, a charger for the car and two chargers for the house. Can’t have too many. (Thanks again for the Inogen, H! You know who you are!)

The weekly series on the soul will pick back up after Pentecost.

Image: The Ascension, by Jean-Baptiste Jouvenet.