Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection May 17, 2026

17th May 2026 (Sunday)

Psalter: Proper

Readings of the Day

First Reading: Acts 1:1-11

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Psalms 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 (R. 6)

R/. God goes up with shouts of joy. The Lord goes up with trumpet blast. or Alleluia!

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:17-23

Brethren: The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Gospel Acclamation

V/. Alleluia

R/. Alleluia

V/. Go and make disciples of all nations, says the Lord; I am with you always, to the end of the age.

R/. Alleluia

Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

At that time: The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshipped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Daily Gospel Reflection

Sunday – Ascension of the Lord

Main Point: The Ascension is not a moment of divine abandonment, but the magnificent expansion of Christ’s presence, commissioning us to be His tangible instruments of grace in a broken world.

1. In the Gospel today, we encounter the magnificent mystery of the Ascension. Before being taken up to heaven, Jesus issues the Great Commission to His disciples: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” He does not merely offer a suggestion; He delivers an absolute, uncompromising apostolic mandate.

2. We often misunderstand the Ascension as a sad departure. But it is not a departure; it is a new mode of arrival. Jesus leaves the restricted physical sight of the apostles to enter into the boundless spiritual depths of the Church. He ascends not to distance Himself from humanity, but to dispense His Spirit universally over the entire cosmos.

3. In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the angels sharply question the disciples: “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” This is a profound and urgent warning for our own spiritual lives. We frequently suffer from a paralyzing, “sky-gazing” piety. We prefer to remain locked in comfortable, passive contemplation, staring at heaven while completely ignoring the agonizing realities and duties of the earth.

4. True faith is never static; it is fiercely dynamic. St. Paul prays in the second reading that “the eyes of your hearts be enlightened.” This divine enlightenment does not make us complacent. It opens our eyes to the supreme hope of His calling, empowering us to recognize Christ as the absolute Head of the Church, and driving us to execute His mission with unflinching zeal.

5. Jesus commands us to “Go.” We cannot fulfill this Great Commission if we remain trapped in our private, self-serving religious bubbles. Discipleship requires us to step out of our comfort zones, to confront a secular world that is aggressively hostile to the truth, and to bear authentic witness through both our preaching and our concrete acts of charity. We cannot claim the glory of the Ascension if we refuse the grit of the Commission.

6. Tragically, many modern Christians treat their faith as a mere cultural accessory. We loudly celebrate the Ascended Lord, yet we remain deeply tethered to our worldly ambitions, our petty resentments, and our arrogant self-reliance. We fail to realize that to elevate our minds to heaven, we must decisively detach our hearts from the corrupting values of the world.

7. But the Lord never commands a mission without supplying the necessary power. He seals His mandate with the ultimate guarantee: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” We are never sent out as orphans. Even when we face the fiercest opposition, we act with the absolute authority of the One who is seated at the right hand of the Father.

My Practice: Stop gazing idly at the sky. The Lord has already secured heaven; He now commands us to sanctify the earth. Let us completely shake off our spiritual lethargy, humbly submit to our apostolic mandate, and boldly radiate His transformative truth to all nations, entirely confident in His unfailing presence.