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From the Roman office of the feast.
℣. Grant, Lord, a blessing.
Benediction. May God the Father Omnipotent, be to us merciful and clement.
℟. Amen.
Reading 4
From the Sermons of St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo.
2nd on the Ascension
Dearly beloved brethren, our Saviour is gone up from us into heaven, but let us not be troubled on earth. Let only our heart be there with Him, and we shall have peace here. Let us in heart thither ascend with Christ in the meanwhile, and when that glad day which He hath promised cometh, our body will follow. But we must know, my brethren, that there are some things that cannot ascend with Christ: pride cannot, nor covetousness, nor brutishness; no one of our diseases can ascend thither where our Healer is. And, therefore, if we would follow our Healer, we must needs leave our diseases and sins behind us. All such things tie us down, as it were, with bands, and hamper us in the meshes of a net of sins but, with God’s help, we will say with the Psalmist: “Let us break their bands asunder” (ii. 3), that we may be able honestly to say to the Lord: “Thou hast loosed my bonds, I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving” (cxv. 16, 17).
℣. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℟. My time is come that I should return unto Him That sent Me, saith the Lord. Be not sorrowful, neither let your heart be troubled.
* I pray the Father for you, that He may keep you. Alleluia, Alleluia.
℣. If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; when I am ascended, I will send Him unto you.
℟. I pray the Father for you, that He may keep you. Alleluia, Alleluia.
℣. Grant, Lord, a blessing.
Benediction. May Christ to all His people give, for ever in His sight to live.
℟. Amen.
Reading 5
The Resurrection of the Lord is our hope; the Ascension of the Lord is our glorification. To-day we keep the solemn holiday of the Ascension. If, therefore, our keeping of this holiday is to be a right, faithful, earnest, holy, godly keeping, we must in mind likewise ascend, and lift up our hearts unto the Lord. When we ascend we must not be high-minded, nor flatter ourselves with our good works, as though they were our own. We must lift up our hearts unto the Lord. When man’s heart is lifted up, but not unto the Lord, such lifting-up is pride; to lift up the heart unto the Lord, is to make the Most High our Refuge. Behold, my brethren, a great wonder. God is high, but if thou art lifted up He fleeth from thee, whereas, if thou humblest thyself, He cometh down to thee. Wherefore? “The Lord is high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly but the proud He knoweth from afar” (Ps. cxxxvii. 6). To the lowly He hath respect, that He may raise them up; the proud He knoweth from afar, that He may thrust them down.
℣. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℟. Let not your heart be troubled; I go unto the Father, and when I am taken from you, I will send unto you, alleluia,
* The Spirit of truth, and your heart shall rejoice. Alleluia.
℣. I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter.
℟. The Spirit of truth, and your heart shall rejoice. Alleluia.
℣. Grant, Lord, a blessing.
Benediction. May the Spirit’s fire Divine in our hearts enkindled shine.
℟. Amen.
Reading 6
Christ arose again, to give us hope that this mortality will yet put on immortality. He hath assured against an hopeless death, and against the thought that death endeth life. We were troubled, even as touching the soul, but Christ, arising from the grave, hath assured to us the resurrection of the body also. Believe therefore, that thou mayest be made pure. First it behoveth thee to believe, if by faith thou wouldest in the end worthily see God. And wouldest thou see God, Give ear to His own words “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matth. v. 8). Think first, then, how to purify thine heart; take from it whatsoever thou seest in it which displeaseth God. God wants to come to you, hear Him saying: I and the Father will come, and make our abode with him.
℣. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℟. When Christ ascended up on high, He led captivity captive.
* He gave gifts unto men. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
℣. God is gone up with a shout, and the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
℟. He gave gifts unto men. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
℟. He gave gifts unto men. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
℣. Grant, Lord, a blessing.
Benediction. May the Gospel’s holy lection Be our safety and protection.
℟. Amen.
Reading 7
From the Holy Gospel according to John
John 15:26-27; 16:1-4
At that time, Jesus said unto His disciples: When the Comforter is come, Whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, Which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me. And so on.
Homily by St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo
Tract 92 on John
The Lord Jesus, in that discourse which He addressed to His disciples after the Last Supper, when He was on the very eve of the Passion, when He was, as it were, about to go away and leave them as touching His bodily Presence, albeit as touching His spiritual Presence, He is with us alway even unto the end of the world (Matth. xxviii. 20), in that discourse He exhorted them to bear patiently the persecution of wicked men, of whom He speaketh as “the world”, out of which world, nevertheless, He saith that He hath chosen even His disciples themselves (xv. 19), that they might know that it was by the grace of God that they were what they were (1 Cor. xv. 10), whereas it was by their own sins that they had been what they had been.
℣. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℟. I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter.
* That He may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth. Alleluia.
℣. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.
℟. That He may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth. Alleluia.
℣. Grant, Lord, a blessing.
Benediction. God’s most mighty strength alway be His people’s staff and stay.
℟. Amen.
Reading 8
“If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” Here He clearly pointeth to the Jews, the persecutors both of Himself and of His disciples, so that we see that they which persecute His holy ones are as much citizens of the world of damnation as they which persecuted Himself. He saith: “They know not Him That sent Me,” and yet again, “They have hated both Me and My Father” (xv. 24), that is to say, both the Sender and the Sent, the meaning of which words we have already treated in other discourses and with that He cometh to the words “That the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law They hated Me without a cause.”
℣. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
℟. Thanks be to God.
℟. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.
* And when He is come, He will guide you into all truth. Alleluia.
℣. For He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak and He will show you things to come.
℟. And when He is come, He will guide you into all truth. Alleluia.
℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
℟. And when He is come, He will guide you into all truth. Alleluia.
℣. Grant, Lord, a blessing.
Benediction. May He that is the Angels’ King to that high realm His people bring.
℟. Amen.
Reading 9
Then saith the Lord, as though in continuation “But when the Comforter is come, Whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, Which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me. And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with Me from the beginning.” What connection hath this with the words: “Now have they both seen and hated both Me and My Father but that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law They hated Me without a cause.” Is it that when the Comforter is come, even the Spirit of truth, He will confound by irrefragable testimony them who have both seen and hated both God the Son and God the Father? Yea, indeed, some there were who had seen and still hated, whom the testimony of the Comforter converted to the faith which worketh by love.
℣. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us.
℟. Thanks be to God.
Te Deum.