Thanksgiving for the Resurrection and the Ascension of the Lord

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LET us bless the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost:
Let us praise and exalt him for ever.

Then shall be said together:

BLESSING and honour and glory and power
be unto him that sitteth upon the throne
and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty:
Just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints;
All glorious thy gifts, thou Spirit of life.
Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving
and honour and power and might
be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

O GIVE thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious;
And his mercy endureth for ever.

Who hath loved us from all eternity;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And remembered us when we were in trouble;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who by his Cross and Passion hath redeemed the world;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And hath washed us from our sins in his own blood;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who on the third day rose from the dead;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And hath given us the victory;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who ascended up on high;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And opened wide for us the everlasting doors;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who sitteth on the right hand of God;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And ever liveth to make intercession for us;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen.

FOR the gift of his Spirit;
Blessed be Christ.

For the Catholic Church;
Blessed be Christ.

For the means of grace;
Blessed be Christ.

For the hope of glory;
Blessed be Christ.

For the triumphs of his gospel;
Blessed be Christ.

For the lives of his saints;
Blessed be Christ.

In joy and in sorrow;
Blessed be Christ.

In life and in death;
Blessed be Christ.

Now and unto the end of the ages;
Blessed be Christ.

Here may be added thanksgivings for particular mercies, and at their end all shall say together the General Thanksgiving.

ALMIGHTY God, Father of all mercies,
we thine unworthy servants
do give thee most humble and hearty thanks
for all thy goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all men.
We bless thee for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for thine inestimable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we beseech thee,
give us that due sense of all thy mercies,
that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful;
and that we show forth thy praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to thy service,
and by walking before thee
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit,
be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

BLESSING and honour and thanksgiving and praise more than we can utter, more than we can conceive, be unto thee, O most adorable Trinity, + Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, by all angels, all men, all creatures, for ever and ever. Amen and Amen.

Cambridge Offices and Orisons
Eric Milner-White
B.T.D. Smith

The Ascension of the Lord

APPEAR, O Lord, make thyself known, O Lord, as thou didst appear manifest in the flesh; born of a Virgin, found by the shepherds, recognised in power, proclaimed by the Star, adored with gifts, manifest in the river, believed on in faith, received up in the cloud and promised again by him that announced it: that by the grace of this holy festival thy Church may now receive thy joys, as once it made known thy mysteries.

Mozarabic Missal

WORTHY of glory from every mouth, and of confession by every tongue, and of adoration and exaltation from all ceatures, is the adorable Name of thy glorious Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit: thou who didst create the world in thy grace and its inhabitants in thy pitifulness: who didst save mankind by thy compassion and hast shown great grace unto mortals. Thousand thousands of those on high bless and adore thy Majesty, O my Lord; and ten thousand times ten thousand holy angels, and hosts of spiritual beings, ministers of fire and spirit, glorify thy name: thy holy cherubim and spiritual seraphim, offering adoration, crying and praising without ceasing, calling one to another and saying "Holy, holy holy."

Liturgy of SS. Adai and Mari

BEFORE the glorious seat of thy majesty, O Lord, and the exalted throne of thine honour, and the awful judgment-seat of thy burning love, and the absolving altar which thy command hath set up, and the place where thy glory dwelleth, we, thy people and the sheep of thy fold, do kneel with thousands of the cherubim singing ALLELUIA, and many times ten thousand seraphim and archangels, acclaiming thine holiness, worshipping, confessing and praising thee at all times, O Lord of all, Father, Son and Holy Spirit for ever.

Chaldean Liturgy

Our Lady, Guardian of Plants, pray for all of us upon the earth.

Ascension Collects

O ALMIGHTY GOD, whose blessed Son our Saviour Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abideth with his Church on earth, even unto the end of the ages; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.


GRANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that like as we do believe thy only begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into the heavens, so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend, and with him continually dwell; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Collects from the Book of Common Prayer Tradition

REGINA CAELI, Vatican City, 16 May A.D. 2010

The Holy Father gave such a wonderful message today before the Regina Caeli I decided to print it here in case any of my readership had not seen it or had time to take it all in. Pope Benedict XVI is the Great Unifier of Christians, and part of that work is to remind Christians the world over who they are in Christ and, indeed, just who is this Jesus of Nazareth who we own as God and Saviour...

Contrary to some of my friends, I have such overflowing joy in the Holy Ghost as I pray for Holy Church because some wild growth is being pruned from the Great Tree of Faith, limbs that had been torn off are being grafted back onto the one and only Tree which nourishes the Faithful ... One of the secrets of our Holy Father is his great love for St. Bernard of Clairvaux who so often figures in small talks and greetings the Holy Father gives both to the Faithful and to those apart from the Church. I am so hopeful for the immediate future of Holy Mother Church, and I pray the Lord will grant me a little more time to contribute as I can to the great work that is before all of us.

Please indulge me as I highlight and embolden certain phrases and sentences that I find overflowing with meaning and spiritual nourishment.

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On the Feast of the Ascension

"The Lord, Taking the Road to Heaven, Gives Us a Foretaste of Divine Life"

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today in Italy and other countries, the Ascension of Jesus into heaven is celebrated, which occurred 40 days after Easter. This Sunday is also the World Day for Social Communications, which has as its theme: "The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word."

In the liturgy Jesus' final departure from his disciples is narrated (cf. Luke 24:50-51; Acts 1:2, 9); but this is not an abandonment because he remains with them, with us, forever, in a new form.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux explains that Jesus' ascension into heaven is accomplished in three stages:

"The first is the glory of the Resurrection; the second is the power to judge; and the third is sitting at the Father's right hand"

("Sermo de Ascensione Domini," 60, 2: Sancti Bernardi Opera, t. VI, 1, 291, 20-21).

This event is preceded by the blessing of the disciples, whom he prepares to receive the Holy Spirit, so that salvation be preached everywhere. Jesus himself says to them:

"You are witnesses to this. And behold, I send upon you Him whom my Father has promised" (cf. Luke 24:47-49).

The Lord draws the gaze of the Apostles, our gaze, to show how we should travel the good road during life on earth. Nevertheless, he remains in the plot of human history, he is near to each of us and guides our Christian path: He is the companion of those who are persecuted because of their faith, he is in the heart of those who are marginalized, he is present in those to whom the right to life is denied.

We can hear, see and touch the Lord Jesus in the Church, especially through the Word and the sacraments. In this regard I exhort children and young people, who are receiving the sacrament of Confirmation in this Easter season, to remain faithful to the Word of God and the teaching that comes from it, and to assiduously approach Confession and the Eucharist as well, conscious of being chosen and constituted to witness the Truth.

I renew my special invitation to my brothers in the priesthood, that "in their life and actions they distinguish themselves by a powerful evangelical witness" ("Letter Proclaiming a Year for Priests") and know also how to use the means of communication wisely, to make the life of the Church known and help the men of today to find the face of Christ (cf. "Message for the 46th World Day of Social Communications," January 24, 2010).

Dear Brothers and Sisters, the Lord, taking the road to heaven, gives us a foretaste of divine life already on earth. A 19th century Russian author wrote in his spiritual testament: "Observe the stars more. When you have a burden in your soul, look at the stars or the azure of heaven. When you feel sad, when they offend you, ... think about ... heaven. Then your soul will find rest" (N. Valentini - L. Žák [a cura], Pavel A. Florenskij. "Non dimenticatemi. Le lettere dal gulag del grande matematico, filosofo e sacerdote russo," Milano 2000, p. 418).

I thank the Virgin Mary, whom I was able to venerate at the shrine in Fatima a short time ago, for her maternal protection during the intense pilgrimage in Portugal. With confidence we address our prayer to her who watches over the witnesses of her beloved Son.

[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]

[After the recitation of the Regina Caeli, the Holy Father greeted the pilgrims in various languages. In English, he said:]

I greet with joy the English-speaking visitors who have come here today, and I pray that your pilgrimage to Rome will strengthen your faith and your love for the Risen Lord.

In the course of this week we will pray with the whole Church for the coming of the Holy Spirit, asking him to pour out his gifts upon our families, our parishes, and all whom we love.

May God bless all of you!

© Copyright 2010 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Remembering Caryll Houselander

Since Holy Saturday I have been diving into the writings of Caryll Houselander. I was definitely led by God to read her writings again. I had the books all arranged in my bedroom for my next bit of evening reading with Compline during Eastertide. Little did I know I would be so ill that I would be confined to bedrest during Easter Day and through to the present moment as I type this ... admittedly slowly, and begging forgiveness for poor grammar and spellings. The first book I took up was Caryll's marvellous little book on the Holy Rosary containing Rosary prayers that she wrote in London in the bomb shelters during World War II -- The prayers were originally commissioned by Maisie Ward for her wonderful book The Splendour of the Rosary.

Here is an example of these prayers for the Second Glorious Mystery:

Christ,
ascended into Heaven,
You bear the wounds
of the whole world
in Your hands and feet
and in Your heart.

They plead for us,
shining like stars
before the secret face of God.

By Your five wounds
purify our five senses;
lift up our hearts into Heaven.

While You draw down
God's mercy to us,
showing our wounds
in Your glorified Body,
let us draw men up to You,
showing Your wounds to the world,
scored on our grey dust
in the bright crimson
of Your love.

--Caryll Houselander

Caryll Houselander, pray for us.

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A Thanksgiving for the Resurrection and Ascension

LET us bless the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost:
Let us praise and exalt him for ever.


Then shall be said together:

BLESSING and honour and glory and power
be unto him that sitteth upon the throne
and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty:
Just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints;
All glorious thy gifts, thou Spirit of life.
Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving
and honour and power and might
be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

O GIVE thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious;
And his mercy endureth for ever.

Who hath loved us from all eternity;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And remembered us when we were in trouble;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who by his Cross and Passion hath redeemed the world;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And hath washed us from our sins in his own blood;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who on the third day rose from the dead;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And hath given us the victory;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who ascended up on high;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And opened wide for us the everlasting doors;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Who sitteth on the right hand of God;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

And ever liveth to make intercession for us;
For his mercy endureth for ever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen.


FOR the gift of his Spirit;
Blessed be Christ.

For the Catholic Church;
Blessed be Christ.

For the means of grace;
Blessed be Christ.

For the hope of glory;
Blessed be Christ.

For the triumphs of his gospel;
Blessed be Christ.

For the lives of his saints;
Blessed be Christ.

In joy and in sorrow;
Blessed be Christ.

In life and in death;
Blessed be Christ.

Now and unto the end of the ages;
Blessed be Christ.


Here may be added thanksgivings for particular mercies, and at their end all shall say together the General Thanksgiving.

ALMIGHTY God, Father of all mercies,
we thine unworthy servants
do give thee most humble and hearty thanks
for all thy goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all men.
We bless thee for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for thine inestimable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we beseech thee,
give us that due sense of all thy mercies,
that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful;
and that we show forth thy praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to thy service,
and by walking before thee
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit,
be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.


BLESSING and honour and thanksgiving and praise more than we can utter, more than we can conceive, be unto thee, O most adorable Trinity, + Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, by all angels, all men, all creatures, for ever and ever. Amen and Amen.

Cambridge Offices and Orisons
Eric Milner-White
B.T.D. Smith

Ascended and Seated at the Right Hand of the Father

O Christ the King, the royal banners rise.
Thy Cross, thy standard we raise to the skies,
And hail thee, “Lord!” and bow before thine eyes.
Alleluia. Alleluia.

Transfigured thou upon the mountain’s height
Revealed the glory of the Bridegroom’s face
And showed to them thy purpose and thy Light.
Alleluia. Alleluia.

The Cross, thy throne where thou wast lifted high
Embracing all the broken world’s dark heart
Till blood and water gushed when pierced was thine.
Alleluia. Alleluia.

Death could not hold thee, nor a tomb contain,
O Love and Life, who now from heav’n dost reign,
The King of kings, the Lord who healeth pain.
Alleluia. Alleluia.

____________________________
Copyright © 2006 by Vincent Uher
This text is sung to the tune Sine Nomine