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SOLEMNITY OF

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD

VIGIL MASS

YEAR B

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ENTRANCE ANTIPHON

LATIN

Regna terræ cantate Deo,

psallite Domino,

qui ascendit super cælum cæli;

magnificentia et virtus eius

in nubibus,

alleluia.

†

ENGLISH

Your kingdom of the earth,

sing to God;

praise the Lord,

who ascends above

the highest heavens;

his majesty and might

are in the skies,

alleluia.

†

†

GLORIA

LATIN

Gloria in excelsis Deo

et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis.

Laudamus te,

benedicimus te,

adoramus te,

glorificamus te,

gratias agimus tibi propter

magnam gloriam tuam,

Domine Deus,

Rex cælestis,

Deus Pater omnipotens.

Domine Fili Unigenite,

Iesu Christe,

Domine Deus,

Agnus Dei,

Filius Patris,

qui tollis peccata mundi,

miserere nobis,

qui tollis peccata mundi,

suscipe deprecationem nostram.

Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris,

miserere nobis.

Quoniam tu solus Sanctus,

tu solus Dominus,

tu solus Altissimus,

Iesu Christe,

cum Sancto Spiritu:

in gloria Dei Patris.

Amen.

ENGLISH

Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to people of good will.

We praise you,

we bless you,

we adore you,

we glorify you,

we give you thanks for your great glory,

Lord God, heavenly King,

O God, almighty Father,

Lord Jesus Christ,

Only Begotten Son,

Lord God,

Lamb of God,

Son of the Father,

you take away the sins of the world,

have mercy on us,

you take away the sins of the world,

receive our prayer;

you are seated at the right hand of the Father,

have mercy on us.

For you alone are the Holy One,

you alone are the Lord,

you alone are the Most High,

Jesus Christ,

with the Holy Spirit,

in the glory of God the Father.

Amen.

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COLLECT

LATIN

Deus, cuius Filius hodie in cælos,

Apostolis astantibus, ascendit,

concede nobis, quæsumus,

ut secundum eius promissionem

et ille nobiscum semper in terris

et nos cum eo in cælo vivere mereamur.

Qui tecum vivit et regnat

in unitate Spiritus Sancti,

Deus,

per omnia sæcula sæculorum.

R.) Amen.

ENGLISH

O God, whose Son today ascended to the

heavens as the Apostles looked on,

grant, we pray, that, in accordance

with his promise,

we may be worthy for him to live with us

always on earth,

and we with him in heaven.

Who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God,

for ever and ever.

R.) Amen.

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FIRST READING

ACTS 1:1-11

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A READING FROM THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

(HE WAS LIFTED UP WHILE THEY LOOKED ON.)

In my earlier work, Theophilus,

I dealt with everything Jesus had done

and taught from the beginning

until the day he gave his instructions

to the apostles he had chosen

through the Holy Spirit,

and was taken up to heaven.

He had shown himself alive to them

after his Passion by many demonstrations:

for forty days he had continued to appear to them

and tell them about the kingdom of God.

When he had been at table with them,

he had told them not to leave Jerusalem,

but to wait there for what the Father had promised.

“It is,” he had said,

“what you have heard me speak about:

John baptised with water but you,

not many days from now,

will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.”

Now having met together, they asked him,

“Lord, has the time come?

Are you going to restore the kingdom of Israel?”

He replied,

“It is not for you to know times or dates that the

Father has decided by his own authority,

but you will receive power when

the Holy Spirit comes on you,

and then you will be my witnesses

not only in Jerusalem but throughout

Judaea and Samaria,

and indeed to the ends of the earth.”

As he said this he was lifted up

while they looked on,

and a cloud took him from their sight.

They were still staring into the sky

when suddenly two men in white

were standing near them and they said,

“Why are you men from Galilee standing here

looking into the sky?

Jesus who has been taken up from you

into heaven,

this same Jesus will come back

in the same way as you have seen him go there.”

The word of the Lord.