When do we celebrate the Ascension?
Are we allowed to wash the feet
of men and women on Holy Thursday?
Which bible
should I buy to coincide with the texts proclaimed during the Liturgy of the
Word?
Which bible should I buy to coincide with the texts
proclaimed during the Liturgy of the Word?
There is actually no edition of the Bible which will
coincide exactly with the liturgical text proclaimed. There are introductory
lines which give the context of the reading - not needed if you were reading
along previous verses in the Bible. There are omissions of verses for one reason
or another. There are short and long forms of various texts. All of these
"differences" were put into the text so that the proclamation could be
better understood. The Bible, on the other hand, is meant to be read and prayed
with by the individual who takes up the scripture and follows as the Spirit
leads.
The closest translation, actually the translation used by the editors with the
addition of the above-mentioned adaptations, is the New American Bible (NAB).
The Catholic Study Bible, an edition of the New American Bible, also provides
excellent commentary for study.
Are we allowed to wash the feet of men and women on
Holy Thursday?
In 1996, the
U.S.
bishops proposed a modification that would allow for the washing of women's
and children's feet during the Holy Thursday service. This proposal received
the necessary support of more than two-thirds of the
U.S.
bishops. Recognizing the support of the USCCB and in keeping with the tradition
of the Diocese of Phoenix, Bishop Olmsted allows for the washing of women's
and children's feet in the Diocese of Phoenix.
When do we celebrate the Ascension?
Ascension Thursday is now called "Feast of the Ascension" because it has
been permanently moved to the 7th Sunday of Easter. This year (2005) it falls on
Sunday, May 8. The day commemorates the Ascension of Christ into heaven (see
Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51, and Acts 1:2).
About 5 years ago, most of the regions of bishops in this country (all but about
7 ecclesiastical provinces of this country), with the approval of Rome, made the
decision to move the feast from a weekday (Thursday) to the following Sunday
because many people could not attend the weekday celebration. The Ascension is
too important a part of the whole Paschal Mystery - Christ's dying, rising,
ascending to the Father, and sending the Holy Spirit, to not be available to the
greater community of the faithful.
A regular weekday in Eastertide is celebrated on that (original) Thursday. The
Ordo, the small book of "everything you need to know for Mass and the
Liturgy of the Hours," indicates what scriptures for Mass and references
for Liturgy of the Hours are to be followed when the Ascension is moved to
Sunday. It is because calendars and ordos have to be used by the whole country
that you find the double reference (Thursday and Sunday). For the Ascension
itself on Sunday - the preacher may choose to use the 2nd reading and the gospel
from the Seventh Sunday of Easter texts.
