Antonia Messina was born into a poor family in a small town in Sardinia, Italy, in 1919. She was the second of 10 children and she had to leave school after only four years to help her bed-ridden mother tend to the house and the other children.

Despite her heavy responsibilities at home, Antonia became a very active member of Catholic Action at the age of 10. When she was 16, she was attacked while out gathering wood. She was beaten and murdered by a would-be rapist, fighting him off to her last breath. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1987 as a martyr of purity. She is a patron of rape vicitims.

St. Pascal Baylon

Pascal was born at Torre-Hermosa, in the Kingdom of Aragon, on May 24, 1540. He was born on the Feast of Pentecost, which in Spain is called "the Pasch of the Holy Ghost", which is why he received the name Pascal. He died at Villa Reale, May 15, 1592, on Whitsunday.

His parents, Martin Baylon and Elizabeth Jubera, were virtuous peasants. The child began very early to display signs of that surpassing devotion towards the Holy Eucharist, which forms the salient feature of his character.

From his seventh to his twenty-fourth year, he led the life of a shepherd, and during the whole of that period exercised a salutary influence upon his companions. He was then received as a lay brother amongst the Franciscan friars of the Alcantarine Reform. In the cloister, Paschal's life of contemplation and self-sacrifice fulfilled the promise of his early years.

His charity to the poor and afflicted, and his unfailing courtesy were remarkable. On one occasion, in the course of a journey through France, he triumphantly defended the dogma of the Real Presence against the blasphemies of a Calvinist preacher, and in consequence, narrowly escaped death at the hands of a Huguenot mob. Although poorly educated, his counsel was sought for by people of every station in life, and he was on terms of closest friendship with personages of eminent sanctity. Pascal was beatified in 1618, and canonized in 1690.

His cultus has flourished particularly in his native land and in Southern Italy, and it was widely diffused in Southern and Central America, through the Spanish Conquests.

In his Apostolic letter, Providentissimus Deus, Leo XIII declared St. Pascal the especial heavenly protector of all Eucharistic Congresses and Associations. His feast is kept on 17 May. The saint is usually depicted in adoration before a vision of the Host.

1The former treatise I made, O Theophilus, of all things which Jesus began to do and to teach,
2Until the day on which, giving commandments by the Holy Ghost to the apostles whom he had chosen, he was taken up.
3To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion, by many proofs, for forty days appearing to them, and speaking of the kingdom of God.
4And eating together with them, he commanded them, that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard (saith he) by my mouth.
5For John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence.
6They therefore who were come together, asked him, saying: Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7But he said to them: It is not for you to know the times or moments, which the Father hath put in his own power:
8But you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth.
9And when he had said these things, while they looked on, he was raised up: and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10And while they were beholding him going up to heaven, behold two men stood by them in white garments.
11Who also said: Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, as you have seen him going into heaven.

16And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17And seeing him they adored: but some doubted.
18And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.
19Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.

2O clap your hands, all ye nations: shout unto God with the voice of Joy,
3For the Lord is high, terrible: a great king over all the earth.
6God is ascended with jubilee, and the Lord with the sound of trumpet.
7Sing praises to our God, sing ye: sing praises to our king, sing ye.
8For God is the king of all the earth: sing ye wisely.
9God shall reign over the nations: God sitteth on his holy throne.

Second Reading

Ephesians 1:17-23
17That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation, in the knowledge of him:
18The eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what the hope is of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.
19And what is the exceeding greatness of his power towards us, who believe according to the operation of the might of his power,
20Which he wrought in Christ, raising him up from the dead, and setting him on his right hand in the heavenly places.
21Above all principality, and power, and virtue, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.
22And he hath subjected all things under his feet, and hath made him head over all the church,
23Which is his body, and the fulness of him who is filled all in all.

The ascension of the Lord

Acts 1: 1-11; Ps. 46(47): 2-3, 6-7, 8-9;
Eph 1: 17-23; Eph 4: 1-13 ( 4, 1-7, 11-13);
Mk 16: 15-20 (Psalter proper)

The Feast of the Ascension is really the completion of Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead. In His Resurrection He returned from death on the cross to a new and never-ending life. In today’s feast we celebrate the second element - Jesus’ return to the glory He shares with His Father. It is more the meaning of what we celebrate. We need to concentrate on rather than focus on how it happened. In fact, there are quite different accounts in the four gospels and in the Acts of the Apostles.

And today, too, is not an occasion for us simply to recall something that happened about 2,000 years ago. The Ascension is something which touches our Christian lives today. Jesus makes it very clear that His going away does not mean the end of His work. On the contrary, he calls on every one of His followers to continue the work He has been doing. We are to proclaim the Word that gives life, we are to heal and reconcile, we are to give witness as the visible Body of Christ in whatever part of the world we live in. As we saw in an earlier reading this month, we are called to bring the Good News of the Kingdom to all the places that Jesus was never able to reach. The Ascension is not an end; it is really only the beginning.

I am with you always, to the end of the World.