ASCENSION OF THE LORD
8 MAY 2016
The
Ascension of the Lord is an integral part of the Paschal Mystery. Whether we agree with our Bishops’ decision
to move this Solemnity from the fortieth day of Easter to this Sunday, their
motivation is clear. They wanted as many
practicing Catholics as possible to be exposed to this Mystery by celebrating
the Solemnity.
The
readings today provide a clue to the importance of the Ascension. Saint Luke wrote two volumes about God’s
intervention into human history. We just
heard the end of his first volume – the Gospel.
His Gospel focuses on Jesus Christ establishing the Kingdom of God. At the beginning of the Gospel, the angels
announce to shepherds the good news of the Savior’s birth. John baptizes his cousin in the River Jordan,
and a voice from heaven proclaims that Jesus is God’s Beloved Son. Through his teaching and his miracles, Jesus
reveals the truth that he has ushered in God’s Kingdom. After his death and resurrection, those who
have encountered him are convinced that he is truly the Messiah, sent to
establish God’s Kingdom. At the very end
of the Gospel (today’s passage), Jesus ascends into heaven. In other words, he leaves the reality of this
world as we know it to enter the eternal place where God dwells.
We also
heard from the second volume of Saint Luke in the first reading – the Acts of
the Apostles. This volume focuses on the
work of the Holy Spirit in spreading the Kingdom of God through his
disciples. Luke tells us that Jesus has
spent forty days after the resurrection with the disciples – a symbolic way of
saying that they had sufficient time to reflect on the resurrection. This experience has convinced them that he
will restore the kingdom to Israel. But
he tells them to trust the Father’s plan, because his Kingdom is not about
overthrowing the Romans. His Kingdom is
about God dwelling now on earth. He
tells them to remain in Jerusalem, where they are in greater danger from the
authorities and to wait for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. As John had baptized him for his mission of
establishing God’s Kingdom, they will be baptized by the Holy Spirit to spread
that Kingdom. Then, as he is taken up to
where he had emptied himself in the Incarnation, those angels (the two men
dressed in white garments whom they had encountered at the empty tomb) tell
them to stop looking up at the sky and get to work.
Because of
the Mystery of the Ascension, the physical body of the risen Lord is no longer
present to his disciples. But he is not
absent from them. He directs their mission
from the eternal dwelling place by giving them the Holy Spirit. But the Mystery of the Ascension is not
confined to them. The Holy Spirit is also given to us. Just as they were sent to proclaim God’s
Kingdom, so also are we. As we wait for
a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, we can also withdraw a bit
and reflect on the ways in which we have the risen Lord in these last forty
days. To use the beautiful image of
Saint Paul, these days have enlightened the eyes of our hearts to recognize more
clearly the risen Lord’s presence in the Sacramental life of the Church, in our
families, our schools, our communities, and our places of work.
Our task is
the same as the first Apostles. We are
sent to allow the risen Christ to dwell with us and live the Paschal Mystery,
to die to ourselves and trust that dying in Christ will lead to rising with
Christ. Like them, we are tempted to
escape to our own versions of Galilee, where life might be easier and safer. But, with the presence of the Holy Spirit, we
remain here. That is why it is fitting
to honor our mothers on the Ascension.
Mothers remain with their families and with their daily tasks to give us
a glimpse of the Kingdom of God – God dwelling in our midst now. Mothers know that they cannot do this on
their own. They depend on the grace of
the Holy Spirit, showing the rest of us the way to continue the mission of the
risen Christ.
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