Feast of the Ascension (Lk 24:46-53) “The Ascended Lord is Here”
Feast of the Ascension (Lk 24:46-53) “The Ascended Lord is Here”
The Feast of the Ascension isn’t just an event in the life of Christ, but it is a tenant of our faith. When we say the Nicene Creed we have the line, “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of Father.” The implication of that is that we need to believe that the Ascension happened if we call ourselves Christian. Perhaps we might say the story is a hard to believe because of how the event is described, but do we have full understanding of what the Ascension might mean?”
The usual interpretation is that the Ascension is about waiting. Jesus died on the cross. He rose from the tomb three days later. He then spent 40 days with his Apostles giving them final instructions. At that point he took his apostles to the outskirts of Jerusalem where he said goodbye to them. He then ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. We have two accounts of this story in our readings today, both written by Luke. The other New Testament writers don’t describe the Ascension in any detail.
We get a sense that Jesus left the world. We are waiting for his return. While we anticipate Jesus’ return, we are spiritually tested. Will we choose to live virtuous lives? Will we choose to do evil things? Jesus looks on from his throne in heaven as an observer. He seems uninvolved. Everything is up to us.
At the end of all time Jesus will return where he will judge our actions. The holy people will get a reward. Sinful people will get punished. Life in this world is one big pass/fail scenario. Somehow this seems like a deistic Theology. God starts things in motion, but after that just waits. The rest of our Catholic faith clashes with this idea.
What is the fuller picture? The first thing we might consider is that Jesus doesn’t live today in an alternative universe. Heaven isn’t a place apart. Jesus rules over his Kingdom. The Kingdom exists everywhere. It was said once, “Heaven is God’s space, but it intercedes with our space and transcends it.” Jesus is Lord of all.
Scripture tries to make this point. We could start with the Letter to the Ephesians which we read from today. For it says, “He put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things.” In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter twenty-eight, Jesus gives his great commission, He says, “All authority has been given me over heaven and earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…….and know that I am with you always even until the end of time.” Two statements from Jesus ring out. All authority has been given to me. And I am with you for all time. These are the truths that we proclaim on this Feast Day.
We speak of Jesus leaving and the Spirit descending, but we cannot take the two literally. If we do that, we deny the oneness of God. Jesus is here, the Holy Spirit is here, the Father is here right now.
When we say all that, we aren’t saying that God is control and we are to be passive onlookers, watching what goes on in the world. Just as Jesus doesn’t watch from afar as history rolls along, we aren’t to watch world events transpire helplessly.
What are believers to do in cooperation with God? First, we are to seek justice. Justice gets tied to the polarization that is in our world. Justice can get tied to wokeness or being republican or democrat. But it is more than that. Justice has to do with being concerned for the hungry, the homeless, the weak, the vulnerable. Justice means that we are advocates for the poor. Justice has to do with applying the great command of Jesus of loving our neighbor. Justice has to do with seeing human life as valuable. Justice has to do with treating all of God’s creation as sacred.
The second thing we need to do is promote the truth. Lying is not an option if we want to promote the Kingdom of Jesus. Nor should we push others’ lies if we are participants in building the Kingdom of God. If leaders lie, we should have no patience with them.
Another thing we can do is to promote beauty. Pope Francis has spoken of the importance of seeing beauty in life repeatedly. He said once, “We must not, however, neglect to think and speak of beauty, because the human heart does not need bread alone, it doesn’t need only which guarantees its immediate survival: it also needs that which touches the soul.” We all have the capability to create beauty whether that means we plant a flower, make a piece of furniture, paint a picture, write a poem, dance for others……whatever we can do to inspire others shows them that God is real.
We remember today that the Ascension isn’t the end of the story of Jesus. No, it is all about the continuation of Jesus’ story forever and ever. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- Do I feel like Jesus is active in the world? Do I feel like Jesus stopped being active 2,000 years ago?
- Is promoting beauty in the world part of living as a Christian? Is truth telling?
Dear Parishioners,
I would like to thank everyone who congratulated me on my birthday last week and for those who sent cards to acknowledge my 40th anniversary. I appreciate your kindness.
I plan on celebrating my 40th anniversary on July 17th. On the same day, we will break ground for our new gathering space. This should be a great celebration. The planning is in process.
My birthday and ordination dates always fall at the same time as a myriad of other celebrations, so I like to delay the party a little. I don’t necessarily feel compelled to celebrate on the actual days.
Forty is a long time and a lot has happened in the church. I recall talking to two priests I greatly admired about their life as priests when they were approaching their last days. Both made the same statement which was that if they knew how the church was going to change, they might have thought twice about their commitment. They were both faithful to their priestly promises throughout their life and they were joyful, but they were also honest which I appreciated.
There words reflect the reality of any vowed life. In an older marriage ceremony of the church, there is a very poetic statement that I will paraphrase. We make a vow facing an unknown future that is hidden from our eyes. We enter a vocation for better or worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health until death. The commitment is an act of faith. The witness that is lived will hopefully strengthen our virtue and the virtue of those who know us.
Our Lord has allowed me to live as an ordained minister to serve his mission. My commitment to by Christian life isn’t perfect, but the mercy of God is boundless. For that I am most grateful.
My Our Lady of Peace pray for our violent world and for the children of Uvalde and the victims of the Buffalo shootings.
Fr. Mark