Feast of The Ascension of the Lord
Mt. 28: 16-20
We all have a tendency to hold on to
that which is familiar and comfortable. We may even tend to resist changes that
may make us feel vulnerable. We are comfortable in choosing or doing what we
know well. For example, a person may not be comfortable to use unfamiliar roads
to reach his destination even if the familiar road is long and tiring. Scriptures,
however, challenge us to overcome our fear of the unknown and to discover the
God of life and love beyond the familiar pattern and known boundaries like
Abraham and Sara, Ruth and Naomi, Mary and Joseph and the disciples of Jesus
who dared to follow the big dream God had for them. They all ventured into an
unknown future. The Ascension that we celebrate today is also about the courage
to let go of the familiar and to embrace a new future.
The disciples wanted to hold on to the earthly
Jesus, they were reluctant to let him go. But they were challenged to take
responsibility for their discipleship which is to work for the new future
inaugurated by Jesus. The separation of Jesus from his disciples brings about a
new way of His presence and ultimately a new way of life for them. The
Ascension is not about the disappearance of Jesus. Rather it is about a new way
of being present. Jesus is no longer bound by the law of space and time. By
ascending, he is actually able to be with the disciples at all times, at all
places. During his earthly ministry he could only be in one place at a time. If
he was in Jerusalem he was not in Capernaum; if he was in Capernaum he was not
in Jerusalem. But now that He is united with God, he is present wherever God is
present; and that is everywhere.
The physical departure of Jesus opened
a new chapter in their lives and the life of the Church. The feast of the
Ascension is the Church’s celebration of her future. What can we learn from
today’s feast? Today’s feast invites us to live out our faith and commitment to
the Lord. As Jesus depended on His disciples
for the mission, He depends on us now. The mission of Jesus is not only for a few but for all believers. We are all
being commissioned to go forth and proclaim the Gospel of life and love, of
hope and peace, by the witness of our lives. We need to be proclaimers and
evangelizers: All the baptized, whatever their position
in the church are agents of evangelization.
Today’s feast gives us the assurance
that Jesus is still present, present even in the pain and sorrow we undergo. By His Ascension, Christ has not deserted us but has made it
possible for the Holy Spirit to enter our lives. In this way it is possible for
each of us to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit into agents or
instruments of Christ.
Jesus taught us lessons of
Faith, Hope, forgiveness, mercy, Redemption and Love. We cannot put these
lessons on a shelf and ignore them. They stand before us in the person of
Jesus. Although no longer visibly present in the world, He is present in
his words. We must make his words real in our lives and in the lives of others.
Christianity was meant to be a Faith in which Jesus’ followers would help and care
for others, just as Jesus had done, and in so doing, would care for Jesus in
them.
Joke of the day
A woman in a confessional said, “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I have committed the sin of vanity. Twice a day I look in the mirror and tell myself how beautiful I am.” The priest took a look at her and said, “My dear, that isn’t a sin. It’s simply a mistake.”
Have a blessed Sunday.
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