Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord C May 13, 2010

Acts 1:1-11   Psalm: 47  Eph 1:17-23 or Heb 9:24-28; 10:19-23 Luke 24:46-53 

Before haring any reflections on today’s feast, today’s mystery, there are three elements that scholars make about this event.

1. Ascension is a part of the Easter Mystery. They are not two events, but rather two faces, two aspects of the same feast of Easter. In Matthew and Mark, Christ is both the Risen and Ascended Lord.

2. In his two volume work, Luke gives us two descriptions of this mystery.

In the Gospel, it is a looking back on the past. It is saying farewell. It is the conclusion of the earthly ministry of Jesus.

In the Acts, it is looking to the future, with a mandate to proclaim the Good News. It is the inauguration of the Church and sending it on a mission.

3. The 40 days between Easter and Ascension is symbolic like the other 40 days/years in the Bible. It is the “40” of the Exodus, of Elijah, of the desert experience. It is a time to strengthen, encourage and send forth the Apostles on their mission. The Liturgy has preserved these “40 days” since it is a balanced? convenient? easy to handle? span of time.

I would like to present three thoughts to ponder:

1. Stay in Jerusalem:  After the passion and death of Jesus, and still doing a “Doubting Thomas” relating to the Resurrection, the Apostles are ready to flee from Jerusalem. In fact we see, the Two Disciples going away on the Road to Emmaus. But Jesus told them “Stay in Jerusalem.”  This was not just a physical or geographical spot. It was and is symbolic of the Church. Jerusalem was very significant to Jesus.

He was brought to the Temple at the time of the presentation

He was “about his Father’s business” at the age of 12. He stayed in the temple

He made a whip and drove the buyers and sellers out of “his father’s house”

He gave the Apostles the first Eucharist at the Last Supper.

Staying in Jerusalem, was staying in the Church. Stay in Jerusalem was following Christ’s invitation: “Abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Cut off from the Vine, the branch has no life.”

The command of Christ is constantly relevant through the 2000 years of the history of the Church. People have left for serious and trivial reasons: they do not agree with the authoritative and arrogant way of some of the hierarchy, they find the sermons too long and boring, there is a constant demand for money, - currently there are the sex scandals. All these issues are painful. But they are due to the fact we are frail, we are sinners. We repent, but we fall again. Like Jesus who fell not once but thrice on the Road to Calvary, we too fall but must get up. We stay in the Jerusalem, we stay in the Church. Apart from the body of Christ, we will wither and die.

2. Wait, till the Holy Spirit descends upon you.

As we stay in the Church, through difficult times for some, we are not left alone. Jesus promised us, “it is to your advantage that I go so that I will send you the Advocate (Holy spirit) to you.” The Holy Spirit comes with the gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowledge and courage to name a few. The spirit shows us the way or to use the prayer of the A.A.

Give us the courage to change the things we can

Give us the serenity to accept the things we cannot

Give us the Wisdom to know the difference.

I like to think of the Holy Spirit as oil on troubled waters – not the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, - but rather giving us the balance in the storms of controversy, anger, hatred and violence. In this world we live, move and have our being. The Holy Spirit is the God of surprises: “when we feel we are at the end of the rope and there is nothing else, or no leeway to move, the Holy Spirit is there to give a helping hand. It is the same Holy Spirit that renews the face of the earth and gives us courage to carry on in situations that seem hopeless.

3. Third and finally: Go out to the whole world and proclaim the good news. Actually, this is the natural or supernatural outcome of staying within the Church and being empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is a desire to share with every one the joy, the peace, the alleluia that we experience.  As Christians we too have the same obligation, it is not a negotiable option.  Spreading the good news – what does it mean.

• It DOES NOT MEAN – that we should cram the Bible down the throats of people. The Crusaders in the 12 ^th century & certain Christian Groups today – did that.

• It DOES NOT MEAN forcing people to be baptised. Some labour under the impression:  Every child must be baptized, if not, they will go to hell.

• It DOES MEAN not being ashamed of witnessing to Christ. Too often we are embarrassed to say we are Christian. At other times we are too aggressive.

• It DOES NOT MEAN just being a good social worker.  EVANGELISATION is more than just being a “do gooder” in the right sense of the word. It means acting out of love and in the name of Christ – in all we say, think, act and do.

Evangelization is spreading the command of Jesus to love one another as Jesus loved us. We see Jesus in the way we act and live. There were two characteristics of Jesus’ life that can easily be part of our own life and action: The first is HEALING. Jesus went about preaching the Good News and this was always accompanied by healing. In most cases, it was physical healing.

We can make the blind see the goodness and beauty in others

We can make the crippled reach out a hand in forgiveness of those who hurt us

We can make the deaf hear the cries of the poor and those in need.

We can make the dead come back to life, by giving them hope and courage.

Healing is a part of unfolding our lives.

The second element is service. Jesus came to serve and not be served. If we are available to the needs of others, If we do not use power and authority to control others, - then they will see the Face of God in you and me. That is proclaiming the Good News.

They go out carrying seed to sow,

They return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them. Psalm 126