Homily-Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (Year B)- Rev. Dr. FR. Patrick Mathias SDB
Mass
Readings: Acts 1:1-11 Ps 46
Eph 4:1-13 Mk 16:15-20:
Key Verse
to Meditate: “Go into all the world and proclaim
the good news to the whole creation” (Mk 16:15).
My dear
Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
Today, the Church celebrates the great solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord. Forty days after Easter, the Liturgy commemorates the glorious ascension of the risen Lord and His seating at the right hand of God. Next week, on the fiftieth day after Easter, we shall celebrate with great joy the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, thus bringing to conclusion the season of Easter. The first reading from Acts speaks of the Lord's ascension as a reality commemorated among the first Christian community: "until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen" (Acts 1:2). It also reaffirms the fact that for forty days Jesus showed Himself alive by many convincing proofs (Acts 1:3). To the apostles who were looking up to heaven as Jesus ascended, the angels promised the men of Galilee that Jesus would come again to strengthen them: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).
“Ascension
into Heaven”: What are we to understand by the
phrase "Ascension into Heaven"? Both in the first reading and in the
Gospel, we have heard the word "heaven" several times. But what does
heaven mean? Heaven is supposed to be the place where God lives, just beyond
the clouds in the sky. But today, this image is really out of the question. So,
what do "heaven" and "Ascension into heaven" mean? It means
that Jesus returned to the place of God, from where He started, and where He went
to prepare a place for us (John 14:1-3).
The
First Reading: The Act of Commission:
This act of commission is also recorded by Luke in the Acts, where he explains
in detail about the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, as we have
heard in today’s first reading. Jesus, as in the Gospel, told the disciples
that they are to be witnesses of his resurrection by preaching the Gospel to
all nations. They are to go into the whole world as messengers of the word of
Life. They are to carry forward the mission of Christ. The apostles are
messengers of a Word that touches man in the center of his life. The Gospel,
entrusted to the Church, gives us a definitive answer: if we believe, we are
saved, and if we refuse to believe or shrug our shoulders, we are lost. It is
through faith, which is the yes given by man to God, that we receive life.
The
Second Reading: The explanation for the ascension
of Jesus is well-explained in today's second reading from the letter of St.
Paul to the Ephesians: "Therefore it is said, 'When he ascended on high,
he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.' When it says,
'He ascended,' what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower
parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all
the heavens, so that he might fill all things" (Ephesians 4:8-10). In the
Gospel of John, from which we have been reflecting very much these days before
the ascension, Jesus had promised the disciples that he was going up to heaven:
"I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving
the world and am going to the Father" (John 16:28). And having returned to
the Father, he now sits at his right hand, fully glorified, after the terrible
test of passion and death. The right hand of God signifies power and
omnipotence.
Our
lasting place is heaven: The ascension
of Jesus into heaven indicates to us another reality. Our lasting place is
heaven, and therefore the center of our life is truly heaven, where we find the
eternal presence of God. Our life on earth is a journey towards heaven. Our
life should be centered on God, and earth is not a permanent place. Therefore,
if the Ascension introduces Jesus into a new dimension of life at the right
hand of God, the apostles are also called to a profound change of life.
Ascension
is to send down the Holy Spirit: Jesus left the
earth and went back to the Father but promised not to abandon his own in the
world by promising them a helper, the Holy Spirit: "But you will receive
power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts
1:8). The disciples must be empowered by the Holy Spirit, says St. Mark.
God
Accompanies the Preaching Ministry: The last lines
of his Gospel, in fact, underline the fact of God’s continued presence with
them even as the disciples carried out the mission entrusted to them: "the
Lord acted together with them and confirmed the Word with the signs that
accompanied it" (Mark 16:20). The preaching of the apostles is done under
the commission and the authority of the risen Lord. God’s work carried out in
God’s way will not lack any grace to complete that task. That’s why we read
that the preaching of the apostles was accompanied by many signs. In reality,
the signs of wonders must accompany the life of the believers. Through these
signs, different and co-extensive with the Church's mission, God wants to
guarantee his action in those he has sent and invites all men to abandon what
is visible and look for what is lasting and points towards heaven.
The
Mission of the Church: The mission of
the Church is presided over by the risen Jesus Christ, ascended to heaven and
enthroned as Lord at the right hand of the Father. The ascension and the
sending of the apostles are inseparable. Judas’ place was taken by Matthias to
form the circle of the twelve and to be sent forth in mission to continue the
work of Christ (Acts 1:26). Jesus sends us, accompanies us, and gives us
strength. We are not spontaneous volunteers, but envoys of Jesus Christ.
Learning that we have the heavenly guide and intercessor before the Father, we
can daily obey his mission order in serenity and hope.
The
Final Commission - The One Thing Needed: The
final commission given by the risen Lord to his disciples was the commandment
to “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation”
(Mark 16:15). If we read carefully the final commission of Jesus, we notice
that the only mission that Christ asks of us is to announce the good news.
Jesus does not ask us to fill roles of "power" or to do great
charitable and social works; he does not ask everyone to become psychologists,
all-rounders, problem solvers, etc., but simply to announce the “Gospel”,
namely, the good news that the Father loves you and me and the world
infinitely. Moreover, the Good News has to be proclaimed by joy-filled and
God-filled hearts.
The
Promise of the Holy Spirit: The Ascension
of Jesus into heaven is not a departure once and for all, but only the
transformation of a presence that never fails. Christ is still among us today;
he is with us. "I am with you always, to the close of the age"
(Matthew 28:20). Only from this truth springs our strength and our joy. Jesus’
ascension was necessary so that he can send us his Spirit to strengthen us in
our faith and mission of proclaiming God’s word. Jesus’ ascension will send
down the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will be our helper in our mission. This
is what we will be celebrating next week.
Thus, the
Spirit descends upon us and regenerates us if we open our hearts to God through
our prayer to Jesus. Even today the risen Christ and ascended into heaven works
in the Church and with the Church; he works with Christians who are committed
to living the gospel, to witnessing it, and to proclaiming it to others; he
works with all men of goodwill who work for justice, peace, and fraternity. And
so, let us try to live the mission that Christ left us by putting into practice
what Saint Paul says in today’s second reading: "behave in a manner worthy
of the call you have received, with all humility, gentleness, and magnanimity,
bearing one another in love, having at heart to preserve the unity of the
spirit through the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3).
Points
for Personal Reflection: The great
solemnity of Ascension leaves us with three great lessons for our life of
Christian Discipleship: The Gift of the Holy Spirit, the commission to Preach,
and then the accompanying presence of the Lord in our Lives. God’s absence
means presence. Jesus’ ascension means Jesus’s continual presence in the
Father’s abode. The Lord’s Ascension means that he does not abandon us but has
sent down His Spirit who guides us. God never abandons his children. We have
the Spirit who accompanies us. Secondly, we as the disciples of the Lord are
commissioned to proclaim His Word. It is mandatory that we proclaim the
powerful Word of the Lord, not only through direct evangelization but also
through words and deeds. We are to become the joyful carriers of Good News.
Thirdly, Ascension brings to our mind the ever-accompanying presence of the
Lord. The Lord never leaves, and if he goes, it is to send down the Holy Spirit
of God. We never forget also that The Lord accompanies us in our lives and
especially in the preaching ministry of the Word.
How do I
announce the good news that God loves me and is present in my life? Do I live a
life worthy of the gospel? Do I realize and prepare myself here on earth for a
permanent life with God in eternity?
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