Seventh Sunday of Easter ‘C’

Today’s readings are about Jesus returning to Heaven—this is called His Ascension. Before He left, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, who would give His disciples (and us) the power of God to continue His work. Jesus told them to spread His message and to show His love by how they lived and what they said, all over the world. Today, we celebrate Jesus being honored in Heaven after He finished His earthly mission, and we look forward to the Holy Spirit coming at Pentecost. Even though Jesus went to Heaven, He promised, “I am with you always, until the end of the world.” He stays with us, giving us the strength and courage, through the Holy Spirit, to share the good news of salvation and be His witnesses.

The Ascension and Pentecost together mark the beginning of the Church. Today’s feast is about Jesus’ final honor and glory after His suffering, death, and resurrection. We also hope to share in that glory one day. The meaning of this feast is clear: The Church (and we as members) are meant to be a community with a mission—to spread God’s love, guided by the Holy Spirit, and to trust God's protection even when we face challenges or suffering.

The First Reading tells the story of the Ascension as found in the first chapter of Acts. Jesus tells His disciples to stay in Jerusalem and wait for God’s promise: they will soon receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). The Holy Spirit will give them the power to be Jesus’ witnesses “to the ends of the earth.” Then, Jesus is taken up into Heaven, hidden by a cloud, while angels appear and promise that Jesus will come back one day.

The Responsorial Psalm praises God as the King of all the earth. It was originally sung when the Ark of the Covenant was carried in procession. Now, as Jesus ascends to Heaven, we remember that He has taken His place in glory as King.

In the Second Reading St. Paul explains that Jesus’ return to Heaven has a deeper meaning. It gives us hope that we, too, will one day share in heavenly glory, if we complete the mission Jesus gave us: preaching the Good News of salvation by our words and actions. The Holy Spirit helps us carry out this mission, giving us spiritual gifts to serve and witness to others.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives His last words, instructions, promise, and blessing to His apostles. He tells them (and us) to “Go and proclaim the Good News to all creation” (Mk 16:15), to “be [His] witnesses,” and to “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). Our life’s mission should be to continue Jesus’ work, looking forward to sharing in His heavenly glory.

To be Christian means to share our faith. “Preaching” means using words; “proclaiming” means showing our faith by the way we live. We need God’s Spirit to help us live as true witnesses for Jesus every day.

We also have a teaching mission: Jesus taught us faith, hope, love, forgiveness, mercy, and salvation - by what He said and did. He wants us to pass these on to others. We do this by studying the Bible, praying, receiving the Sacraments, and doing good deeds. When we experience Jesus in our lives and share Him with others, we are doing what He asked.

Jesus’ Ascension encourages us. When we reflect on it, we can find strength to overcome doubts, worries, or fears, remembering that we too are called to share His glory in Heaven.