Ascension of the Lord 'B'

Today’s readings describe the Ascension of the Lord Jesus into his Heavenly glory after promising the Holy Spirit as the source of Heavenly power for his disciples and commanding them to bear witness to him by their lives and preaching throughout the world. We celebrate Jesus’ exaltation and the end of his earthly existence as a prelude to the gift of the Spirit. The ascended Jesus is still with us because of His promise, "I am with you always; until the end of the world.” He is with us at all times and in all places, releasing a new energy, the energy of the Holy Spirit to preach his Good News of salvation by bearing witness to Him. The Ascension and Pentecost, together, mark the beginning of the Church. Today’s feast is a celebration of Jesus’ final glorification after His suffering, death and Resurrection – a glory in which we also hope to share. The feast of the Ascension tells us that the Church must be a community in mission, guided by God’s Spirit and confident of God’s protection even amid suffering and death.

The First Reading gives an account of the event of Ascension as recorded in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. First, Jesus instructed his apostles to wait in Jerusalem for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5), so that they might become his “witnesses to the ends of the earth” by the power of the Holy Spirit. Then “a cloud took him from their sight” (Acts 1:9), and two Heavenly messengers in white garments gave them the assurance of Jesus’ return in glory.

Today's Responsorial Psalm, “God is king over all the earth,” (Ps 47:3), celebrates God's universal Kingship. It was originally sung in connection with a cultic procession honoring the Ark of the Covenant. By his Ascension, the risen Lord likewise "mounts his throne" in glory.

In the Second Reading Paul explains the theological meaning of Jesus’ exaltation. Our great hope is that one day we too will be ascending to heavenly glory provided we complete our part of the mission entrusted to us by the ascending Lord. Our mission is to preach the Good News of salvation to the whole world by word and deed. We continue to receive the Divine assistance and spiritual gifts necessary for our Christian witnessing through the gift of Jesus and the Father to us of the Holy Spirit living within us.

In today's Gospel, Jesus gives his final message, his final instructions, his final promise, and his final blessing to his apostles. Our mission, as recorded in Mark, Acts and Mathew, is to proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mk16:15); to "Preach the good news and be my witnesses:" (Acts 1:8), and to “Make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). Completing Jesus’ mission should be our goal in life, and the prospect of sharing the ascended Jesus’ Heavenly glory should be the driving force of our lives.

To be a Christian is to be a proclaimer and an evangelizer. There is a difference between preaching and proclaiming. We preach with words, but we proclaim with our lives. Let us ask the guidance of the Spirit of God to bear witness to Jesus by our transparent Christian lives.

Jesus taught us lessons of faith, hope, love, forgiveness, mercy and salvation by his life and preaching and gave us the mission to teach these to others. Let us then learn about Jesus and His teachings by meditative reading of the Bible and experience Him in personal prayer, reception of the Sacraments and works of charity. May we convey to others Jesus Whom we have experienced with the help of His Holy Spirit. The ascended Jesus is our source of strength and encouragement: We will be able to overcome doubts about our faith and baseless fears, anxieties and worries by meditating on Jesus’ Ascension and the lesson it teaches that we, too, are called to share His glory in heaven.