Ascension of the Lord

Today's Mass Readings

What would you do if your bank accidentally deposited six million dollars into your account? Think about it, this could change your life to your wildest imagination. This happened last week to a couple in New Zealand. The couple had applied for a NZ$10,000 overdraft but instead received NZ$10 million (US$ 6.1 million). Later that week the BBC invited people to call to say what they would do if they discovered US$ 6 million in their bank account. The responses said so much about the people who called in. A student from US called to say that in such bad economic times he would use the money to throw a huge party. Others said that they would escape with it. Another caller said that he would return the money but would shame the bank if he was not given a reward. But there were more than five callers who said that they would simply return the money because that is what God would want them to do. One of these callers was from Nigeria – a poorer country compared to the US. What is the difference between the people who instinctively let their faith in God influence their decision and those who decided did not? Hopefully, by the end of this homily we will have an answer. Today we celebrate the feast of the ascension of Jesus. Instead of focusing on the plain fact of the ascension, like the first reading does, I would like to focus the letter of Paul to the Ephesians. Paul hopes for three things for the Ephesians that are related both to the question that I just raised and the feast of the ascension. First, Paul prays, “May God give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him (Eph 1:17). Second, Paul hopes, “May the eyes of (your) hearts be enlightened...” (Eph 1:18). And third, Paul wishes that the Ephesians may know “the surpassing greatness of his power” (Eph 1:19). I would like to focus on these three words – knowledge, heart, and power – because these three words are the key to Christian life after the ascension.

a) “May God may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him (Eph 1:17). Paul prays that the Ephesians have “knowledge of God.” What does Paul mean by “knowledge?” Knowledge, for Paul, is not mere awareness like we are aware about the accident transfer of money at the bank. Knowledge, for Paul, means strong conviction of the mind. It is like our conviction that there will be a tomorrow. It is like our conviction that 2 + 2 = 4. We may not be passionate about these things but we sure have absolute conviction. As convinced we are about these things, Paul hopes that we are convinced about Godly things – that God is love; that Christ is alive; that Christ lives in each of us; that the Eucharist is the real presence of Jesus. What is our conviction about God? I mean, what is that we “KNOW” about God?

b) “May the eyes of (your) hearts be enlightened...” (Eph 1:18). Second, Paul takes us from the mind to the heart. In other words, Paul hopes that the Godly convictions of the mind become a passion in our hearts. It is one thing to be convinced that 2 + 2 = 4, but it quite another to be convinced and passionate about things such as our families or sports teams. If Christians in Dayton were as convinced and passionate about Christ as they were about Ohio State, Dayton would be heaven. In other words, Paul was telling the Ephesians that it is not enough to have the knowledge of Christ, but rather, their conviction much turn into a passion for Christ. What are we passionate about? Does Christ figure somewhere in our topmost passions?

c) May you know “the surpassing greatness of his power” (Eph 1:19). Paul adds a third dimension to his post Easter faith – power. In other words, he was saying that knowledge and passion are not enough. In today’s first reading account of the ascension of Jesus, Jesus asks his disciples to stay in Jerusalem so that they can receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Jesus promised that the disciples would have such power that they would cast our demons, heal the sick and speak in alien languages. Not many of us have such powers. But there are powers we can exercise – the power to love like God, the power to forgive like God, the power to give of ourselves like God, the power to trust like God, the power to be compassionate like God. No one can take these powers away. IN other words, power is about how does our faith in God affect our decisions, not just about an accidental six million dollars, but about the little resources we have? What about God affects our relationships? How does our conviction about God come through in our daily life?

The couple that I spoke about at the beginning of this homily decided to withdraw part of the money and then leave the country. The latest news says that the Interpol has a search warrant for them. I guess, then, that the answer to the question I raised earlier is this: Those who decided that they would return the money because that is what God would want them to do are the ones who know God, have a passion for God and allow God’s power to guide their lives. I don’t know decision that you made. But I hope that it had something to do with God. As we receive the ascended Lord into our lives at this Eucharist, let us pray that the power of the Christ’s resurrection will shine through in our lives too. Amen.