Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
Of all the feasts in the church, Ascension is my least favorite feast. After all, I am not very fond of goodbyes. It could be because my first real goodbye was also the hardest. I left home when I was barely seventeen. Leaving one’s family to join the seminary is unlike going away to college. There is a certain finality to that leaving. Ascension reminds me of that finality. No wonder, then, that the excitement that characteristic of the resurrection of Jesus is missing from the disciples at ascension. In fact, they are portrayed gaping at the sky, in doubt and questioning. So for me, the meaning of the feast of the Ascension rests less in the fact that Jesus went out of the sight of the world and is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven. That is no cause for feasting. For me, the meaning of Easter comes from this one statement, “You will be my witnesses….” In the gospel reading this command reads, “Go and make disciples.” Here lies the meaning of the feast of the ascension. The ascension of Jesus opens a new horizon for those who follow the path laid out by Jesus. The ascension of Jesus offers new possibilities for his disciples. Today I want to explore these new horizons, these new possibilities.
Here are the three points that I want to offer and the meaning of the ascension of Jesus.
1. Christian Maturity. Today’s second reading begins with these words, “May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.” Today’s first reading says that there are things we must know and there are things we do not need to know. For example, there is no need to know the times and seasons that God the Father has established. As the prediction of the world on the 21st of May tells us, this is a risky project. However, Christian must know God. Christian must know God by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that God gives to those who seek God. What good is a Christian who is ambiguous about God? What good is a Christian who is unfamiliar with the words of Christ? What good is a Christian who lived life without knowing the indwelling God? What good is a Christian whose convictions about Christ are fickle? The feast of the Ascension is an invitation to personalize God in such a way that we know Christ in the same way we know ourselves.
2. Christianity with Eyes Wide Open. Let me take you back the scene of the ascension. Luke writes, “While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” The disciples standing there gaping is symbolic of the spiritual immaturity of the disciples. Paul, on the other hand, in the letter to the Ephesians points to the maturity the disciples should reach. "May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory…, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power.” It can happen to us that we are like the disciples gaping into the sky while life passes us by. We could become stagnant in our prayer, immature in our spiritual journey, fearful to bear witness, and sad that God in not amidst us in the way we want God to be. Paul, on the other hand is urging us to understand the power of our call as disciples of Jesus. He is urging his constituents to live their faith with eyes wide open. Today’s feast is an invitation to us to live life with our eyes wide open.
3. You will be my witnesses/Go and make disciples. I said earlier that the ascension of Jesus opens a new horizon and offers new possibilities to his followers. If only, as I said in my first point, we understood the power of our calling, the implication of that would be stupendous. The most serious implication is that each one of us would know exactly what the primary purpose of our life is. Not merely being a mother, father, nurse, teacher, doctor, engineer, house cleaner, care-giver – but first and foremost, a witness to Christ. Immaterial of whether I had my hands, my feet, my eyes or ears – my primary call would be to be a witness. (Here is a video I would like to see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlZPYGBXQ44. In a world that is rife with meaninglessness, in a world that is searching for meaning and purpose, a Christian must be Christ. Could there be a better reason to live? It is the feast of the ascension that gives us that purpose.
- Fr. Satish Joseph