Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
The account of the ascension from the gospel of Mark is a very intriguing passage. Just for a moment picture this: These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” If I compare my ministry with this passage there is every reason for me to feel absolutely inadequate. In fact, I may conclude that I am a complete failure.
Toward the end of the same gospel passage, there is another sentence: “But they [the disciples] went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.” These words put me more at ease. Over the eighteen years of my priesthood, I can relate hundreds of stories when, as sure as the sun, I have felt, experienced and known the Lord working with me. I can point to thousands of people, who because of my ministry, have come to know Christ, love him and commit their lives to him. And I have seen signs – gang members turn over their lives to God, bitter enemies speak again, hopelessness turn to joy, people finding new purpose and meaning, and people coming back to faith in God and in humanity. Oh Yes! Of this I am as sure as myself standing here – the Lord is working with me.
Today we celebrate the feast of the ascension. And it is not my intention to focus on the account of the ascension. Rather, I would like to focus on how we can be the church that Jesus intended us to be – full of power and on a mission? How can you and I be as sure as Mark about the Lord working with us? I would like to use the second reading to draw some reflection for us. Paul writes to the Ephesians,
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.
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
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power…
Paul hopes for three things for the Ephesians 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 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 of the daily news. 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. One of the things we might do this week is to get into conversations with family members about your faith convictions.
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 faith 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. Think of it as a process: Passion in our hearts comes from strong faith-convictions and it is our faith-convictions set us on fire for the good news of Christ.
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 power is the result of our faith convictions and passion. Scripture tells us that after the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples were still fearful and powerless. Doubts, uncertainties, and fears plagued their lives. At the ascension, as they see Jesus depart from them their faith convictions began to grip them and at Pentecost their hearts were set on fire. Now they had a passion for Christ and nothing could stop them. This needs to happen to us as well.
- Fr. Satish Joseph