Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
(Fr. Satish is on visiting home in India. This homily was preached three years ago on the Feast of the Ascension)On some tired nights I go to Caribou Cafe and sip a latte. Of late, I have noticed that the glass windows at caribou Cafe have writings on them. The company has discovered a neat way to advertise – it has put rather noble sayings along with statements that promote their products on these glass windows. Last week, I picked up this paper napkin. It says, ‘Life is too short: for grudges, fake anything, putting profits before people, over-roasted coffee, waiting for a change to happen, crabby people and wifi you have to pay for!’ On the walls there are other suggestions – ‘Adopt an animal; donate blood’. This is a very clever advertising strategy. If a company puts moral statements along with its advertising, people are inclined to have a positive image of the company. But I think that something even deeper is happening on these glass windows and napkins. Either intentionally or unintentionally, the company is also proposing a particular world-view. It is a world without grudges, dishonesty, and unethical business; it is a world where people are good to animals and stay away from bad people. There is only one problem with this world view as I see it – you don’t need God in this world view. Spirituality, in this world-view, has nothing to do with the divine. Rather, God who created the world, has no place in the Caribou world. In fact, there is whole generation of people out there – people disenchanted with the church, those that dislike religious restrictions, young people disillusioned with the establishment – who find this world-view very attractive and liberating.
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. The danger of a feast like the feast of the Ascension is precisely this – that with Christ’s ascension into heaven we may think of God as being up there, unconnected to the world here below. After all, didn’t the disciples stand there looking into the sky? (Act 1:11) So I began writing this homily by asking myself the question. ‘What significance does the ascension of Jesus hold for me’? ‘What relevance can Ascension have for us today’?
And here is my answer. I would like to discuss this is three points.
a) First, the ascension of Jesus reveals our destiny. Isn’t it true that at some point of our lives, the crucial questions that consume most of us are: ‘Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going’? The ascension of Jesus answers these questions for us. The ascension of Jesus is important because it completes story of our redemption. The ascension of Jesus tells us that Jesus not only came from God but also returned back to God. The ascension is the final link in the chain of redemption. For us, this means that we now know not only where we come from but also where we are going. In other words, we know our destiny. We are not mere biological creatures who live as if life is too short for ‘grudges, fake anythings and crabby people’. The ascension of Jesus tells us that there is a divine origin and purpose to our existence. We are sacred beings and sacredness comes from God and will reach its fullness in God.
b) Second, ascension gives us hope. Let me read for you the prayer that St. Paul makes for the Ephesians in today’s second reading. “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….” (Eph 5:17-18) St. Paul is praying for two things for the Ephesians: the knowledge of God and the hope that comes from the knowledge of God. On Friday, I was called to Hospice to anoint two people. In both these cases, the family had been away from the Church and Sacraments for a very long time. In fact, when I entered the rooms of these actively dying people, everybody there was part uncertain, part anxious, part afraid. Yet, I saw in their eyes a cry for help. They needed something to cling on to. They needed some assurance that their loved one will be OK. They wanted to experience HOPE! And that is exactly what Christ offered them. By the time I left, uncertainty, anxiety and fear had given way to peace and hope. Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians and for all of us is precisely this – that we know the hope that comes from our faith in God.
So there are two world-views: one emerges from the walls of our cafes and the other emerges from the life of Jesus; one leads us to rely on our own capacities, the other leads us to faith in God. One world view leads us six-feet- under, the other to new life with God. One world-view offers us suggestions for a decent life here on earth, the other offers us hope for eternity. The feast of the ascension alters our world-view in the direction of faith and hope.
c) Third, ascension gives us a new dignity. The scene at the end of today’s gospel reading is rather amusing. Jesus has slowly disappeared into the sky. The disciples are standing there… gaping. The angels come and tell them, “Why are you standing there looking at the sky? (Acts 1:11) The disciples are not meant to be stupid people, gaping into the sky any more. Thus far the disciples were learners – weak, groping, uncertain. That changed with the ascension. Jesus gave them a new dignity and purpose, “You are witnesses to these things,” he said to them. Now they must be to others what he was to them. They have now been made partners in the redeeming work of Christ. Human beings have a new dignity. We have a new dignity.
The gospel reading ends with the words, “They did him homage.” (Lk 24:53) That is exactly where ascension should lead us… to worship. At this Eucharist, let us not stand gaping. Rather, let us move into the most profound and true worship human beings can offer God. Through this Eucharist let us “do him homage.”
- Fr. Satish Joseph