First Reading: Acts 1:1-11
Resp.
Ps: Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
Second Reading: Eph 1:17-23
Gospel:
Mt 28:16-20
“Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19-20).
Dear
brethren, today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord into
the glory of heaven in the presence of his disciples, on the fortieth day after
his glorious resurrection.
In
the first reading, St. Luke narrates Jesus’ post-resurrection episode. After
spending forty days with his disciples teaching and encouraging them and
preparing them for the task he wanted them to accomplish, he ascended to the
glory of his heavenly Father. Jesus’ appearances and instructions to his
disciples were meant to prove that he had a real physical body and that he was
truly alive. Jesus instructs his disciples not to leave Jerusalem, the holy
city until they receive the power of the Holy Spirit who will strengthen and
accompany them in advancing and perpetuating the mission of Christ.
In
the second reading, St. Paul prays to God the Father to send us the Holy Spirit
to take control of the mission we were entrusted by Christ, and to enlighten
the dark spots of our lives, “So that with the eyes of your heart enlightened,
you may know the hope to which he has called you” (Eph 1:18). God manifested
his power by raising Jesus from the dead and by his glorious ascension into
heaven. All things in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth were put under His
feet.
In
the Gospel, the Risen Lord appears to his disciples on the mountain of Galilee
and announces that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him.
Having proclaimed this his transcended power and majesty, Jesus then
commissions his disciples to embark on a new mission. The scope of the mission
is to all the earth. The Lord will never abandon them in their mission.
In
his book, “Surprise Ending,” Ronald Duane Mehl recounts a story of a
seventy-eight-year-old minister who was hired by the Church in California. Not
long after his arrival, the Church members began to murmur that he was not
wanted. He was not a great orator. The congregation opted for guerilla warfare.
They talked during his sermons and belittled him behind his back, and many
people stopped attending his sermons. Fortunately, he got the message. Just
because he did not want to hurt the Church, he quietly resigned. As he was
leaving, two seminary students walked up to him, “So, what are you going to do?
You do not have any family, money, or home. Where will you go? The humble man
of God replied, “I am going to heaven.” “Well of course we know that,” they
chortled. “But what are you going to do? You have nowhere, and no one to help
you.” “I am going to heaven,” he replied. “The fact that I am going to heaven
makes these times of temporary hardship seem insignificant.”
Dear brethren,
by entering heaven, Jesus completed His redemptive work. This reminds us that
heaven is our ultimate hope. Therefore, all of our activities should be
directed toward heaven. In his letter to the Colossians, St. Paul tells us to
“seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of
God” (Col 3:1). By so doing, God of peace will be with us (Phil 4:9). Where do
we place our hearts? Do we allow our hearts to be disheartened and coldhearted
by the difficulties and troubles of life? The Solemnity of the Ascension gives
us hope that after the battle of our earthly life, if we hold fast to our
faith, perseverance, and prayer, we will gain the promises which God promised
to those who love him. As Jesus ascends into heaven, he did not leave us as
orphans. He promises the gift of the Holy Spirit, the protagonist who fortifies
and guides us in our mission. He promises to be with us “always, to the end of
the age” (Mt 28:20b). This is the confidence that we have in our God. God is
always with us in all the circumstances of our lives. Let us not lose our
confidence and hope in God, especially in the darkest moments of our lives. Let
us hold fast to the gift of faith that we have received.
The Ascension of the Lord
highlights the truth that we profess in the Nicene Creed: “He shall come
again…” Jesus ascends to his heavenly Father and leaves us in charge of the
affairs of his kingdom till he comes again in glory. While waiting for the
second coming of Christ, our Master, we are expected to be faithful and
trustworthy servants. Are we such servants? Are we ready for the Lord’s coming
at any time? Do we take the works of evangelization and conversion of souls seriously?
As we commemorate the Ascension of the Lord, we are being commissioned to go
forth to the whole world to proclaim the Gospel by the witness of our lives. On
this day of hope, commissioning, and encouragement, let us renew our commitment
to being authentic disciples everywhere we go beginning with our families.
Let our daily song be: All my hope
in God is founded; he doth still my trust renew, Me through change and chance
he guideth, only good and only true. God Unknown, He alone calls my heart to be
His own (Robert Bridges).
Kudzai Innocent Tonganai
IV Year Theology
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