The Ascension of the Lord - May 21, 2023
Acts 1: 1-11; Eph 1: 17-23; Mt 28: 16-20
Theme: Jesus’ Ascension is not a Farewell but a Commission
The
Gospel’s stories that we heard on the last two Sundays (taken from the Last
Supper discourse in chapter fourteen of the Gospel of John) prepared us for
this Sunday of the Ascension of our Lord and for the next Sunday, the
Pentecost. In both Gospels of the fifth and sixth Sundays of Easter, Jesus prepared
his disciples that he would go back to his Father. He instructed them to keep
his commandments as proof that they loved him, and as a result, he would ask
his Father to send them an Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, who would be with
them always. The first part of this discourse is fulfilled in today’s celebration.
We are celebrating the Ascension of our Lord. Jesus is lifted up to heaven and
has returned to his Father. We heard two different versions of this event, the
version of Luke (in the first reading) and that of Matthew (in the gospel). The
two accounts do not contradict each other. Rather, both emphasize the types of
missions that Jesus has left us which the Church wants us to know and meditate
on. The physical departure of Jesus to heaven is not a farewell or the end of
everything. Rather it is a commission. Luke and Matthew teach us that before
his ascension, Jesus left to his disciples including you and me some missions to
accomplish. He commissions us (1) to be his witnesses everywhere (see Acts 1: 8b),
(2) to make disciples of all nations (see Matthew 28: 19), and (3) to teach the
people to observe what he commanded us (see Matthew 28: 20).
Before
we analyze the missions that our Lord expects us to do, let us look at one
important detail that Luke mentions in our first reading. He says that the
Ascension takes place on the fortieth day after the resurrection of Jesus (v.
3). The Church also celebrates the Ascension of the Lord (which fell normally last
Thursday, May 18th) forty days after the resurrection (April 9th).
Note that in the Scripture, the number forty conveys the symbolic meaning of
preparation. We can recall Noah’s forty days in the ark, Moses’s forty days on
Mount Sinai, and Jesus’ own forty days in the desert before he started his
ministry. And now, our Lord needed a forty-day period after his resurrection to
strengthen the faith of his followers and prepare them for the mission he
assigns them. Celebrating the Ascension of our Lord today, forty days after
Easter, the Church reminds us that all of us have been well prepared to take up
the mission Jesus has left us. Now it is
time to work.
Indeed,
Jesus has left us a mission of being his witnesses everywhere we are. While
Jesus speaks to his disciples about his mission, the “spiritual” kingdom of God,
the disciples on the contrary are interested in the “physical kingdom” which is
the overturning of the Roman power. They express their mind through their
question: “Lord are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (v.
6). Here the disciples unveil the motivation for their discipleship. They have
been following Jesus for about three years with a mindset to take power from
the Romans. Why do you and I follow Jesus? What is our motivation for us being
Christians? This verse teaches us that in our relationship with Jesus, it is
not just we who request Jesus to do us favors but we need to pay attention and
know what Jesus asks us to do for him. The Church here exhorts us to recall our
baptismal motivation. In Baptism, we become the “other Christ”, not primarily
for the material needs, but rather for being Jesus’ witnesses who implement
God’s kingdom wherever we live. In his answer, Jesus tells his disciples that
it is not their business to know the times or seasons that the Father has
established by his own authority (see v. 7). As Christians, our business is,
not to know with exactitude when God grants our requests, but rather the
mission that he assigns us. Our primary motivation as Christians is to be the witnesses
of Jesus everywhere we are until the ends of the earth (see v. 8).
Jesus
has left us a mission of making disciples of all people. “Go, therefore, and make
disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28: 19). Pay attention to what Jesus said
before commissioning them. He said, “All power in heaven and on earth has been
given to me.” (V. 18). The commission to make disciples all nations is
associated with Jesus’ power. This power is entrusted to the Church through both
the ordained ministers and lay Christians. All of us work together to make the
people become disciples of Jesus, starting with our family members, relatives,
friends, and all people around us. There are still many people who are not yet followers
of Jesus. It is our mission to make them disciples of Jesus.
Jesus
has left us a mission to teach people what he has commanded us (see vv. 19-20).
There are some points that we need to
know about this mission. First, to teach the people what Jesus has commanded us
means that we need first to know what he taught or commanded us. We cannot
teach what we do not know. Jesus taught his disciples many things. We recall
for instance his Sermon on the Mount, all the parables, and the teachings about
the commandments to love God and love neighbors as oneself. The disciples are expected
to know all this and become familiar with them in order to teach them to others.
You and I can teach other people if we first learn from Jesus. Our Lord teaches
us at the celebration of the Eucharist and in the Scripture readings. That is
why we are encouraged to attend Masses and read the Bible.
Second,
in this mission, Jesus is asking us not to teach the people what he has
commanded us but to teach them to “observe” what he has commanded us. The focus
here is on “observe’. There is a difference between knowing about God and
knowing God. The first, knowing about God, reflects the knowledge that people have
about God with no intention of transforming their lives. This is like a person
who studied a course in hydrodynamics, but he/she did not learn how to swim.
The second, to know God, alludes to conversion. It is like someone who learns
how to swim. We have sadly neglected this important aspect. With good intentions,
many Christians have learned “about Christianity” but not “how to live the
Christian life’. Many have learned about prayer but not how to pray. Many have been
told that they should go to Mass but not how to actively attend Mass. Jesus is
asking us to teach the people, not the theories but the practice of his
teachings. It is by swimming that a person learns and becomes a swimmer. By
observing Jesus’ teaching people learn and become disciples of Jesus.
Third,
in this mission, Jesus is asking his disciples and all of us to teach people to
observe, not what we want, nor what the people want to hear, but what he has
commanded us. The Church has a mission to teach the word of God, regardless of
if the people like it or not. Jesus is asking us not to change his teaching to
please the people but to change the people (“Make disciples all nations.”) to
please him. We, the Witnesses of Jesus, are called to preach the truth and condemn
evil no matter who commits it and the circumstance in which it is committed. Wrong
is wrong and the truth is truth.
In
this Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord, the Church reminds us of all the
missions that we received on the day of our baptism. These missions may seem difficult.
But note that we cannot fulfill them without the help of our Lord. For this reason,
Jesus reassures his disciples and all of us of his permanent presence. “And
behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28: 20). And Saint Paul says in our second reading that
with the Holy Spirit, the eyes of our hearts will be enlightened and so we will
know the deep meaning of our call as the witnesses of Jesus. (See Ephesians 1:
18). Our lord is always with us. His Holy Spirit sustains us in our mission. Next
Sunday, we will renew the power of the Holy Spirit that we received on the days
of our Baptism and confirmation. I highly encourage all of us not to miss that
Mass. Pay attention to what Jesus recommends to his disciple including you and
me in our first reading. He enjoined us not to depart from Jerusalem, but to
wait for the promise of the Father, the coming of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1: 4-5).
Next Sunday, we need to gather here in our Church and experience the Holy
Spirit who will renew all the gifts and graces that we received on the days of
our baptism and confirmation. Make sure that you do not miss it. With this renewal
of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to carry out the missions of becoming the
witnesses of Jesus, making disciples of all people around us, and teaching them
to observe what he has commanded us. Amen.
Fr. Leon Ngandu, SVD
No comments:
Post a Comment