Christ is Risen! Walking with Jesus on the Ascension of the Lord
Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians, Peter 1:17-23, Matthew 28: 16-20
With Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, what are the burning questions that come up in our hearts?
The apostles asked: “Lord, at this time, are You going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?” [Acts 1:6] They were envisioning the kingdoms under Saul, David and Solomon. They realized Saul was concerned about himself and developed a jealousy for David. David was the ideal king, yet he was consumed with his own humanity and sins but witnessed to the Lord as did his son, Solomon. A combination of the gifts and talents of these two would bring back the glory days of Israel. This is what the apostles wanted. This never was God’s plan, which was to lead all people to the glories of the heavenly kingdom of love and peace with Him forever.
The two men in white said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen Him going into heaven.” [Acts 1:11] The implication “… standing there looking at the sky …” implies they are wasting time. They have work to do … much more important things … convincing their world that the Lord, the Messiah, has come and laid out God’s plan for the salvation of the world.
“Let’s get to work.” This attitude continued for the immediate future for the new Christians. They concentrated on preaching and ministering Jesus’ commandments of love … conversion … and baptism into the faith. Yet the expected “return of the Lord” wasn’t happening. Apostles, disciples, eyewitnesses began to die off … and there was no historical documentation of what happened. Paul was writing on how to be a follower of Christ. But the miracles, teachings and life experiences of Jesus were being lost with the original eyewitnesses. The synoptics, Matthew, Mark and Luke, were put together with their history focusing on the people they ministered to: Jewish, Gentiles, nonbelievers and pagans. Luke also added a second book on the development of the early Christian community.
In the Gospel, Matthew’s very last words tell of Jesus’ Ascension: “All power in heaven and on hearth has been given to Me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” [Matthew 28:19-21] This reaffirms the urgent appeal to continue believing, preaching, living the good news of God’s love daily with the added prescription that Jesus is present every step of the way … leading, gracing, and loving us. Am I admitting this? Am I allowing this to happen? Am I living so others see Jesus in me? Am I delaying because I have a lot of time and roads to cross before my final journey to the Lord arrives? This seems to be the work of priests and nuns rather than me.
Scripture scholars refer to Jesus’ words in today’s gospel as the “Great Commission.” The eleven had been with Jesus for the last three years. They were being formed and educated, and had even gone out themselves as “practice apprentices” in preaching and some healing. Each time they returned with amazement and enthusiasm. They came to discover the presence and the help of the Holy Spirit in carrying this mission from Jesus. The bottom line is that each of us has been commissioned too: I as a priest and you, as leaders, in your role as parent, relative, friend, coworker, schoolmate, companion to each and every person in need. As Teresa of Avila writes in her poem, Christ has No Body:
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which He looks compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are His body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which He looks compassion on this world
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
So I reflect on:
Do I focus on ways to love the people I encounter in the routine circumstances of my day?
When Jesus looked at people He met, He didn’t judge them by the standards of the day. Do I?
Do I look at others with Jesus’ compassion, without judging or condemning, even those who don’t invite it easily?
Do I look for opportunities to bring God’s love to others each day? Do I make this a part of my daily examine at the end of the day to thank God for His help or plead for more help?
Sacred Space 2020 states:
“Each person of the Blessed Trinity is fulfilled by fully giving self lovingly to the other two persons, and fully receiving the love of the other two persons. It is an everlasting circle of love between three divine persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are made in the image and likeness of God, and we are fulfilled only by giving ourselves to others out of love and fully receiving God’s love for us.
“I hear Jesus’ commission to invite others to become disciples of love: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.’ Where do I start? Instead of focusing on my reluctance, I think of God’s eagerness to be in fuller relationship with me. For only by fully giving and receiving do we become our true selves. God will always be with us in this work because it is God’s work.”
With Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, what are the burning questions that come up in our hearts?
The apostles asked: “Lord, at this time, are You going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?” [Acts 1:6] They were envisioning the kingdoms under Saul, David and Solomon. They realized Saul was concerned about himself and developed a jealousy for David. David was the ideal king, yet he was consumed with his own humanity and sins but witnessed to the Lord as did his son, Solomon. A combination of the gifts and talents of these two would bring back the glory days of Israel. This is what the apostles wanted. This never was God’s plan, which was to lead all people to the glories of the heavenly kingdom of love and peace with Him forever.
The two men in white said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen Him going into heaven.” [Acts 1:11] The implication “… standing there looking at the sky …” implies they are wasting time. They have work to do … much more important things … convincing their world that the Lord, the Messiah, has come and laid out God’s plan for the salvation of the world.
“Let’s get to work.” This attitude continued for the immediate future for the new Christians. They concentrated on preaching and ministering Jesus’ commandments of love … conversion … and baptism into the faith. Yet the expected “return of the Lord” wasn’t happening. Apostles, disciples, eyewitnesses began to die off … and there was no historical documentation of what happened. Paul was writing on how to be a follower of Christ. But the miracles, teachings and life experiences of Jesus were being lost with the original eyewitnesses. The synoptics, Matthew, Mark and Luke, were put together with their history focusing on the people they ministered to: Jewish, Gentiles, nonbelievers and pagans. Luke also added a second book on the development of the early Christian community.
In the Gospel, Matthew’s very last words tell of Jesus’ Ascension: “All power in heaven and on hearth has been given to Me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” [Matthew 28:19-21] This reaffirms the urgent appeal to continue believing, preaching, living the good news of God’s love daily with the added prescription that Jesus is present every step of the way … leading, gracing, and loving us. Am I admitting this? Am I allowing this to happen? Am I living so others see Jesus in me? Am I delaying because I have a lot of time and roads to cross before my final journey to the Lord arrives? This seems to be the work of priests and nuns rather than me.
Scripture scholars refer to Jesus’ words in today’s gospel as the “Great Commission.” The eleven had been with Jesus for the last three years. They were being formed and educated, and had even gone out themselves as “practice apprentices” in preaching and some healing. Each time they returned with amazement and enthusiasm. They came to discover the presence and the help of the Holy Spirit in carrying this mission from Jesus. The bottom line is that each of us has been commissioned too: I as a priest and you, as leaders, in your role as parent, relative, friend, coworker, schoolmate, companion to each and every person in need. As Teresa of Avila writes in her poem, Christ has No Body:
Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which He looks compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are His body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which He looks compassion on this world
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
So I reflect on:
Do I focus on ways to love the people I encounter in the routine circumstances of my day?
When Jesus looked at people He met, He didn’t judge them by the standards of the day. Do I?
Do I look at others with Jesus’ compassion, without judging or condemning, even those who don’t invite it easily?
Do I look for opportunities to bring God’s love to others each day? Do I make this a part of my daily examine at the end of the day to thank God for His help or plead for more help?
Sacred Space 2020 states:
“Each person of the Blessed Trinity is fulfilled by fully giving self lovingly to the other two persons, and fully receiving the love of the other two persons. It is an everlasting circle of love between three divine persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are made in the image and likeness of God, and we are fulfilled only by giving ourselves to others out of love and fully receiving God’s love for us.
“I hear Jesus’ commission to invite others to become disciples of love: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.’ Where do I start? Instead of focusing on my reluctance, I think of God’s eagerness to be in fuller relationship with me. For only by fully giving and receiving do we become our true selves. God will always be with us in this work because it is God’s work.”
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