Life is Dynamic and Changing – Celebrate the Ascension
This Sunday we celebrate the Ascension of Christ. As believers in the Death and Resurrection of Christ, we recognize this as our time to respond in faith. If I might simplify things a bit, biblically, up to this point we have been given the Promise of sharing eternity with God both as the Old Testament unfolds and the New Testament, the life of Jesus Christ and his Apostles is recorded in Sacred Scripture. At his point in the unfolding of the Gospel story of Jesus we have been students , so to speak, urged to develop a sense of trust, faith and a sense of being loved – just as we love others.
Because of the Ascension, Jesus entrusts the building of his church to the people of God for all time and for all ages, not limiting his presence to one time in history or one place in the world. Jesus promised in last week’s gospel message that God the Father would glorify all who choose to believe in Christ. That includes us!!!
Throughout the ages, the true Church, which is the people, have tried to understand and educate others as to their God. The True Church is not comprised of buildings or government- like entities, but rather the body of believers acting as one. We are called to be part of this effort. It definitely is not a passive activity. We are called to action! Throughout history, because the Church is comprised of men and women like you and me, there have been different emphases, different liturgies, some mistakes –but not in core matters. The important part is to have our hearts pointed towards God. Parents at Baptism are asked to educate their children in the ways of faith, by word and example. The Ascension is one Feast where we might ask ourselves if we have been true to Christ’s trust in us. When Jesus left the world, he did not leave us, only His physical Body did. My favorite book on the Easter Season is The Wellspring of Worship , authored by Jean Corbon. A selection follows:
“ But in fact the Ascension is a decisive turning point. It does indeed mark the end of something that is not simply to be cast aside: the end of relationship to Jesus that is still wholly external. Above all, however, it marks the beginning of an entirely new relationship of faith and of a new time: the liturgy of the last times.
“… In his Ascension , then , Christ did not disappear; on the contrary, he began to appear and to come… If , however , we reduce this “ascent” to a particular moment in our mortal jistory, we simply forget that beginning from the hour of His Cross and Resurrection Jesus and the human race are henceforth one. He became a Son of Man in order that we might become children of God. The Ascension is progressive
“ until we all… form the perfect Man fully mature with the fullness of Christ Himself” (Eph 4:13). The movement of the Ascension will be complete only when all the members of the Body have been drawn to the Father and brought to life by His
Spirit… It is the never-new “moment of His coming.”
Are we living and celebrating our participation in this
moment and mystery?
Fr. Mike
