(Homily for the Solemnity of
Ascension Year B)
The Ascension of Jesus to Heaven that we
are celebrating today, concludes his
earthly life, and yet opens a way for another type of presence. However,
narrating this great event the Evangelists seem to do so with discretion. Mark
as we can see in today’s gospel passage did not talk about it in a detailed
manner, he says: “And so the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken
up into heaven; there at the right hand of God he took his place” (Mk. 16:19). In his own account Mathew says:
“the eleven went to Galilea on the mountain that Jesus indicated to them”. Analogously,
Luke in his gospel (Lk. 24:46-53)
and in the Acts of the Apostles (first reading) expressed: “He was assumed into
heaven, he was elevated on high, before their eyes and a cloud covered him
before their gaze” (Acts 1:9). This entails that the visible presence of
Jesus on earth has paved way for his presence in another modality. At the
celebration of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus into heaven, it is very easy to
allow oneself to be carried away by the imagination and fantasy of thinking
that it has to do with some sort of levitation or a physical phenomenon.
Instead, here we are before a mystery, a
truth of faith that we are called to believe, and not a phenomenon to be explained
with the human sciences.
The Gospel of Mark (Mk. 16:15-20) almost made a leap, thus
instead of the Ascension, paid much attention to the mission of the Apostles.
Before going to the Father he orders them: “Go to the whole world and preach
the gospel to all creatures”. Therefore, believing in the Good News and
accepting baptism in the name of Jesus will be indispensable for salvation.
Indeed, here begins the mission of the Church, her universal mission by the
will of Christ because the Good News is to the “whole world” and to “all
creatures”, and the proclamation of the “Good News” will be accompanied and
confirmed with “signs” and prodigies, which will be revelative of the presence
of Christ (they will cast out demons, they will speak new languages).
St. Mark concludes his narration with an
interesting annotation: “while they (the apostles) going out, preached everywhere,
the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the signs that
accompanied it” (Mk. 16:20). They
apostles conformed themselves to the trust accorded to them by Jesus. For they
carried out their mission with courage and ardor. And Jesus on the other hand,
never was found wanting in manifesting his presence, thus rendering their words
of preaching efficacious and certain of this divine assistance, the Church has
to continue to perpetrate in time, the mission of the apostles, to ensure that
the Good News resounds in every time and in every angle of the earth.
In all, towards the end of today’s Gospel passage, St. Mark in brief reports
the event of the Ascension thus: “And so
the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven; there at
the right hand of God he took his place” (Mk.
16:19). And upon
reflection on the event of Christ’s Ascension into heaven, we deem it fit to
make three considerations talking about the event in connection to us, thus:
1)
It confirms our
faith in Jesus Christ.
Christ is truly risen. He is alive. He is with us. In his words: “I will not
leave you orphans” (Jn. 14:18), “I
am with you always; yes, to the end of time” (Mt. 28:20).
2)
It revives our
hope,
for one day we shall be where the Risen Lord has preceded us to be at the
Father’s right hand, “Anyone who proves victorious I will allow to share my
throne, just as I have myself overcome and have taken my seat with my Father on
his throne” (Rev. 3:21).
3)
It stimulates
our Christian sense of duty and responsibility: “Go into all
the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mk. 16:15), “you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all
Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8b), “why are you Galileans standing here looking up to
heaven” (Acts 1:11a).
The
Ascension into heaven is a full participation of Jesus to the life of God,
as the God-man. Indeed, the Ascension Event does not inaugurate a period of
distance or complete absence of Jesus from his people, rather, it inaugurates a
new type of presence. For He says: “I will not leave you orphans, I will return
to you” (Jn. 14:18). In fact, he has
promised “It is for your own good that I am going, because unless I go, the
Paraclete will not come to you” (Jn.16:7).
And not by chance that Mathew ended his gospel with the great and reassuring
promise of Jesus: “Look, I am with you, till the end of time” (Mt. 28:20).
The new presence that Jesus begins with the
Ascension Event entails an invisible but real presence, which he actualizes
through the coming of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Ascension Event stimulates
us equally to believe that Christ is really present in his Church, for the Holy
Spirit continues to work in the Church and in every single Christian.
From this moment begins the “time of the
Church”, of her mission in the world, as orchestrated in the first reading:
“Men of Galilea, why do you stand and look up to heaven?” (Acts 1:11a) This was the question that “the two men in white”
asked the apostles, who were gazing at Jesus as he ascends. As if to call their attention on the need
of not wasting time on nostalgic regrets. It is not a time to observe Him like a bystander, rather it is time for
and of action, time of realization of the Kingdom of God that Jesus has
inaugurated on earth, and as such, time of witnessing!
In
all, the first reading and the gospel bring clearly to light the main message of today that the
ascension does not mean that Jesus has gone from us, even though he is no
longer visibly present, but he is still with us. Above all, the experience of
the Ascension is a confirmation of the promise of Jesus “I will go and prepare
a place for you” (Jn. 14:2-3). It is
the assurance of the coming of the Holy Spirit “If I do not go away, the
advocate will not come to you” (Jn.16:7).
The Newtonian law of Gravity seems to have relevance within the framework of
the Ascension event “whatever goes up must surely come down”. Applied to the Ascension
we believe that he will come down as he ascended as Luke told us (cf. Acts 1:11b). It was an end and a
beginning at the same time for the disciples. May the Event of His Ascension
into Heaven reawaken our faith, our hope and our Christian sense of duty!
Amen!!!
Happy Ascension to You All!!!
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