The Lord Goes Up With Shouts of Joy!

(Homily for the Solemnity of Ascension -Year A)

     In my homily last Sunday I did affirmed that: “As Jesus prepares to leave the scene, He prepares the minds of his disciples for the advent of the Paraclete”, and indeed today He finally bids farewell to his disciples and apostles, although his departure is not a definitive separation from his people, but the beginning of a new presence. 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. Mathew as we can see in today’s Gospel passage did not talk about it explicitly, he only said that “the eleven went to Galilee on the mountain that Jesus indicated to them.” In his own account Mark 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). 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 away with the human sciences.

     In today’s Gospel passage (Mt. 28:16-20) Mathew does not present a clear episode of the Ascension event, rather he presents an encounter of the risen Lord with his apostles within a context of his final appearance before the Ascension. Drawing the issue further, it is paramount to underline the fact that in the New Testament, the Ascension event is treated as an integral part of the Easter event. As a matter of fact, the earlier Easter narratives presented the appearances as manifestations of both the already risen and ascended Christ. This theological thread runs through this Mathew’s Gospel passage about the final appearance of the risen One. It is the ascended Christ that said: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (v.18).

     In this narrative of St. Mathew the appearance of Jesus took place on a mountain, and this location has some theological importance for our Evangelist. It is a locus of encounter with and revelation of God, since mountains are closer to God who dwells in the heavens. For if we remember vividly well the great sermon (cf. Mt. 5) took place on a mountain; the transfiguration too, in Mathew and other synoptic took place on a mountain (cf. Mt. 17; Mk. 9; Lk. 9). However, it is important to note that the appearances of the risen Lord are revelations, and as such, could be taken to be true or discarded, doubted or believed. Little wonder, those who believed responded in adoration before Him (v.17). Mathew made it clear that upon his appearance they fell down before him in adoration while some hesitated, and after this he spoke to them, as if to confirm that truly it is He. He spoke to them ascertaining his authority from above and then entrusted his mission to them. And we tried to capture them in the following sentences: ● Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations (v.19), ● baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (v.19), ● and teach them to observe all the commands i gave you (v.20). This sublime mission Jesus entrusted to his disciples would have been an impossible mission without the aid and the presence of the Holy Spirit, through whom Jesus perpetuates his presence. Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father and the apostles went to preach to the whole world. And the Church was born and her journey in human history began. Thus, we may well affirm that the declaration of his authority was succeeded by a missionary charge. Interestingly, the last verse of the passage underlines the fact that the interval between the ascension and the second coming is not a period of his temporary absence. Thus after his missionary mandate to them he assured them of his permanent presence from that moment to the parousia. That is to say, even though he ascends to heaven, he is still with us.

     The first reading (Acts 1:1-11) situates the event within the context of encounter (appearances) between the risen Lord and his apostles. Therein, He told them not to leave Jerusalem in view of the Father’s promise: the Holy Spirit. But they showed lack of understanding towards the admonition of Jesus. Then they asked: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). This question reveals their mistaken view of the person and mission of Jesus. In their minds Jesus would do something to drive out the Romans and restore power to Israel. In the same manner, many of us today, do not understand properly His teachings. The question of the apostles was off point, however, Jesus used the opportunity to educate them on what to do after the Ascension, thus in response to their question about restoring the kingdom to Israel, Jesus said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8). Thus, we are not to sit and fold our arms, instead we are to do something: “you will be my witnesses …” In all, Luke’s  version of the Ascension event in the Acts of the Apostles, looks forward to the future, that is, to the inauguration of the mission of the Church and the final return of the One who ascends: “he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight…This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way as you have seen him go to heaven” (vv. 9.11). And after the Ascension the disciples returned to Jerusalem and went to the Upper room, where they remained in prayer with the disciples and some women including Mary the mother of Jesus (cf. 1:12-14). They were in prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

     The second reading (Eph. 1:17-23) recuperated the theme of the Ascension as the enthronement of Christ. It elaborated the theme of the exaltation and Kingship of Christ as another mystery emanating from the mystery of Christ’s Ascension into heaven. For this, the apostle opined: “and how extraordinarily great is the power that he has exercised for us believers; this accords with the strength of his power at work in Christ, the power which he exercised in raising him from the dead and enthroning him at his right hand, in heaven, far above every principality, ruling force, power or sovereignty, or any other name that can be named, not only in this age but also in the age to come” (vv. 19-21). Indeed, the event of the Ascension reveals another mystery about the crucified-risen Lord, for St. Paul unlike the Synoptic does not record simply that “he was carried up…”, or that “he parted from them”, but that he was raised above all things: “The one who went down is none other than the one who went up above all the heavens to fill all things” (Eph. 4:10). It is the dominion of Christ over all things. St. Peter equally recorded this thus: “he has entered heaven and is at God’s right hand, with angels, ruling forces and powers subject to him” (1Pt. 3:22). In that bid, the feast of the Ascension is an event of Christ’s enthronement, it celebrates the risen Christ as the One constituted by the Father as Sovereign Lord of all the earth. Little wonder Psalm 47, a psalm of enthronement was used for the responsorial psalm, “God has gone up with shouts of joy. The Lord goes up with trumpet blast” (v.6). It is on this note that St. John declared that “The Kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 11:15). The Ascension is indeed the feast of Christ’s enthronement. Therefore, henceforth God exercises his sovereignty over the universe through his crucified-risen and exalted Son.

     Furthermore, reflecting 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). He departs physically but to perpetuate his presence spiritually.

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, therefore, make disciples of all nations…baptize them...and teach them” (Mt. 28:19-20); “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mk. 16:15); “in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all nations” (Lk. 24:47); “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). We too are not to stand and look!

     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, a time condensed between two events: the ascent of Jesus at the right hand of God and his return at the end of time, as orchestrated in the first reading: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand and look up to heaven?” (Acts 1:11a). That 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!

     Furthermore, the Ascension of Jesus encourages us to look up, towards that sure destination that awaits us, where Christ preceded us to go and prepare a place for us. It helps us to learn that we are with Him on the path to glory, even though we maybe imperfect and limited, but upon consideration that we are members of his Body, the Church, of which He is the Head, and inasmuch as He is enthroned in heaven, we belong there, for where the head is, there the body will be also. Therefore, we cannot but live in hope of going one day to occupy the place Christ has prepared for us with the help of divine grace, for this St. Paul prayed in the second reading: “May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, how rich is the glory of the heritage he offers among his holy people” (Eph.1:18). May the Lord truly illumine our mind, revive our faith and reinforce our hope, so that we may be able to attain this glorious hope. And this gaze towards our glorious destination should not make us to become inactive in the present reality, it should not be a sort of analgesic that will relieve us from the present responsibilities and maybe pains, rather the consciousness of it has to propel us to live as disciples of Christ always and every where. For we will be able to reach our place in Paradise in the measure we engage ourselves in realizing here on earth, deep within us and in the world, the Kingdom of God, which is a Kingdom of peace, justice and love.

          Above all else, however, 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. It was an end and a beginning at the same time for the disciples. In 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). Indeed, 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). 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!!!

(Fr. Vitus M.C. Unegbu, SC)