Anecdote 1)
God’s love in action: The disciples who completed Puccini’s opera
Turandot. The Italian composer Giacomo Puccini wrote La Boheme, Madama
Butterfly and Tosca. It was during his battle with terminal cancer in 1922 that
he began to write Turandot, which many now consider his best work. He worked on
the score day and night, despite his friends' advice to rest, and to save his
energy. When his sickness worsened, Puccini said to his disciples, 'If I don't
finish Turandot, I want you to finish it.' He died in 1924, leaving the work
unfinished. His disciples gathered all that was written of Turandot, studied it
in great detail, and then proceeded to write the remainder of the opera. The
world premier was performed in La Scala Opera House in Milan in 1926, and
Toscanini, Puccini’s favorite student, conducted it. The opera went
beautifully, until Toscanini came to the end of the part written by Puccini. He
stopped the music, put down the baton, turned to the audience, and announced,
'Thus far the master wrote, but he died.' There was a long pause; no one moved.
Then Toscanini picked up the baton, turned to the audience and, with tears in
his eyes, announced, 'But his disciples finished his work.' The opera closed to
thunderous applause, and to a permanent place in the annals of great works.
Jesus instructs us in his Ascension message to finish his work of saving
mankind by proclaiming His good news by words and deeds.
Anecdote 2):
“I have no other plan”: A beautiful old story tells of how Jesus,
after his Ascension into Heaven, was surrounded by the Holy Angels who began to
enquire about how his work on earth had gone. Jesus told them about his birth,
life, death and resurrection, and how he accomplished the salvation of the
world. One of the angels asked, “Well, now that you are back in heaven, who
will continue your work on earth?" Jesus said, "While I was on earth,
I gathered a group of people around me who believed in me and loved me. They
will continue to spread the Gospel and carry on the work of the Church.” The
angels were perplexed. "You mean Peter, who betrayed you and all the rest
who ran away when you were arrested and crucified? Do you mean to tell us that
you left them to carry on your work? And what will you do if this plan doesn't
work?" Jesus said, "I have no other plan -- it must work."
Introduction
Jesus has no other
plan than to depend on the efforts of his followers! "I am with you
always; yes, to the end of time." Far from having left us on our own when
he ascended into heaven, Jesus is even closer to us now. He is with us at all
times and in all places, releasing a new energy upon the earth, the energy of
the Holy Spirit to preach his Good News of salvation by bearing witness to him.
The focus of this feast is the heavenly reign of Christ, not the details of the
ascension itself. The challenge it sets before us is a spiritual one: Are we faithful
to his teaching in our lives, and do we carry its message into our world? We
must now be his witnesses “to the ends of the world.” The readings for the
Feast of the Ascension remind us of this fact and focus on Jesus’ exaltation.
In the first reading, we stand with the disciples gazing up at the sky, not
knowing what has happened or what it might mean for us. Jesus says to us, “You
are sent to be my witnesses.” (“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”). Today's psalm,
“God is king of all the earth,” celebrates God's universal kingship. It was
originally sung in connection with a cultic procession honoring the Ark of the
Covenant. By his Ascension, the risen Lord likewise "mounts his throne"
in glory. In the second reading, Paul explains the theological meaning of
Jesus’ exaltation by saying, "May God enlighten the eyes of our hearts so
that we may know the great hope to which we have been called." Although
risen and ascended, he is still with us through the grace of the sacraments. He
is present in the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion and in the
tabernacle where the Eucharist is reserved for prayer. While Jesus is no longer
present in a physical sense (we cannot touch him, feel him or take hold of
him), he is accessible to us now through prayer because He dwells in our souls.
We live with His life, and so serve as His new presence in the world. In
today's gospel Jesus gives his final message, his final instructions, his final
promise, and his final blessing to his apostles. “Go into the whole world and
proclaim the Gospel” is the commission given first to the disciples and then to
us. It is in his Ascension that we see Jesus entering fully into the life and
glory of God. The prospect of sharing that glory should be the driving force of
our lives.
Today's first
reading from the Acts describes the experience of the Ascension, the feast
celebrating Jesus' ascent to the Father. It is not so much a change of location
as a change of state for Jesus. From being on the earth with human beings he
now is with his Father in heaven. Jesus assures his disciples that they will be
“baptized with the Holy Spirit” and become his “witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and to the ends of the earth.” Today's psalm, “God is king of
all the earth,” celebrates God's universal kingship. It was originally sung in
connection with a cultic procession honoring the Ark of the Covenant. This most
sacred religious object served as a pedestal upon which God was invisibly
enthroned. During an annual feast it would be taken from repose in the temple’s
Holy of Holies and returned with solemn procession. "God mounts his
throne!" This cultic cry refers to the Ark’s solemn installation within
the temple, a liturgical reenactment of universal lordship that is God's from
eternity. Now, by his Ascension, the risen Lord likewise "mounts his
throne" in glory.
In the second
reading (Eph 1: 17-23), St. Paul amplifies this message by saying, "May
God enlighten the eyes of our heart so that we may know the great hope to which
we have been called." In the alternate second reading (Eph. 4: 4-13), Paul
exhorts the disciples to live in a manner worthy of their calling and mission.
Our greatest witness to the presence of Jesus in our midst is our unity with
God seen in our living with one another in peace and harmony.
Exegetical notes
A) The
ascension account: The biblical accounts of the Ascension focus not so
much on the details of the event as on the charge Jesus gave to his disciples.
For example, in the accounts narrated in Luke and Acts, the Ascension takes
place in Jerusalem. In Matthew and Mark, on the other hand, the event occurs in
Galilee. All accounts, however, agree that the Ascension took place on a
mountain. In Luke and Acts, the Ascension happened forty days after the
Resurrection, a period during which Jesus appeared repeatedly to his followers.
In Matthew and Mark there is no indication of the time period between the
Resurrection and the Ascension. The gospel writers apparently were not aiming
at accuracy of historical detail but were more concerned with transmitting Our
Lord’s final message.
B) Christmas
and Ascension: the Ascension is most closely related, in meaning, to
Christmas. At Christmas, God became fully a part of humanity. In Jesus, the
human and the divine became united in the person of one man. At the Ascension,
this human being-the person and the resurrected body of Jesus-became for all
eternity a part of God. So the Ascension, along with the Incarnation, tells us
that it is a good, wonderful, important and a holy thing to be a human being.
Even more, the fullness of God now includes what it means to be a human being.
The experience, the reality of being a person is so valuable that God has made
it a part of His life.
C) Continued
presence of the ascended Jesus in us. With his return to the Father,
Jesus completes his mission on earth. His apparent withdrawal at the Ascension
does not mean his absence from us, but rather His new presence in us and in the
Church, in a more powerful manner. Although risen and ascended, he is still
with us through the grace of the sacraments. He is present in the Eucharist
when we receive Holy Communion and in the tabernacle where the Eucharist is
reserved for our adoration. While Jesus is no longer present in a physical
sense (we cannot touch him, feel him or take hold of him) he is accessible now
as a life-giving Spirit. In addition, we are his new presence.
D) The
ascension message: 1) "Preach the good news and be my
witnesses:" “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). 2) “Go therefore and make disciples
of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). 3) “Go into the whole world and proclaim the
good news to the whole creation” (Mark.16:15). These are the last words of
Jesus as recorded in Matthew, Mark and Acts. All are in agreement that (a)
Jesus gave his disciples a mission to engage in, until He returns in glory, and
(b) He assured them of His divine assistance in carrying out this mission. From
now on, we, the body of Christ, must proclaim the good news; we must drive out
the demons that hold people in their addicting clutches; we must embrace all
people with the merciful love of God.
Life Messages
Life Messages
1) We are to
be proclaimers and evangelizers: To be a Christian is to be a
proclaimer and an evangelizer. We preach with words but we proclaim with our
lives. As we celebrate the Lord’s return to His Father in heaven we should
remember that we are commissioned to go forth and proclaim the Gospel of life
and love, of hope and peace, forgiveness and salvation by the witnessing of our
lives. Hence let us renew our commitment to be Christ’s true disciples
everywhere - in our families and neighborhood, in our places of work and in our
parishes - "living in a manner worthy of the call [we] have received.”
2) We are to
remember that we have a teaching mission: Jesus taught us lessons of
faith, hope, forgiveness, mercy, redemption and love. Although no longer
visibly present in the world, he is present in his words in the Holy Bible and
in the Holy Eucharist. Christianity was meant to be a faith in which Jesus’
followers would teach Christ’s ideas and ideals by loving, helping and caring
for others with the assistance of the Holy Sprit.
3) Let the
ascended Jesus be our source of strength and encouragement: When our
pains and sufferings, trials and temptations are too heavy to bear, we must
remember that Christ will come again in glory to reward us with his own
heavenly glory. Let us have our Christian conviction that the risen and
ascended Jesus is present in us in the form of his Holy Spirit, participating
in every moment of our lives. Thus he is the source of our strength and encouragement.
Additional
anecdotes 3: "Go and see for yourselves." A remote tribe
sent one of their men to explore the mysterious world beyond their tiny
village. Upon his return, the native could barely put into words the wonders he
had seen: the exotic flowers, the mystical sounds of the forest at night, the
strange wild beasts, and the thrill of paddling his canoe over the treacherous
rapids of the Great River. "Go and see for yourselves," he said.
"You've got to see the wonders of life beyond the Great River." To
guide them, he drew a map. The tribe was grateful. They framed the map and hung
it in the center of the village. They made many copies and studied it till they
were experts on the Great River. They knew every bend and turn, where the
rapids were and the waterfalls, where the wild animals were and the exotic
flowers. But not one of those experts ever went to the Great River. Not one
ever saw its rapids and waterfalls and flowers. Not one! Not ever!
Jesus has given us a
map to help us find our way home to God. With varying degrees of interest,
we've all studied Jesus' map and most of us can sketch it with reasonable
accuracy. But having the map and being able to talk about it doesn't get us
home to our Father. We have to follow the map: Walk the walk, not just talk the
talk. "Be my witnesses to the ends of the earth." (Monsignor Dennis
Clark)
SYNOPSIS
OF THE HOMILY ON THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD
Introduction
Far from having left
us on our own when he ascended into heaven, Jesus is even closer to us now. He
is with us at all times and in all places, releasing a new energy upon the
earth, the energy of the Holy Spirit to preach his Good News of salvation by
bearing witness to him. The focus of this feast is the heavenly reign of
Christ. The challenge it sets before us is a spiritual one: Are we faithful to
his teaching in our lives, and do we carry its message into our world? We must
now be his witnesses “to the ends of the world.” The readings for the Feast of
the Ascension remind us of this fact and focus on Jesus’ exaltation.
The scripture lessons
In the first
reading, we stand with the disciples gazing up at the sky, not knowing what has
happened or what it might mean for us. Jesus says to us, “You are sent to be my
witnesses.” (“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”). Today's psalm, “God is king of all the
earth,” was originally sung in connection with a cultic procession honoring the
Ark of the Covenant. By his Ascension, the risen Lord likewise "mounts his
throne" in glory. In the second reading, Paul explains the theological
meaning of Jesus’ exaltation by saying, "May God enlighten the eyes of our
hearts so that we may know the great hope to which we have been called." Although
risen and ascended, he is still with us through the grace of the sacraments. He
is present in the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion and in the
tabernacle where the Eucharist is reserved for prayer. While Jesus is no longer
present in a physical sense (we cannot touch him, feel him or take hold of
him), he is accessible to us now through prayer because He dwells in our souls.
We live with His life, and so serve as His new presence in the world. In
today's gospel Jesus gives his final message, his final instructions, his final
promise, and his final blessing to his apostles. “Go into the whole world and
proclaim the Gospel” is the commission given first to the disciples and then to
us. It is in his Ascension that we see Jesus entering fully into the life and
glory of God. The prospect of sharing that glory should be the driving force of
our lives.
Life Messages
1) We are to
be proclaimers and evangelizers: To be a Christian is to be a
proclaimer and an evangelizer. We preach with words but we proclaim with our
lives. As we celebrate the Lord’s return to His Father in heaven we should
remember that we are commissioned to go forth and proclaim the Gospel of life
and love, of hope and peace, forgiveness and salvation by the witnessing of our
lives. Hence let us renew our commitment to be Christ’s true disciples
everywhere - in our families and neighborhood, in our places of work and in our
parishes - "living in a manner worthy of the call [we] have received.”
2) We are to
remember that we have a teaching mission: Jesus taught us lessons of
faith, hope, forgiveness, mercy, redemption and love. Although no longer
visibly present in the world, he is present in his words in the Holy Bible and
in the Holy Eucharist. Christianity was meant to be a faith in which Jesus’
followers would teach Christ’s ideas and ideals by loving, helping and caring
for others with the assistance of the Holy Sprit.
3) Let the
ascended Jesus be our source of strength and encouragement: When our
pains and sufferings, trials and temptations are too heavy to bear, we must
remember that Christ will come again in glory to reward us with his own
heavenly glory. Let us have our Christian conviction that the risen and
ascended Jesus is present in us in the form of his Holy Spirit, participating
in every moment of our lives. Thus he is the source of our strength and
encouragement.