Today’s readings
describe the ascension of the Lord Jesus into his heavenly glory after he had promised his disciples his Holy Spirit as their source of heavenly power,
and commanded them to bear witness to him throughout the world by their lives
and preaching.
But the ascended
Jesus is still with us through his indwelling Holy Spirit as he has promised,
"I
am with you always; yes, to the end of time.” Today’s feast celebrates Jesus’ final glorification after his suffering, death and resurrection – a glory in which we hope to
share.
Scripture Lessons
The first reading
gives an account of the event of Jesus’ ascension as recorded in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. First, Jesus instructed his apostles to remain in Jerusalem
and wait for the baptism by the Holy Spirit so that they might become his
“witnesses to the ends of the earth” by the power of the Holy Spirit. Then a cloud took Jesus
from the sight of the disciples and two heavenly messengers in white garments
gave them the assurance of Jesus’ “second coming” or return in glory. Today's psalm suggests that, by his Ascension, the risen Lord "mounts his throne" in glory. In the
second
reading, Paul explains the theological meaning of Jesus’ exaltation, giving us
the
assurance that one day, we, too, will be ascending to heavenly glory, provided we carry out the mission
entrusted to us by the ascending Lord. Today's gospel describes how Jesus ascended
to heaven after giving
his final
blessing and
missionary command to his disciples. The command was to “proclaim the good news to
every creature”(Mark 16:15), “to be his witnesses"(Acts 1: 8), and “to make disciples of all n ation s.”
(Matthew 8:19).
Life Messages
1) We need
to be proclaimers
and
evangelizers: To be a Christian
is
to be a proclaimer
and an evangelizer. There is a difference between preaching and
proclaiming. We preach with words but we proclaim
with our lives.
Let us ask the
guidance of the Spirit
of God to bear witness to Jesus by our transparent Christian
lives. 2) We need to transmit his teachings to the world: Jesus taught us lessons of
faith, hope, love, forgiveness, mercy and salvation by his life and preaching and gave us the mission to teach these to others. Hence, let us learn about Jesus and his
teachings by our daily study of the Bible and the teachings of the Church, experience
him
in personal prayer,
reception of the
sacraments and works of charity, and convey
to others Jesus whom we have
experienced with the help of his Holy Spirit.
3) We need seek our help in this mission from the ascended Jesus
who
is our strength and encouragement: We will be able to
overcome doubts about
our
faith and baseless fears,
anxieties and worries by
meditating on Jesus’ Ascension and the lesson it
teaches, that we, too, are called to share
his
glory in heaven. L/12
Anecdotes
1) 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 took place 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 found 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 in words and
deeds.
2) “Is this thing working?”
There is the funny story of the raw army recruit standing at
attention on the drill field. The drill instructor yells, "Forward, march!"
And the entire ranks begin to move, all except this one raw recruit.
He's still standing
there at attention. So the drill instructor strolls
over
to him and yells in his right ear, "Is
this thing
working?" "Sir,
yes, sir!" The recruit yells.
Then the drill instructor walks around to the other ear and
yells, "Is this thing working?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" The soldier
says. "Then why didn't you march when I gave the order?" "Sir, I didn't hear you call my name." Some of us are like that soldier, standing around waiting for God to call our names. But the great commission
given
by Jesus on the day of his Ascension is
a blanket order. It has everyone's
name on it. And
you can be sure that the man in charge says, "Go! Make disciples! Teach!” It
is your mission and my mission.
3) "I
have no other plan -- it must
work." A beautiful old
story tells of how Jesus, after his
ascension
into Heaven, was
surrounded
by the
Holy
Angels who
began
to enquire about his work on earth. Jesus told them about His birth, life, preaching, death and resurrection, and how he had accomplished the salvation of the world.
The angel Gabriel 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.” Gabriel was perplexed.
"You mean Peter, who denied you thrice and all the rest who ran away when you were crucified? 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."
Truly, Jesus has no other plan than to depend on the efforts of his followers!
Introduction:
Today’s readings
describe the ascension of the Lord Jesus into his heavenly glory after he had promised His disciples his Holy Spirit as their source of heavenly power and commanded
them to
bear
witness
to him
by
their lives
and
preaching throughout the world.
What we celebrate is Jesus’ exaltation and the end of his earthly existence
as a
prelude to the gift of the Spirit.
The ascended Jesus is still with
us
because of his promise, "I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.”
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. Hence, today’s feast is the celebration of
Jesus’ glory after his suffering and death – the glory in which we hope to share. The Ascension and Pentecost, taken together, mark the beginning of the Church. The feast of the Ascension tells us that the church must be a community
with a mission, guided by God’s Spirit and confident of God’s
protection, even facing suffering
and death.
The first reading (Acts 1: 1-11), gives an account of the event of Jesus’ ascension as
recorded in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. First, Jesus instructed his
apostles to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the baptism by the Holy Spirit so that they might become his “witnesses to
the ends of the earth” by the power of the Holy Spirit. Then a cloud took Jesus from the sight of the disciples, and two heavenly messengers
in white garments gave them the assurance
of Jesus’ return in
glory.
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.
The second reading (Eph 1: 17-23 or 4: 1-13): 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." Our great hope is that one day we,
too, will be ascending to heavenly
glory, provided
we carry
out
the mission
entrusted to us by the ascending Lord. Our mission
is to preach the good news of salvation to the whole
world in word and deed. We continue to receive the divine assistance and spiritual
gifts necessary for our
Christian witnessing through the Spirit
of
the risen and ascended
Jesus living
within us.
In today's gospel Jesus
gives
his final message, his
final instructions,
his final promise, and his final blessing to his apostles. Our mission,
as recorded in Mark, Acts and Mathew, is to 1)
proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mark.16:15). 2)
"Preach the good news and be my witnesses:" (Acts 1:8). 3) “ Ma ke disc
ipl es of all
n ation s”
(Matthew 28:19). Completing Jesus’ mission should be our goal in life, and the prospect of sharing the ascended Jesus’ heavenly glory should be the driving force of our lives.
Exegetical
Notes:
A) The ascension: Each Sunday we profess through the Creed, "He ascended into
heaven." Christ’s
Ascension,
his return to his Father
with
his “Mission Accomplished," was a culmination of God’s divine plan for Christ. Jesus’ Ascension was
the
grand finale of all his words and
works, done
for
us and for our salvation. It
was
a culmination, but not the
conclusion. As he is now with God in glory,
he is now with us in Spirit: "Lo, I am with you always." The feast of the Ascension celebrates one
aspect of the resurrection, namely Jesus’ exaltation.
He did not wait 40 days to be glorified at God’s right hand. That happened at his resurrection.
The focus of this
feast is the heavenly reign of Christ. The Lord would be “seated at God’s right
hand,” meaning He alone would be in control of
the
continuing plan
of salvation
through the Spirit, unrestricted
by time, space or culture. Thus,
the
Paschal Mystery of Jesus' passion, death, resurrection, ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit
form
one unbroken reality which is to be understood by faith. This continuing plan of salvation will come to its fulfillment with Christ’s return in glory to pass the Final Judgment
on
all humanity.
B) The Ascension
account: The Biblical accounts of the Ascension
focus not so much on the details of the event as on the mission Jesus gave to his disciples. For example, in
the accounts narrated in Luke and Acts, the Ascension took place in Jerusalem.
In
Matthew and Mark, on the other hand, the event occurred 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
message.
C) The ascension
message: "Preach
the
good news and be my
witnesses:" Matthew, Mark and Acts record Jesus’ last words differently: 1) “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
disc ipl es of
all n ation s” (Matthew 28:19). 3) “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mark.16:15). All are in agreement
that (a) Jesus gave his
disciples a mission of bearing witness to him by preaching
and
living the good news. They were to tell and
re-tell the story of Jesus' life, suffering, death and resurrection. (b) He assured them of the divine assistance
of his Holy Spirit in the carrying out of this mission.
D) Christmas and Ascension: The Ascension is most closely related, in meaning, to
Christmas.
In Jesus, the human and the divine become united in the person and life of one man. That's Christmas. At the Ascension, Jesus, True God and True Man, now risen from the dead, His scarred human flesh glorified, became for all eternity a part of who God is.
It was not only the spirit of Jesus or the divine nature
of
Jesus that ascended to the Father.
It was the Whole Divine Person of Jesus, His body
now-glorified.
This was the same body the disciples had touched, a body that had
eaten and drunk with
them, a real,
physical,
but gloriously restored
body,
bearing the marks of nails and a spear. This Risen Jesus is the One Who ascended and, now and forever, is a living, participating
part of God. The Ascension, along with the Incarnation, is here to tell us that it is a good thing to be a human being;
indeed it is a wonderful and an
important and a holy
thing to be a human being. It is such an important thing that
God did it.
Even more, the
fullness of
God now includes what it means to
be a human being.
Life Meaning:
1) We need to be proclaimers
and evangelizers: In today's gospel, Jesus gives his
mission to all believers: "Go out to the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” This mission is not given to a select few but to all believers. To be a
Christian is to be a proclaimer and
an evangelizer. There is a difference between preaching and
proclaiming. “We preach with words but
we proclaim with our lives.” As
we
celebrate the Lord’s return to His Father in heaven – His Ascension -- we are being commissioned to go forth and proclaim the Gospel of life and love, of hope
and peace, by the witness
of our lives. On this day of hope, encouragement and commissioning, let us renew our commitment to be true disciples everywhere we go, beginning with our family and our parish, "living in a manner
worthy of the call [we] have
received.”
2) We need to live a life of Christian joy in the presence of the ascended Lord. According to Luke, the disciples "returned to Jerusalem with great joy."
Apparently Jesus' exaltation and final blessing gave them, as it gives us, the assurance that,
though absent, he is still present, present even in the pain and sorrow we undergo.
That is why St. Augustine assures us, “Christ is now exalted above the heavens, but he still suffers on earth all the pain that we, the members of his body, have to bear.
He showed this when he cried out from above: 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?' and when
he said: ‘I was hungry and
you
gave me food.’ While in heaven he is also
with us; and while on earth we are with him.
He is here with us by his divinity,
his
power and his love. We cannot be in heaven, as he is on earth, by divinity, but in him, we can be
there
by love."
3) We have a teaching mission:
Jesus taught us lessons of faith, hope, forgiveness,
mercy, redemption and love. We cannot put these lessons on a shelf and ignore
them.
They stand before us in the person of Jesus.
Although no longer visibly present in the world, He is present in his words. We must make his words real in
our lives and in the lives of others. Christianity was meant to be a faith in which
Jesus’ followers would help and care for others, just as Jesus had done.
But
the
spreading
of the
Good
News to all
nations
is
not
a
goal
that
can be attained by
human might and craft.
This is why Jesus promises to empower his messengers
with His abiding presence and that of the Holy Spirit. The challenge of sharing
the Good News with
all
mankind should, therefore, begin with our admission that we have often been arrogant and overbearing.
We must learn to be humble and let the
Holy Spirit lead the
way.
4) The ascended Jesus is our source of strength and encouragement: Perhaps some of the nagging doubts
which inevitably accompany
the
journey of faith could be lessened
by our meditating on the Ascension and
its implications. When we are too far from faith to pray on our own, let us remember that we have an advocate with
the
Father, Jesus
Christ, the righteous, praying for us. When the trials of life feel too heavy to bear, we must remember that Christ will come again in glory, the same
glory in which he arose from the tomb, the same glory in which he ascended,
and the same glory in which he currently abides. Though our limited perception might
find him absent, he is fully present, participating in every moment of our lives. By His ascension,
Christ has not deserted us but has made it possible for his Spirit to
enter all times and places.
In this way it is possible for each of us to be transformed by the
power
of the
Spirit into agents
or instruments of Christ. We become enlivened with his Spirit. Our actions become animated in a new way by the Spirit of the God we love and serve. We
have
become Christs in the
world.
Anecdotes:
# 1: The ascension mission to preach the gospel: After attending a convention led by Billy Graham a woman wrote to him. “Dear Sir, I feel that God is calling me to preach the gospel. But the trouble is that I have twelve children. What shall I do?”
The televangelist replied: “Dear Madam, I am delighted to hear that God has called you to preach the Gospel. I am even more delighted to hear that He has already
provided you with a congregation in your own home.”
# 2: Ascension walk-out: There was a long-winded pastor who preached salvation history from Genesis to Revelation in every sermon. On the feast of Ascension
as he reached Isaiah, he remarked that the prophet said nothing about the ascension of
Our Lord. He asked his audience, “What shall we do with
him?” One old
man in the front seat said, “He can have my seat,
Father, I
am leaving.”
# 3: And after death ascend or descend? At the end of school what do you want to do? I want to do my Senior
Certificate. After your Senior Certificate what do you want
to do?
- I want to go
to college. After
college
what do
you want to do?
- I want to get a job. Then what do you want to do? - I want to make big money.
What do you
want to
do
after making
money?
-
I
want to build
a
big house.
After that what do you intend to do? - I want to get married.
What will you do after
getting married? - I will have a family. What will you do after having a family? - I will retire. What do you want to do after you
retire? - I want
to
take a rest. What will
you
do after taking a rest? - I don’t know. Will you die? - Oh yes, I will die too. What will happen
after
death? I am not sure!
Additional Anecdotes
Leonardo da Vinci had started to work on a large canvas
in his studio.
For a while he worked
at
it – choosing the subject, planning the
perspective, sketching the outline, applying the colors, with his own inimitable genius. Then suddenly he stopped working on it. Summoning one of his talented
students, the master invited him to complete the work. The horrified student protested that he was both unworthy and unable to complete the great painting
which his master had begun.
But da Vinci silenced him.
"Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?"
Jesus our Master began to spread the Good News two
thousand years ago, by what he said and did, and supremely by what he suffered. He
illustrated his message, and he has left us to finish the picture.
Will his life not inspire us to finish the picture? This is the message of the Ascension (John Rose in John's Sunday Homilies).
2) Solar Power:
One of the national coordinators of Sun Day held early in May every year is Denis Hayes. He worked
as researcher at a
Washington D.C. ‘think-tank’ and
has written a book on solar energy entitled Rays of Hope: The Transition to
a Post- Petroleum World. Hayes claims that we are at the crossroads of making a critical choice for mankind – the choice between
going solar or going nuclear
for a power source. Hayes opts for the sun because it is “the world’s only inexhaustible, predictable, egalitarian, non-polluting, safe, terrorist-resistant
and free energy source.” We’ve already learned
to
use the power of the
sun to grow food, make
wine and operate greenhouses. All
we need to do is develop better technology to harness solar energy to heat houses, drive our cars and run our industry.
People like Hayes
are
looking at the sky
with its sun as the main
source of our future energy supply.
Today we turn our attention
to the sky for another reason – to commemorate our
Lord’s Ascension into heaven. In the first reading, from Acts, Jesus makes
a promise: “You will receive power when the
Holy
Spirit
comes down on you.” That Spirit is the power source that can give us all the energy we need to live our lives to the full.
(Albert Cylwicki in ‘His
Word Resounds’)
The critical moment in a relay race is the passing of the baton
from
one runner to another. More relays are won or lost at that moment than at any
other. The feast of the ascension might be compared
to the passing of the baton in a relay race. On this day over 2,000 years ago, Jesus passed
the
baton of responsibility
for the Kingdom of God to his followers. Jesus commissioned them to complete the
work he had begun. Practically, what does this mean? How do you and I, in the 20th century,
carry out Jesus’
commission to be
his
witnesses to the world
and his teachers to the nations? There are as many ways to do this as there are Christians. We can do
what two 25-year-old university graduates
did recently. After completing their
degrees, one from Georgetown
and the other from Marquette, they entered the Seminary. We can do what Albert Schweitzer did. At the age of 30 he abandoned his
music career in Europe to study medicine and became a missionary doctor in
Africa. We can do
what the baseball coach of Spring Hill College, Alabama, did a few years back. At the age of 35 he resigned his position and began his studies for the
priesthood.
[Mark Link
in ‘Sunday Homilies’ (quoted in Net
for
Life)]
4) Great commissions:
Actually there have been many persons given exciting commissions in their lifetimes. There was Michelangelo's commission to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Sir Christopher Wren's commission
to
build St. Paul's Cathedral in London, Walter Reed's assignment to stop yellow fever at the "Big
Ditch" in Panama, Chamberlain's orders to stop the Confederates
at Little Roundtop
in Gettysburg and most
recently the
mission
of the U.S.
Navy Seals to get
the terrorist master-mind, Bin Laden, dead or alive. But I tell you, in my life and yours, there is an even greater commission. It is found here in Matthew 28:18-20 where
Jesus Christ turns to his disciples and says, “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.”
5) "Torpedo evangelism."
Rebecca Pippert, the author of Out of the Salt Shaker:
Into the World, tells of a time she was sitting in her car at a traffic light with her window
rolled down. As the light turned green a car drove by and its occupant threw something into her car hitting her on the cheek. It didn't hurt but she was
so
startled that she pulled over immediately. When she unrolled the paper, she discovered it
was
a gospel tract. She says she was the apparent victim of what she refers to as
"torpedo evangelism."
I'm sure the torpedoer meant well.
At least I hope so,
but
he or she did the wrong thing for the right reason in the wrong way. We can engage
people in conversation about their faith and their relationship with God in a non-
judgmental manner. We can encourage. We can invite. We can offer counsel. But we
leave the hard work, the heart work, up to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. You see, we are
not on some sort of spiritual mugging mission.
6) Reaching
Peak Performance:
One of the superstars in that professional speakers’ circuit is a man named
Charles Garfield. He is a psychologist from San Francisco. He
makes up to 150 speeches a year, he says. Actually, if the truth were known, he
makes one speech 150 times. He began his career as a mathematician for
NASA. He was part of the Apollo Project that put a man on the moon. He left NASA to study
psychology. He became interested in what motivates people to reach their highest possible achievement
in this life. He went to Berkeley and got a PhD in psychology. Then he interviewed 1,500 people on how they achieved what he called "peak
performance." He published that result in a book, and then he started on the lecture
circuit. He said the one thing that all peak performers have in common is a sense of mission.
"What you need in this life if you want to have fulfillment is a sense of mission." It is giving yourself to something
that is greater than yourself. That is what a mission is. Our mission is found at the conclusion of Matthew's gospel: "All
power in heaven and on earth 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." Not only does the Church have
a mission to perform in this world, but everybody in the Church is supposed to have a part in performing that
mission.
7) “They don't drink no water."
The chief warrant officer was brought before the provost marshal and asked if he had received the
general's order. "Yes, Sir." "Then why didn't you comply?" roared the provost.
"Well,
Sir, I didn't think it applied to
us."
"And why not?"
"Because, Sir, when my men go
to town, they don't drink no water."[Robert L.
Jamison, "Humor in Uniform," Laughter,
the Best Medicine, (New York: Berkley Books,
1981), p. 29.] Fortunately, those men who first
heard the ascending Lord's orders did
not look for ways to get around them but did what they told.
Nietchze, the German philosopher, said, "God is dead and the
stench of his corpse is all across Europe." He advocated humanism and
proposed the development of a "superman"
of
Aryan heritage, protected by
selective breeding
and superior education. The Nazi Party picked up his idea, and men like Hitler, Goering,
Goebbels, Mengle,
Himmler, and Rommel set about building such a society in
Germany's
Third Reich. But it all ended with bullets and bombs, chaos
and suffering
such as the world has seldom
seen. The Christian faith has no less a plan. But it involves a higher order. Hitler would have renewed man by his own efforts.
We seek
to renew the human race by the work of God. Our mission
as given by the ascending
Jesus is not to
make converts or church members, but baptized, obedient
disciples!
9) Three-step baptism:
In one of the great cathedrals of Europe there is a baptistery that tells the story. The water flows through it reminding us that Jesus says he is the living
water. To be baptized,
a person walks down three steps,
each one marked by a word: the
world,
the flesh, and the
devil. Descending the steps the
convert is plunged beneath the water to die to sin and then raised from the depths to newness
of life in Christ. To leave the baptistery now he must climb three steps, each one
marked by a word: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So it is that a new
creature is born, a new breed of man, a citizen of a new kingdom, a breed apart. Dead to sin, he is alive to God and is sent forth to grow to love and
to
give light to a
lost, dying world.
He doesn't do it alone. He does
it in the Church, in little communities. In these, people demonstrate,
in their way of being together, God's eternal kingdom come
upon them. It took Michelangelo over ten years to paint the Sistine Chapel. Our missionary
commission lasts until the job gets done, until life is over, "until the
close of the
age."
10) “Alter your course 10 degrees north.”
Have you heard the story of a sea captain who was
guiding his ship on a very dark night? He saw faint lights in the distance and told his signalman to send a message, “Alter your course 10
degrees south.” A
prompt message returned, “Alter
your
course 10 degrees north.” The captain became angry because his command had been ignored, so he sent a second message, “I
command you
to alter your course 10 degrees south!” Again a message promptly
returned, “Alter your course 10 degrees north.” Infuriated, the captain
sent off a third message: “I am the captain
and this is a battleship. Alter your
course 10 degrees
south!” Once again a prompt reply came, “Alter your course 10 degrees north – I am a lighthouse.” These last words of Jesus
are the signal we are to obey. No wonder
we
label the call “the
Great Commission.”
The tragedy of the church –
our great sin –
is that
the Great Commission of
Jesus is our “great omission.”
11) Plus Ultra
=
"More
beyond!”
“In Fourteen
Hundred
Ninety-two/Columbus sailed
the ocean
blue!" In 1992 the
world
marked the
500th anniversary
of Christopher Columbus'
adventure in the
Santa
Maria. As we
all
now
know, Columbus did not end up where he was headed, which is why some native Americans are now called Indians. This man from Genoa believed, "God granted me the gift of knowledge ... (and) revealed to me that it was feasible to sail ... to the
Indies, and placed in me a burning desire to carry out this plan."
Columbus set out with a belief that he had tested
with his mind, and with a faith to which he was
willing to give his life! How many of us can walk in Columbus' shoes? When, on Friday, August 3, 1492, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, eased away from
their moorings
at Palos, in southern Spain, Columbus was putting his beliefs and his
faith into the realities
of life. Before
the
reports of his trans-Atlantic travel penetrated
the
Old World, Spanish coins had stamped upon them an outline of the Straits of Gibraltar. Underneath the outline of the Straits was the Latin inscription Ne Plus
Ultra. It translates, "No
more beyond."
It meant that the world ended in the great
expansive voids
of water beyond the Straits. There was nothing more. But once
Columbus returned home and
told of what he had seen, of what he had discovered, and
once that report was
widely shared, new coins were minted.
The inscription was
changed to Plus Ultra.
It translates, "More beyond!"
That is the mountaintop
affirmation
which came to the disciples in Galilee and the word that ends
Matthew's gospel.
12) Wellington
defeated:
Wellington and Napoleon were fighting the battle of
Waterloo.
It
was a decisive battle. Life
for many, many
persons hinged
on its outcome. At last, word was transmitted to London by means of semaphores - a visual code with reflected sunlight spelling out the message
letter by letter. A sentry
picked up the message from his post
atop a great cathedral. Letter by letter he passed
on
the message to London. The first word
was
"Wellington."
The second word was "defeated." Suddenly a very dense fog settled in upon the cathedral, making it
impossible for the light to penetrate the mists and allow the message forwarded on.
The
fog grew more dense, and its darkness
was mirrored in the hearts of the
Londoners who had received the word, "Wellington defeated."
It meant that Napoleon had won. The English of London were a conquered people. Hope was gone. Liberty was no more. England was ruled by another. But as suddenly
as it
had come, the fog lifted. The sentry returned to his tower, and went back to his duties,
feverishly attempting to transmit the whole message. And London saw it - the good news breaking upon the city and telling the full story: "Wellington defeated the enemy!" Whether
the semaphores' message to London is history or fiction, it does convey the truth of Christian faith! That truth is first seen in Joseph's garden, as the
earliest followers of Christ make the discovery of the empty tomb. It is the victory message of Jesus' word to his disciples upon that Galilee mountaintop,
and it is the shout heard through the centuries as people have come to understand that human
life is life lived in two worlds - one temporal, the other eternal.
13) "I am the smartest
man in the world”.
A ridiculous
story with religious significance
has
been
making
the rounds lately.
It
is
about a pilot and three passengers a boy scout, a priest, and an atomic scientist in a plane that develops
engine trouble in mid-flight. The pilot rushes back to the passenger compartment
and exclaims, "The plane is going down! We only have three parachutes, and there
are
four of us! I have a family waiting for me at home. I must survive!" With that, he
grabs
one
of the parachutes and jumps out of
the
plane. The atomic scientist jumps to
his
feet at this point and declares,
"I am the smartest man in the world. It would be a
great tragedy
if my
life were snuffed out!" With that, he also grabs a parachute and
exits the plane. With an alarmed look on his face, the priest says to the Boy Scout,
"My son, I have no family. I am ready to meet my Maker. You are still young with
much ahead of you. You take the last parachute.” At this point, the Boy Scout interrupts the priest, "Hold on, Father. Don't say any more. We're all right. The world's smartest man just jumped out of the plane wearing my knapsack!"
For such
smart people who do not believe in an afterlife, today’s feast of ascension seems a
myth. But it is the guarantee of their resurrection and ascension to heaven for
Christians.
14) Are we going to them?
95% of North American Christians will not lead a single person
to Christ in their lifetime, and I cry, “Lord, help us!” Some of you
know the story: 36 million Americans (14% of the population) live in poverty. Of those, the
portion
living in our urban centers has increased from 30% in 1968 to about 47% today. Are we going to them? And are we going to the 57% of the 36 million
poor
who remain in rural America? Seventy million individuals in the United States are under
the age
of 18—are
we
going
to
them?
Nearly one
million foreign-born people
immigrate to this country every year. Are we going to them? Thirty-two million people
in America speak some language other than English as their primary language. Are
we going to them? We have more unsaved and unchurched
people in our nation than
ever
before in our history—172 million. Are we going to them? Ninety percent of the population of the United States now lives in urban settings. Are we going to them? Over 150 million people
in America claim
to
be “born-again
Christians.” We have to question what that
means.
And we
wonder if people
are not interpreting
the Christian faith as mere mental assent to correct doctrine, accepting forgiveness
and professing Christ as an insurance policy – a way to get into heaven when we die and leave this earth – missing the whole notion of discipleship, growing into the likeness
of
Christ. If all born-again Christians were disciples, would there not be greater signs
of
the transforming power of Christ at work in
the world?
Peter Kreeft, professor at Boston College, has
perceptively noted, “The City of the World increasingly oozes its
decay.” We saw signs of
it
in the half-time show of the 38th Super
Bowl. One
hundred million
people – how many
children were among
them? – saw Justin Timberlake rip off a portion of Janet Jackson’s upper clothing, exposing a
private
part
of her body. We cringed at that and the media talked about it for days. But not much was said about the “dirty” dancing and lewd lyrics, including words about getting a woman
naked before the song was done. Other singers through lyrics and dance displayed
sexual lust as they gyrated with female
dancing partners.
The truth,
friends, is that halftime show is not the exception in television fare. In fact, it was rather tame compared to what constantly flows from television and the Internet. “The City of
the World increasingly oozes its decay.” But what about disciples
of Jesus? What about the Church? What about the City set on a hill? What are we doing about “the fact
that
all the septic tanks on the hill are backing up”? We need
disciples
with a passion of shedding the light of Christ into every dark corner of the
world.
16) Gaze
heavenward but go
worldwide!
Nicky often boasted about
his deep
faith. Once, a storm arose and the rains threatened to flood Nicky’s house. A
fireman rushed in
and
said, “Come, I’ll carry
you away!” Pointing
upward, Nicky exclaimed, “Jesus
is the way!” The downpour continued and the waters reached Nicky’s waist. A fisherman rowe d by and screamed, “Jump in, I’ll steer
you
to safety!” gazing heavenward, Nicky retorted, “Only Jesus saves!” Later, rising rainwater forced
Nicky to climb onto the rood. The pilot of a helicopter
hovering overhead shouted, “I’ll help
you!” Nicky replied: “I trust in
God
alone!” Nicky drowned in
the
raging waters. In heaven, he complained: “Lord, I trusted
you, but you
abandoned me!” God replied, “No, I didn’t! I tried to save you as
fireman, fisherman and pilot! Why didn’t you
do anything besides
gazing
heavenward?” [Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for daily Deeds ’(quoted in Net
for Life)]
Lech Walesa worked for years as an electrician in the Gdansk shipyards. During those years he and his fellow workers founded
the movement which came to be known as “Solidarity.” Walesa became its leader. This
brought them into open conflict with the communist
leaders. Eventually the workers won out. The communist regime collapsed and democracy returned to Poland. Then
on
December 9, 1990 something
happened which a few years prior would have been unthinkable. Walesa the shipyard worker was
elected the first president of a free and democratic
Poland. It was a great honor for Walesa. His fellow workers were delighted. They too felt honored because of their association
with him. However there was sadness too. They knew that it would change forever the way they related to him. They knew they were losing him. However, they were hoping that he would not
forget them, and that he would help them from his new and more influential position. -The illustration may go some way in helping us to understand what we
are celebrating on this great feast of Ascension. [Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and
Holy Day Liturgies’ (quoted in Net for Life)]
18) The power within:
A priest, Walter Ciszek by name, was in Russia for 23
years, five of which were spent in the dreaded Lubyanka prison in Moscow and ten of which were spent in the harsh Siberian slave labour camp. He was
finally released from Russia in 1963, in exchange for two Soviet spies held in USA. He
died in 1984 at the age of 84. After release he wrote a book He Leadeth Me. In this book he
tries to answer the question: “How did you manage to survive in
Russia?” He says: “I was able to endure the inhuman conditions
in
which I found
myself because I experienced somehow the presence of God. I never lost my faith that God was with me, even in the worst of circumstances.” What was true of Fr. Walter
Ciszek is
true
of each of
us. Jesus is with us; God is with us in the power of his Holy Spirit. [Vima Dasan in ‘His Word Lives’ (quoted in Net for Life)]
19) Footprints:
In the familiar story entitled “Footprints” a man at the end of his life wanted to know why in though times there was only one set of footprints in
the sand. After all, the Lord had promised to walk with him all the way. The
Lord
replied by telling him that he never left him in times
of trial. When the man saw only one set of footprints, it was then that the Lord carried him. The Lord
was with Fr. Ciszek for twenty-three years of hardship in Russia. The Lord was
with the man walking in the sand. May the risen Lord be with us all the days of our life.
[Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ (quoted in Net for Life)]
20) Run the race well: Many years ago, a great Arctic
explorer started on an
expedition to the North Pole. After having spent two years in the freezing and
lonely place, he wrote a message, tied it to the leg of a carrier pigeon, and let it
loose to make the two thousand miles journey to Norway. The bird circled thrice, and then started its southward
flight in the freezing cold for hundreds of miles; it traveled and crossed the icy frozen oceans and wastelands
until it reached and
dropped into the lap of the explorer’s wife. The arrival of the bird proved that
everything was well with her husband in that deserted, lonely and frozen arctic North. Likewise, the
coming of
the
Holy Spirit on the day of
the
Pentecost proved to the disciples
that Jesus had entered the heavenly sanctuary after His Ascension as He had promised. Now He was seated at the right hand of God the
Father, for His redemption work was over. The coming of the Holy Spirit was the fulfillment of the promise of Christ. [John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’(quoted in Net for Life)] L/12