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 by 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 Arturo 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 by 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!
4: 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!”
5: “We’re in heaven already!” The story is told about a
priest who, talking about heaven in his homily, said: “We bring nothing with us
when we die. There is no money in heaven! People in heaven have no money!” The
whole congregation was quiet, till a little girl whispered to her mother loud enough
for all to hear: “Mama, mama, we’re in Heaven already!”
6: 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!
32 Additional anecdotes:
1) The Unfinished Painting:
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 all the energy we need to
live our lives to the full. (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds)
3) Passing the Baton: 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 21st 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. We can do what a Poor Clare (Franciscan)
nun, Mother Angelica, did. In her 50’s, she began a Catholic religious
television channel, EWTN. We can do what St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa)
did. [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 re-build St. Paul’s Cathedral in London following the Great Fire
(September 2-6, 1666), Walter Reed’s assignment to stop yellow fever at the
“Big Ditch” in Panama (the Panama Canal), Chamberlain’s orders to stop the Confederates
at Little Roundtop in Gettysburg and, more 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 Mt 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.
Truth be told, 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.”—”To “have a
mission” means to be commissioned to give oneself fully and freely, to
something that is greater than oneself. If accepted, fulfilling that mission
becomes one’s reason for doing and suffering everything entailed, gladly. The
most important mission of all is offered to each of us by Jesus Who at the
conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel, commissions His Apostles and us, saying: “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” (Mt 28:18-20). Not only does the Church have a
mission to perform in this world, but everybody in the Church is has a part in
performing that mission, if one chooses to accept it and live it out.
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 were told to do.
8) Nietchze and Hitler: 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, Mengele,
Himmler, and Rommel set about building such a society in Germany’s Third Reich.
But it all ended with bullets, 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, evangelizing
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 sent forth to grow and love and give light to a lost and 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,” meaning
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: It was June, 18. 1815. Wellington
and Napoleon were fighting the battle of Waterloo. This 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 to be
forwarded any further. The fog grew thicker, 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 became visible in Joseph’s garden as the earliest followers of Christ
made the discovery that His Body was not in the tomb, and the angel told the
women that He had risen. And they He met them on the road! The victory message
of Jesus’ word to the women, and later to the Apostles themselves is still
being heard through the centuries whenever and wherever the Gospel is
proclaimed and lived — that human life is both meant, and able, to become 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 backpack!” —
For such “smart” people who do not believe in an afterlife, today’s feast of
the 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?
15) “The City of the World increasingly oozes its decay.”
Peter Kreeft, a 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 that particular 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 for 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 rowed 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 roof. 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 gaze Heavenward?” [Francis Gonsalves
in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho.]
17) He is the same yet different…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 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 by Fr. Botelho.]
18) The power within: A priest, Walter Ciszek,
SJ, (November 4, 1904-December 8, 1984) spent twenty-three years in Russia,
fifteen in in the harsh Siberian slave labour camp, following his five years in
the dreaded Lubyanka prison in Moscow. He was finally released from Russia and
returned to the United States in 1963, part of an exchange for two Soviet spies
held in USA. He died in 1984 at the age of 84. After his release, Father Ciszek
wrote With God in Russia (1964), and then, in 1974, He
Leadeth Me. In the second 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 by Fr. Botelho.]
19) Footprints: In the familiar story entitled
“Footprints,” a man at the end of his life wanted to know why in tough 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 the man that
He had never left him in times of trial. When the man saw only one set of
footprints, it was then that the Lord had been carrying him. — The Lord was
with Fr. Ciszek for twenty-three years of hardship in Russia, and did not leave
him when he was released!. 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 by Fr. Botelho.)
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 travelled 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. – Similarly, 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 by Fr.
Botelho]
21) Witnessing to Christ: Ruddell Norris
was a conscientious young man. But he was also a shy young man. He found it
hard just to talk to people, much less to discuss religion with them. Then one
day he got an idea. Ruddell did a lot of reading, and he was aware of the many
pamphlets about the Catholic faith. So he decided to set aside a part of his
weekly allowance to buy pamphlets. Ruddell placed his pamphlets in places where
he thought people would pick them up and read them. For example, he placed them
in waiting rooms and in reception areas. One day a young woman who was a friend
of his family told his parents how she became a convert and how her husband
returned to the Church. “It all started with a pamphlet,” she said. “I found it
in the hospital waiting room.” You can imagine the boy’s excitement when he
learned of the impact just one of his pamphlets had. He was just trying to obey
the missionary command of Christ.
(Anonymous; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
22) Jonathan Livingston Seagull: At the conclusion of Part
One of Richard Bach’s book, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, two radiant
birds come as Jonathan’s brothers to take him higher, to take him home.
Jonathan balks, but the birds insist: “But you can Jonathan, for you have
learned. One school is finished, the time has come for another to begin.” It
was a moment of enlightenment for Jonathan. He realized that he “could fly
higher, and it was time to go home.” Taking one last long glance across the sky
and land where he had learned so much, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull “rose with
the two star-bright gulls to disappear into a perfect sky.” — There are
striking similarities between this episode in Bach’s book and Luke’s account of
our Lord’s Ascension in today’s readings. First, the “school” and the
“learning” mentioned in Jonathan recall how Jesus “taught” his
disciples until the day he was taken up into heaven. Second, the “time for
another school to begin” for Jonathan, reflects Christ’s promise to send the Holy
Spirit upon his apostles so that they could be his “witnesses to the ends of
the earth.” Third, the two “star-bright gulls” suggest the presence of the “two
men dressed in white” who spoke to the apostles after Jesus ascended. Fourth,
when Jonathan “rose to disappear in the sky,” it was reminiscent of Jesus being
“lifted up in a cloud which took him from their sight.” Jonathan
Livingstone Seagull can be taken, then, as a modern myth to help
understand the significance of Christ’s Ascension. (Albert Cylwicki in His Word
Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
23) Broken but Renewed: In 1981 Peter
Cropper, the British violinist, was invited to Finland to play a special
concert. As a personal favour to Peter, the Royal Academy of Music lent him
their priceless 285-year-old Stradivarius for use in the concert. This rare
instrument takes its name from the Italian violin-maker, Antonio Stradivari. It
is made of 80 pieces of special wood and covered with 30 coats of special
varnish. Its beautiful sound has never been duplicated. When Peter Cropper got
to Finland, an incredible nightmare took place. Going on stage, Peter tripped
and fell. The violin broke into several pieces. Peter flew back to London in a
state of shock. A master craftsman named Charles Beare agreed to try to repair
the violin. He worked endless hours on it. Finally he got it back together
again. Then came the dreaded moment of truth. What would the violin sound like?
Beare handed the violin to Peter Cropper. Peter’s heart was pounding inside him
as he picked up the bow and began to play. Those present could hardly believe
their ears. Not only was the violin’s sound excellent, but it actually seemed
better than before. In the months ahead Cropper took the violin on the
worldwide tour. Night after night the violin, everyone thought was ruined
forever, drew standing ovations from concert audiences. — The violin story is a
beautiful illustration of what happens when God comes into our broken lives and
makes us whole again. We need His touch, His Spirit!
(Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
24) The ascended King of the universe: Monarchy has been the
most common form of government in human history. There is a good reason for
this. When the reins of power are in one set of hands, a government can act
quickly and efficiently. But there is also a perennial problem with monarchy.
What happens when a good king dies? How can you ensure that the next king will
be just as good? The times of greatest prosperity and peace in every
civilization have come under the rule of wise kings. But most kings are not
wise. Most kings, like most human beings, tend to be selfish, weak, and
shortsighted. And so history shows the same tragic pattern happening again and
again: a great king brings peace and prosperity to a wide realm, only to have
it shattered after his death. Charlemagne united and Christianized most of
Europe, but when he died his empire was divided among three selfish and petty
sons, who tore it asunder. King Louis IX of France, St Louis, reigned for almost
70 years. His vast kingdom spread justice and mercy as the sun spreads light,
but his sons and grandsons ended up sowing the seeds of division that would
soon tear apart the rich fabric of Christendom. — What the peasants of France
sang upon St Louis’s death, “To whom will poor folk cry out, now that the good
king is gone, who loved them so?” reverberates throughout history: But there is
one King, wiser and better than any other, who has come back from the dead. His
name is Jesus Christ, and his Kingdom will last forever, because he has
ascended to the everlasting throne, where he sat at the beginning, sits now,
and will sit without end. (The E-Priest).
25) St Paschal Baylon Visits the King: We don’t think much
about this, but it is the truth behind everything we believe: if Christ
had not ascended into Heaven, we would not be able to pray to him at any time
and in any place, and we would not be able to have him close by in the
Eucharist, because he would still be limited by time and space. One of
the saints whom the Church commemorates on May 17, thought about this truth a
lot, and learned to take advantage of it. St Paschal Baylon was a Spanish
peasant, a shepherd for the first 24 years of his life. He could barely read,
but he loved Christ, and he had a special understanding of Christ’s Real
Presence in the Eucharist. He had to stay with his sheep from dawn to dark,
which made it impossible for him to go to Mass every day. So he did the next
best thing. At the hour Mass was being celebrated, he would kneel on the
hillsides, gazing at the Church in the valley, and pray, uniting himself to
Christ Who was renewing his sacrifice and presence through the priest’s
ministry. Eventually, St Paschal found his vocation to become a religious
brother. He joined the local Franciscan community and encouraged everyone by
his virtue, joy, and good humor.
During free moments between duties, he could almost always
be found in the chapel, speaking with Christ in the Eucharist. To casual
onlookers he was kneeling on a hard stone floor here on earth, but in truth he
was enjoying the presence of our King who sits forever on his throne in Heaven.
He died when he was only fifty-two, at the very moment that the bell rang to
signify the consecration at Mass. (E-Priest).
26) The Holy of Holies Open to All: But what exactly are we
to be witnesses of? Jesus tells us right before he ascends into Heaven that
repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached in his name. If Christ
had not ascended, we would not be able to preach that. His Ascension finishes
the job of reconciling fallen humanity to God, because it brings our human
nature back into a right relationship with God. It guarantees that Christ’s
sacrifice on the cross was completely accepted by the Father. Reconciling fallen
humanity with God has always been the main problem that religion tries to
solve. In the Old Testament, the Israelites achieved this right relationship
through what was called the sacrifice of atonement (at-one-ment: the sacrifice
that made sinners, once again, one with God). This sacrifice took place in the
Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of Moses’ tent of worship and, later, of
the Temple in Jerusalem. The Holy of Holies was separated from the inner altar
of incense by a huge, thick, ancient curtain. Only the High Priest was allowed
to pass through the curtain, and even he could only enter once a year, on the
Day of Atonement. That ancient ritual foreshadowed Christ’s Ascension. In his
Ascension, Christ was taken up into the real, eternal Holy of Holies, the inner
chamber of the universe, Heaven itself. But instead of coming back out, he
stayed there, in his human nature, as our representative, as the everlasting
bridge of reconciliation between mankind and God. Through Faith in Christ, we
have no more doubts that our sins can be forgiven; we don’t have to wait for
the Day of Atonement; we can live constantly in a right relationship with God.
This is what we are witnesses of. This is the message we have received: every
human heart’s deepest longing can finally be fulfilled, because Christ’s
sacrifice has been accepted by the Father. (E-Priest).
27) Blessed Antonia Mesina’s Wordless Witness: The most
important way that the Church bears witness to Christ’s unconquerable goodness
is through the example of Christians – not our words, but our example. When you
and I live as Christ lived, following him, we reveal his salvation to the
world. Our English word “martyr” comes from the Greek word for “witness”. The
Church’s martyrs are her greatest witnesses. By refusing to do evil, even at
the cost of their own lives, they make the power of Christ’s goodness shine
out. One of the saints that the Church commemorates on May 17 is a recent and
eloquent example of this. Blessed Antonia Mesina (meh-SEE-nah) was the second
of ten children born to a peasant family on the Island of Sardinia, off the
west coast of Italy. She grew up between World Wars I and II.
After just four years of school, she was forced to leave her
studies behind and take over the housekeeping for her mother, who had fallen
ill and was confined to bed. Antonia didn’t let either her lack of education or
her poverty keep her from loving Christ. When she was ten, she joined Catholic
Action, Italy’s national apostolic movement for lay people. She was a model
member, energetically fulfilled her commitments and recruited other young
people to join the group. Honoring Christ and living in friendship with him
became her first care and highest priority. On one afternoon when she was 16,
she went out to gather wood for the stove at home. Alone, she was accosted by
another, older teenager, a young man who tried to rape her. She resisted, and
he became violent. She continued resisting, and he continued beating her,
trying to force her. But she knew that her body was a Temple of the Holy
Spirit, and she would not submit. The young man became furious, and he beat her
to death. Antonia refused to do evil. In that way, she was a witness to
Christ’s unconquerable goodness, a martyr. This is what the whole Church has done
in a thousand ways throughout the ages, and what each one of us is called to do
in our own circle of friends and acquaintances. (E-Priest).
28) “Dr. Carpenter is upstairs.” Many years ago there lived
a very poor family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina by the name of
Carpenter. The oldest boy loved the outdoors and knew them well, but he didn’t
know much else. He was a teenager before his father took him on his first trip
to the city, where he saw paved streets, skyscrapers, and electricity for the
first time. The boy wanted to stay there and get an education. His father
arranged for him to board with some family friends, who generously financed his
studies when he decided to become a doctor. He graduated with honors, but
declined all job offers to practice medicine in the city. He said he was going
back to the mountains, where there were many sick people and few doctors.
For many years he ministered to the sick. Some paid; most
couldn’t. He gave his very best and helped everyone he could. In his old age he
was in broken health himself and almost penniless. Two small rooms above the
town grocery store were his home and office. At the foot of the creaky stairs
leading up to his office was a sign with these words: “Dr. Carpenter is
upstairs.” One morning someone climbed those stairs to find the devoted doctor
dead. The entire community was plunged in grief. They wanted to erect some kind
of monument to him. But they decided to simply write these words on a large
tombstone: “Dr. Carpenter is upstairs.” — Jesus is the Divine Doctor of our
souls. He is “upstairs” in Heaven, where he ascended after his Resurrection.
But he is still alive and eager to help us through the Sacraments, the Bible,
and the Church. Every time we turn to him in prayer, we climb the stairs to his
office. Because he is upstairs, Dr. Jesus is always in. [This illustration
adapted from Stories for Sermons, Vol. 2, by Fr. Arthur Tonne, p. 12.] (E-
Priest).
29) Forrest Gump Gets Something Right: In 1994 Hollywood
released a popular film called Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks in an
Oscar-winning title role. The film can be base at times but has some
interesting insights. At one point in the story, when Forrest is feeling
rejected by the people he loves, he gets an urge to just start running. So, he
walks out the door, jogs across the yard, and doesn’t stop. In fact, when he
gets to the ocean and runs out of road, he just turns around and runs the other
way. Throughout his run, he is videotaped on national news. When asked why he’s
running – “World peace? Women’s rights?” – he answers, “I’m just running.”
Unintentionally, he sparks a huge national following. The humorous and
meaningful event that ends his journey takes place in the middle of a desert.
Forrest stops, longhaired and long bearded, and turns around. The handful of
sweaty joggers who have followed him shush each other: “Quiet, he’s goanna say
somethin’.” “I’m kinda’ tired,” he says, “I think I’ll go home now.” Forrest
walks through the small and silent crowd, and one of them yells after him,
“Well, what are we supposed to do?!” — All people are looking for the answers
to life’s deepest questions. But since our thirst for truth and happiness is
infinite (because that’s how God made us), no finite worldly thing can satisfy
us. The characters in the film, mindlessly following Tom Hanks’ Gump,
personified that thirst for meaning. The fact that their hero abandons them
without any explanation illustrates the inability of the things of this world
(money, fame, politics, pleasure) to provide that meaning; eventually, we get
tired of them; they let us down. Only Christ is infinite goodness, power, and
wisdom; only he is “the Way, Truth, and the Life” that we are searching for.
(E- Priest).
30) Aesop enlightens the judge: The amazing fact of the
Ascension lifts our gaze to Heaven. Because Jesus is now in Heaven, body and
soul, we are assured that Heaven is not just a nice idea, a myth, or wishful
thinking. It is a real place where Jesus has gone ahead to prepare the way for
us. One of Aesop’s Fables shows just how new this Christian revelation really
was. Aesop was a Greek slave who lived before the time of Christ. He was
renowned for his natural wisdom, which was recorded in his famous fables, or
short stories with deep lessons. One day he was ordered by his master to go to
the public baths (in ancient times public baths were like country clubs) and
get things ready. On his way, he was stopped by one of the official judges of
the city. The judge asked him where he was going. Aesop, thinking that it was
none of the judge’s business, answered, “I don’t know.” The judge was offended
by this reply, which he considered disrespectful, and marched him off to prison
for punishment (disrespectful slaves could be punished without a trial). When
they arrived at the prison, Aesop turned to his captor and said, “Judge, when I
told you, ‘I don’t know where I am going,’ I was speaking the truth. Little did
I think that I was on my way to prison! You see, it is true indeed that we
never really know just where we are going.” Faced with this explanation, the
judge had no choice but to let Aesop go free. — This ironic story illustrates
the absolute uncertainty of pre-Christian humanity about what happens after
death – they just didn’t know. (E- Priest).
31) “But what am I going to do without you?” Caroline had
tears in her eyes. “Are you sure you want to move so far away?” Her beloved
great Aunt Ingrid smiled. “Oh, Florida is not that far away.
Besides, you’ll be starting high school in a few weeks. You’re going to
make so many new friends you wouldn’t have time for me anyway.” Caroline
couldn’t remember when her aunt had moved in with her family those many years
ago; but under Aunt Ingrid’s tutelage, Caroline had matured from a sullen only
child to a vibrant young woman with many interests. “But what am I going to do
without you?” Caroline cried. “You’ll be fine. But just in case you get
bored, I left something behind for you,” Ingrid said as she gave her niece a
last long hug goodbye before stepping into the cab. When she returned to her
room, Caroline found Ingrid’s package on her desk. Inside the box was a
pair of knitting needles used by five generations of women in the family; a
fountain pen that had belonged to Ingrid’s late husband, a writer; a coveted
family cake recipe; a beautiful journal that reminded Caroline of the summer
afternoon her aunt made paper in the kitchen; and a framed photograph of Ingrid
and Caroline sitting at the piano after Caroline’s first lesson. An
inscription engraved on the frame read Precious moments last forever. Caroline
began to understand that, even though she felt left “out on a lonely limb of
the family tree” without Ingrid, the memories of family lived on in her heart
and spirit and attitude, connecting her to generations long past and still to
come. Caroline placed the picture on her nightstand. Then, picking up the
fountain pen and journal, she started to write a poem for Ingrid. — The
Ascension of the Lord is not the marking of a departure but the celebration of
a Presence. The risen and ascended Jesus is a living and
life-giving Presence with us. [Bits & Pieces, April,
2004 quoted by Connections).
32) Marine Commissioning ceremony: I’ve had the privilege of
being present when two of my nephews were commissioned as Marine officers. They
had been through months of rigorous academic, physical, and leadership
training, and it was a proud moment for their parents when the new officers,
resplendent in their “dress blues,” received their second lieutenant pins. The
most moving part of the commissioning ceremony was the officers’ oath, ending
with the solemn words, “I take this obligation freely, without any mental
reservations or purpose of evasion. … I will well and faithfully discharge the
duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, so help me God.” My
nephews’ commissioning marked the beginning of a commitment of service to their
country and their fellow Marines. Although the details of their future
deployments were as then unknown, they had been well prepared, authorized and
empowered for the work that would be asked of them. — Today’s readings are
about a different kind of commissioning, often referred to as “the great
commission” given by the ascending Jesus to his disciples. (Sharon K.
Perkins Catholic News Service)