5Th Sunday of Easter (Cycle C)

The Ascension of the Lord (Cycle C)Deacon Mark

May8, 2016

Acts 1:1-11

Hebrews9:24-28, 10.19-23

Luke24:46-53

Repeating Father’s words and wishes at the beginning of Mass, Happy Mother’s Day to all. May you have a blessed and joy-filled day of celebration, beginning with our Eucharistic celebration of the Ascension of the Lord.

The Ascension of the Lord! I would like to ask you to take a quick minute and reflect what you see the Ascension is and what it means with respect to the earthly existence of Christ, the overall scheme ofSalvation history, and your journey of faith. I realize this is one of those “really deep” questions requiring more like hours of contemplation than a quick moment. But what is your first thought,your spontaneous response? Is it simply one of those major events like, Christ’s birth, death and resurrection which the church celebrates each year? Is it one of the milestones in salvation history like the end of an era, namely the one that marks the end of Christ’s earthly existence? Or is it something requiring a significant leap of faith?

I suggest to you that it is all of the above. Consider for a moment the word trilogy. By definition, it means a series of three dramas, literary works or musical compositions that in one sense are stand-alone entities yet are so closely related that they have a single theme. Reflecting on the life of Christ as a trilogy, in the first of the series of three he appeared out of nowhere entering into the lives of the disciples and establishing a relationship with each of them individually and as a group bringing them comfort and joy. Then tragedy struck and he was suddenly and without understanding why taken from them by his demeaning death on the cross.

In the second of the series, Jesusonce again appeared out of nowhere. Just as quickly as he left them through death, he re-entered their lives having risen from the tomb. Peace and joy abounded. Life wasoh so good! Our leader is back and we are again on the road to the re-establishment of our downtrodden kingdom of chosen people. However, despite continually telling them for 40 days of the forthcoming Ascension, after blessing them and instructing them to return to Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, he practically vanished before their very eyes. We can easily comprehend their confusion, their dismay, their total bewilderment through the words spoken by the two men dressed in white garments; “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?”

It is at this point in the trilogy that we can discover the critical value, the importance of the Ascension. It is like the words of multi-part movie or program appearing on the screen: “To Be Continued”. For the apostles their adrenalin is pumping because of what just took place, and even more than that, it is heightened because of the anticipation ofwhat may come.

And then the third in the series begins. The mission of the apostles to be Christ’s witnesses to the ends of the earth begins with the ending of the previous part, the mission of Christ himself on the earth. The Ascension of the Lord, then, was for the apostles as it is for us the connecting link between part two and part three of our Salvation history, our journey of faith. Without the Ascension there would be no sequel, no continuation of the mission of Christ in the world, no hope for the future. The words of the two men dressed in white garments: “This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, will return to you in the same way…” would only be empty, worthless words.

But because of the Ascension, in the days ahead and in particular next Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, we will hear how with the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit, the apostles began their mission; the continuation of the mission of Jesus that has been carried on throughout time by the Church, the Body of Christ, the same mission of the disciples of 2016, you and me.

It is here that the Ascension becomes more than just a church history event, more than a connecting link between parts 2 and 3 in the trilogy of Jesus. It becomes a pivotal point in our individual journey of faith. On this 2016 celebration of the Ascension, we can remain standing dumbfounded and bewildered staring up at the sky,or like the apostles, we can follow Christ’s instruction, respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our lives and be His witnesses to the ends of the earth, the world we live in.

Let us pray: Come Holy Spirit, Come!