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Gospel: Luke 24:46-53
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them
and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage
and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and they were continually in the temple praising God.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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We are in the season of First Communions, Confirmations, graduations, and weddings.
Some parents are bursting with pride as their child prepares to graduate from kindergarten. Others rejoice over their child receiving their First Communion. Others are preparing to walk their son or daughter down the aisle, wondering, “Where did the time go?”
It’s a season of transitions – of endings and beginnings.
The entire world watched as the Catholic Church experienced a significant transition, too – the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV.
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Today’s Feast of the Ascension celebrates, perhaps, the most important transition of all – the return of Christ in glory to his Father.
After his death and resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples over the course of forty days to rekindle their faith that was depleted by the Crucifixion; he was not a ghost or a figment of their imagination. He is alive!
He appeared to them while they were hiding behind locked doors in Jerusalem, offering his peace. He lit a charcoal fire and was reconciled with Peter. He invited Thomas to slide his finger into his wounded hands and side.
It’d be unthinkable for such radical manifestations of the Lord to grow fewer and fewer until they finally petered out. This season of resurrection appearances had to reach a climax.
Today it does.
The ascension draws the life of Jesus of Nazareth to a close, enthroning him as the King of heaven. “If you loved me,” he says to his disciples, “then you would rejoice that I am going to my Father.”
So, the Lord raises his hands, blesses them, then vanishes from their midst, leaving them wondering, “Where did he go? And what do we do now?”
Their curiosity is satisfied by the angels who appear to them.
“Men of Galilee,” they say, “why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”
So, go. Do something. Tell someone!
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At first, the Apostles rejoice.
Luke tells us, “they were continually in the temple praising God.” They held on to the hope that Jesus would come back for them tomorrow… or next Tuesday.
But a week turned into two weeks… Two weeks turned into two decades… Two decades have turned into two millennia.
Here we are still waiting, wondering, what do we do now?
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The Lord remains present in our world, just not in the same way he once was. Jesus speaks to us in the present whenever the scriptures are read. He offers himself to us in the Eucharist. He absolves us in confession.
And at Pentecost, he sent forth the Holy Spirit, making all the baptized his body on earth until he returns in glory.
Now the followers become the leaders; the listeners become the preachers; the healed do the healing. Generation after generation must heed the call to, “Go, make disciples.”
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This week, every priest in the Archdiocese of Newark gathered for our semi-annual convocation. It was not only an opportunity for prayer and fraternity, but also for Cardinal Tobin to share more of his vision for the future of our local church.
The “good news / bad news” is that we’re facing both great challenges and great opportunities. The structures of tomorrow’s Church will look different from those of today.
For example, in 20 years, the number of available pastors will drop by 50%… even if we ordain several priests each year.
Such a shocking statistic can make us question how we will carry the mission of the Church forward – a feeling the disciples must’ve also wrestled with after Christ vanished from their midst.
To echo their question: What do we do now?
Exactly what they did – something; anything. Preach, pray, heal, witness to the Gospel by word and deed.
We know the Church is not simply a cluster of priests; the Church is all of us. Over the next several months, the Archdiocese will share opportunities for every voice to be heard.
Here in our own parish, more than 50 parishioners will gather on June 7 to analyze the data from our most recent survey, incorporating the voice of all 350 respondents into our next parish-level strategic plan.
Whatever opportunities or challenges lie ahead of us, we will face together.
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We’ve entered a season of transitions – of endings and beginnings.
On this Feast of the Ascension, may God grant us the grace to begin anew – responding to the opportunities of our age with courage and creativity, making disciples of all, starting with you and me.
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Image credits: (1) iStock (2) The Ascension, John Singleton Copley, 1775 (3) scripture-lullabies.com
