Readings: Acts
1:1-11; 1 Ephesians 1:17-23; Gospel Matt. 28:16-20
Obeying the Divine
Mandate
1.
Today,
we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord into heaven. Article 6 of the Creed
states: “He Ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the
Father. Christ’s body was glorified at the moment of his Resurrection, as
proved by the new and supernatural properties it subsequently and permanently
enjoys. But during the forty days when he eats and drinks familiarly with his
disciples and teaches them about the kingdom, his glory remains veiled under
the appearance of ordinary humanity. Jesus’ final apparition ends with the
irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory, symbolized by the cloud
and by heaven, where he is seated from that time forward at God’s right hand”
(CCC 659). After the ascension, the task of preaching the Gospel was passed on
to the apostles. Christ promised that he would be with them through his Spirit
to accomplish the work of evangelization. The disciples were asked, therefore, “Galileans,
why are you standing there looking up at the sky?” (Acts 1:10-11). “Ascension
is not a time to commemorate Christ’s departure from us, but rather a time to
recall Christ’s presence in our midst. This presence is made manifest in the
work of the people of God, the Church.” (The Word Alive by Eugene H. Maly).
2.
The
feast of the Ascension is like taking part in a relay; the baton is passed on
from one runner to another. Christ passed on the baton to his apostles and his
apostles to us. There is no time to stand idle and watch others. We must obey
the divine mandate: “Go make disciples of all nations.” (Matt.
28:19-20). We can do this by making Paul’s instruction to Timothy ours: “I
solemnly urge you to preach the message, to insist upon proclaiming it, whether
the time is right or not, to convince, reproach and encourage, as you teach
with patience.” (2Tim. 4:2). There are many people out there who are
unaware of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. They do not know that
God loves them passionately, intimately, and personally. This, then, is our
mission: to make Christ known and loved, and to be His witnesses to all
nations. We must teach and convince the world of Christ’s love and the need to
give our lives in return for his love. In doing this, however, we are not
alone. Christ promises to be with us till the end of time. He is with us even
during the worst circumstances of our lives. He is with us in his Spirit, who
is an agent of evangelization. His Spirit will teach us how to be his
disciples, in word and in deed. Our lives must speak much more eloquently than
our lips do when it comes to witnessing and teaching. People would much rather
see a sermon than listen to one.
3.
The
Ascension means that Christ leads us from heaven through a shared mission of
leadership. He now involves all of his people in the work of the kingdom. In
the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that we have been given gifts for
ministries. Some of us are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, or
teachers. We are all equipped for the work of ministry, for building up the
body of Christ. Our gifts must assist us in the task of evangelization.
Therefore, we must be the living gospel for people to read. We are called to be
good Christians, to have the love of Christ in our hearts, and to share it with
others. We must be kind, hospitable, compassionate, and forgiving. We must show
mercy and avoid uncharitable acts. We are not to peddle rumors and unkind words
about others. Gossip can ruin without killing, it can tear down homes, break
hearts, and wreck lives. It brings confusion and suspicion where distrust is
unperceived. Let us spread the message of love instead.
4.
In
the document, Evangelization in the Modern World, Pope Paul VI admonished: “The
truly evangelized individual must eventually go out to evangelize others. Such
a person cannot keep his faith to himself. The power that Jesus has given to us
so that we might indeed lead the victorious life of grace must eventually
become vocal. The way of life must lead to a proclamation of the word of life.”
Pope Francis, on the other hand, stressed, “The Church has to go out onto
the streets. I want us to resist everything worldly, everything static,
everything comfortable, everything to do with clericalism, everything that
might make us close in on ourselves. Our parishes, schools, and institutions
are all made for going out…if they don’t, they become an NGO, and the Church
cannot be an NGO. You are bearers of hope…You are the protagonists of the
future, artisans for the future…Make the future with beauty, with goodness and
truth…Have courage. Go forward. Make noise.” Though Christ is no more with
us physically, he is very much around us spiritually. He said goodbye to his
disciples so that they may grow into mature witnesses. His Spirit, working in
and through his disciples, taught them the way of love and discipleship. May
this same Spirit dwelling in us show us the way to true discipleship. Amen!
Rev. Augustine
Etemma Inwang, MSP
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