May 17, 2007 The Ascension of the Lord

  2007년 5월 20일 주님 승천 대축일

 

 제1독서

 사도행전 1,1-11
1 테오필로스 님, 첫 번째 책에서 저는 예수님의 행적과 가르침을 처음부터 다 다루었습니다. 2 예수님께서 당신이 뽑으신 사도들에게 성령을 통하여 분부를 내리시고 나서 승천하신 날까지의 일을 다 다루었습니다. 3 그분께서는 수난을 받으신 뒤, 당신이 살아 계신 분이심을 여러 가지 증거로 사도들에게 드러내셨습니다. 그러면서 사십 일 동안 그들에게 여러 번 나타나시어, 하느님 나라에 관한 말씀을 해 주셨습니다. 4 예수님께서는 사도들과 함께 계실 때에 그들에게 명령하셨습니다.
“예루살렘을 떠나지 말고, 나에게서 들은 대로 아버지께서 약속하신 분을 기다려라. 5 요한은 물로 세례를 주었지만 너희는 며칠 뒤에 성령으로 세례를 받을 것이다.”
6 사도들이 함께 모여 있을 때에 예수님께 물었다. “주님, 지금이 주님께서 이스라엘에 다시 나라를 일으키실 때입니까?” 7 그러자 예수님께서 그들에게 이르셨다.
“그때와 시기는 아버지께서 당신의 권한으로 정하셨으니 너희가 알 바 아니다. 8 그러나 성령께서 너희에게 내리시면 너희는 힘을 받아, 예루살렘과 온 유다와 사마리아, 그리고 땅 끝에 이르기까지 나의 증인이 될 것이다.”
9 예수님께서는 이렇게 이르신 다음 그들이 보는 앞에서 하늘로 오르셨는데, 구름에 감싸여 그들의 시야에서 사라지셨다. 10 예수님께서 올라가시는 동안 그들이 하늘을 유심히 바라보는데, 갑자기 흰옷을 입은 두 사람이 그들 곁에 서서, 11 이렇게 말하였다.
“갈릴래아 사람들아, 왜 하늘을 쳐다보며 서 있느냐? 너희를 떠나 승천하신 저 예수님께서는, 너희가 보는 앞에서 하늘로 올라가신 모습 그대로 다시 오실 것이다.”

  

 제2독서

   에페소서 1,17-23 <또는 히브 9,24-28; 10,19-23>
형제 여러분, 17 우리 주 예수 그리스도의 하느님, 영광의 아버지께서 여러분에게 지혜와 계시의 영을 주시어 여러분이 그분을 알게 되고, 18 여러분 마음의 눈을 밝혀 주시어, 그분의 부르심으로 여러분이 지니게 된 희망이 어떠한 것인지, 성도들 사이에서 받게 될 그분 상속의 영광이 얼마나 풍성한지 여러분이 알게 되기를 빕니다. 19 또 우리 믿는 이들을 위한 그분의 힘이 얼마나 엄청나게 큰지를 그분의 강한 능력의 활동으로 알게 되기를 빕니다. 20 하느님께서는 그리스도 안에서 그 능력을 펼치시어, 그분을 죽은 이들 가운데에서 일으키시고 하늘에 올리시어 당신 오른쪽에 앉히셨습니다. 21 모든 권세와 권력과 권능과 주권 위에, 그리고 현세만이 아니라 내세에서도 불릴 모든 이름 위에 뛰어나게 하신 것입니다.
22 또한 만물을 그리스도의 발아래 굴복시키시고, 만물 위에 계신 그분을 교회에 머리로 주셨습니다. 23 교회는 그리스도의 몸으로서, 모든 면에서 만물을 충만케 하시는 그리스도로 충만해 있습니다.

 

 복음

 루카 24,46ㄴ-53
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
46 “성경에 기록된 대로, 그리스도는 고난을 겪고 사흘 만에 죽은 이들 가운데에서 다시 살아나야 한다. 47 그리고 예루살렘에서부터 시작하여, 죄의 용서를 위한 회개가 그의 이름으로 모든 민족들에게 선포되어야 한다.
48 너희는 이 일의 증인이다. 49 그리고 보라, 내 아버지께서 약속하신 분을 내가 너희에게 보내 주겠다. 그러니 너희는 높은 데에서 오는 힘을 입을 때까지 예루살렘에 머물러 있어라.”
50 예수님께서는 그들을 베타니아 근처까지 데리고 나가신 다음, 손을 드시어 그들에게 강복하셨다. 51 이렇게 강복하시며 그들을 떠나 하늘로 올라가셨다. 52 그들은 예수님께 경배하고 나서 크게 기뻐하며 예루살렘으로 돌아갔다. 53 그리고 줄곧 성전에서 하느님을 찬미하며 지냈다.

 

 

 

 May 17, 2007

 The Ascension of the Lord

 Reading 1
Acts 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for “the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

When they had gathered together they asked him,
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, “Men of Galilee,
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.”

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9

R. (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.
R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading II
Eph 1:17-23

Brothers and sisters:
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation
resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,
in accord with the exercise of his great might:
which he worked in Christ,

raising him from the dead
and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,
far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
and every name that is named
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

or

Heb 9:24-28; 10:19-23

Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary
with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly
from the foundation of the world.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that men and women die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus
we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary
by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,
that is, his flesh,
and since we have (a great priest over the house of God, “
let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,
with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed in pure water.
Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,
for he who made the promise is trustworthy.

Gospel
Lk 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.

 

 

 Commentary

 

Luke writes to Theophilus that he wrote about Jesus' works, words, life, death, resurrection, and the power of the Spirit of God at work in Jesus. An now he writes about the work of the power of the Spirit of God in the church, those who believe in Jesus, as proof that Jesus is risen and still with us. Jesus sent the disciples into the city to wait for the promise and the power of the Spirit that will make them witnesses to the ends of the earth. And Jesus is lifted up before them and disappears. The angels proclaim tha 'this Jesus taken up into heaven will one day return'. The Ascension is the departure of Jesus, the Word made flesh, from the earth so that the Spirit of Jesus, the Risen Lord may be sent to those who believe.

All that is taught and written, prayed and ritualized is begun in the name of the Father, the Son and the Spirit. This Spirit will bring us wisdom. Enlightenment, hope and the heritage that is ours by baptism and confirmation - and we will know the immesurable scope of the power of God if we believe. We are clothed with this power in baptism and confirmation and we are clothed with this power as Church on Pentecost and when we gather as Church to worship God. 

 

 

 PRE-PRAYERING

We here in the United States have celebrated this week the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. There was much “lifting up of eyes” during that liturgy’s readings, but all feet were still on the earth. This earth or world can have various images for us. It is a temporary prison from which we long to be freed. It is a mess and God ought to do something about that! It can be seen also as a garden with flowers and weeds growing together. It has been seen as something to be escaped or a spirit to be indulged in totally.

As believers we are invited to extend our arms in embracing all creation as holy and our hands to receive God’s love for us and share it. We walk in the Garden with its weeds, the mess with its dirt and we bring it all inside us to the Eucharistic embrace which is always celebrated there.

We, as with the Apostles, turn our eyes from heaven and return to our personal Jerusalems and our private temples so to be inspired by the Holy Spirit that we might pull some weeds, clean some messes within ourselves and assist the divine clean-up begun by the loved apostles.

REFLECTION

Now you talk about stepping on somebody’s toes. Steven, filled with the Holy Spirit, speaks boldly about the “Just one’s” coming who will rearrange the religious traditions and authorities. The leaders ask him if it is true that he has been speaking this way. Steven has much to say to them in response.

What we hear in today’s First reading are the last five verses of a long chapter in which Steven reviews the salvation history of Israel. What really gets him in a position to be stoned is when he tells the religious leaders that they are exactly like the religious leaders who have gone before them. There were prophets before whom the people resisted and killed. Those to whom Steven is speaking continue this pattern.
They have betrayed and murdered the one sent to be more than a prophet. Steven tells them further, that they, who had the law handed to them by angels, did not keep the law either. They are told they have “pagan” hearts and ears. Well that was quite enough so they stuff their ears and shout for Steven’s death. So as with Jesus, Steven is killed for telling the truth of his heart. Steven’s last’s words were similar to those of Jesus, praying for forgiveness for those who were killing him.

During this whole scene, mention is made of a man named Saul whose presence seems to give support to the stoning and who gets great energy from this killing to begin quite a persecution of the early church. Saul will become Paul and not a persecutor, but a proclaimer of the truth of that same church.

In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus praying to His Father. Jesus affirms several times the love shared between the Son and the Father. We also hear a petition that the same love be known and received by these close friends of Jesus with whom He is sharing His Last supper. They have some kind of growing belief that Jesus is the one “sent” into the “world”. Jesus sounds urgent in His prayer that these friends be confirmed in that love as they are “sent” out into that same “world”.

“They” meaning, the disciples gathered together, are a gift to Jesus from the Father. What a wonderful word and image. From the emphasis which Jesus places on our being “one” with Jesus as He is “one” with the Father, it is definitely not a stretch to believe that we also are made gifts to Jesus by the Father through our belief in Jesus as the “one” Who is “sent”.

In the Third Cannon of the Catholic Eucharistic liturgy, the Church prays, “May He make us an everlasting gift to You Father.” It seems somehow easier to believe in an invisible God than to believe and accept that we, who are so visible, are gifts from that God and “sent” into the “world” as gifts to Christ and His church.

Next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday wherein we celebrate the coming of the Spirit to those visible disciples who will be the “gifts” “sent” to make Jesus visible in the “world”. That same Spirit is gifting each of us to bring visibility of God’s love. The only way we can do this “visifaction” “Christification” is to drop our defenses, our self-depreciating sense of unworthiness and receive what the early apostles were offered, the love which the Father has for the Son and for us.

We tend to avoid experiences and relationships which reduce our opinion and image of ourselves, but are attracted to those who “posatate” us. At the Eucharist we are reminded each time about who we are. I knew a religious person who attended Mass daily, but could not accept the Eucharistic Food, for the last twenty-five years of life. I know a similar person now who would never think of missing Sunday’s liturgy, but refuses to receive communion. I suspect that there are many believers whose belief in their unworthiness is stronger than their belief in their being “gifts” from the Father to the Son and so to this “world”. At the Eucharist we find out who we are and what we are to do if we believe in God’s “worthifying” love. We hear and celebrate all that the First Church heard and celebrated. As with them, we are “sent” to make Jesus attractive by extending His love through our hands, hearts, faces, and His Spirit.

“My heart has prompted me to seek your face; I seek it, Lord; do not hide from me.” Ps. 27, 9

 

 by
Larry Gillick, S.J.
Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality

 

 

“Remain in the city until you are invested with power from above.”  In other words, learn patience, learn how to wait; and unlearn the tendency to leap in, feet first.  There is an urgency about the Gospel, but it is the part of wisdom to wait till the right time.  Nowadays it’s hard to wait.  There are sects in which the ‘Elders’ are not necessarily out of their teens!  The Gospel is badly served by someone who is just restless or ambitious, or merely brainless.  When there is no wisdom there are only advertising techniques.

Within oneself too there is a need to learn how to wait and not jump in with ready answers.  Julian of Norwich, deeply immersed in a difficult question, wrote, “I decided to stop puzzling over this, and to look to the Lord, and see what he would show me.” 

There are two kinds of useless answer: to a question that has not arisen, and to a question that cannot be answered.  Religious people, unfortunately, are ever ready with both kinds of answer.  We pray today that the Holy Spirit, who so often drives people into very vocal prayer (see the end of today’s reading), may also drive us sometimes, as Jesus was driven, into the desert  -  the place of silence and solitude.   

 

 

 Jesus parted from them and was carried up into heaven

Why did Jesus leave his beloved apostles forty days after his resurrection? Forty is a significant number in the scriptures.  Moses went to the mountain to seek the face of God for forty days in prayer and fasting.  The people of Israel were in the wilderness for forty years in preparation for their entry into the promised land.  Elijah fasted for forty days as he journeyed in the wilderness to the mountain of God. For forty days after his resurrection Jesus appeared numerous times to his disciples to assure them that he had risen indeed and to prepare them for the task of carrying on the work which he began during his earthy ministry.

Jesus' departure and ascension into heaven was both an end and a beginning for his disciples.  While it was the end of Jesus' physical presence with his beloved disciples, it marked the beginning of Jesus' presence with them in a new way.  Jesus promised that he would be with them always to the end of time.  He assured them of his power -- a power which overcame sin and death.  Now as the glorified and risen Lord and Savior, ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, Jesus promised to give them the power of his Holy Spirit, which we see fulfilled ten days later on the Feast of Pentecost (Luke 24:49 and Acts 2:1-4). When the Lord Jesus departed physically from the apostles, they were not left alone or powerless.  Jesus assured them of his presence and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus' last words to his apostles point to his saving mission and to their mission to be witnesses of his saving death and his glorious resurrection and to proclaim the good news of salvation to all the world. Their task is to proclaim the good news of salvation, not only to the people of Israel, but to all the nations. God's love and gift of salvation is not just for a few, or for a nation, but it is for the whole world -- for all who will accept it.  The gospel is the power of God, the power to forgive sins, to heal, to deliver from evil and oppression, and to restore life.  Do you believe in the power of the gospel?

This is the great commission which the risen Christ gives to the whole church. All believers have been given a share in this task -- to be heralds of the good news and ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the only savior of the world. We have not been left alone in this task, for the risen Lord works in and through us by the power of his Holy Spirit.  Today we witness a new Pentecost as the Lord pours out his Holy Spirit upon his people to renew and strengthen the body of Christ and to equip it for effective ministry and mission world-wide.  Do you witness to others the joy of the gospel and the hope of the resurrection?

“Lord Jesus, through the gift of your Holy Spirit, you fill us with an indomitable spirit of praise and joy which no earthly trial can subdue.  Fill me with your resurrection joy and help me to live a life of praise and thanksgiving for your glory.  May I witness to those around me the joy of the gospel and the reality of your resurrection.”

Psalm 47:2-9

2 For the LORD, the Most High, is terrible, a great king over all the earth.
3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. [Selah]
5 God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!
8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.
9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham.  For the shields of the earth belong to God;  he is highly exalted!

 

 

 «And as He blessed them, He withdrew (and was taken to heaven)»

Today, in the Ascension of our Lord, we once more remember the “mission” that we have been entrusted with: «And you are witnesses of these things» (Lk 24:48). God's Word is still alive today: «But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth» (Acts 1:8). Also today, there is a current and urgent demand for the Word of God: «Go, therefore, and make disciples from all nations» (Mt 28:19); «He said to them, ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature’» (Mk 16:15).

In this Solemnity, the invitation of our Master —wrapped up in our humanity— who finishes his mission in this world, strongly reverberates, while leaving us to sit at the right hand of the Father and send us the strength from above, the Holy Spirit.

But I cannot but wonder: —Is the Lord acting through me? Which are the signs attached to my testimony? And I remember the verse of the poet: «You cannot wait for God to tell you: ‘I am’. A God that reveals his power does not make sense. You should know God blows through you from the very beginning, and if your chest burns and shows nothing, then God is working in it».

And this must be our sign: the fire burning inside, the fire that —as with the prophet Jeremiah— cannot be stopped: The Word of God is alive. And one feels like saying: «All you peoples, clap your hands; shout to God with joyful cries (...). God mounts the throne amid shouts of joy; the Lord, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise» (Ps 47:2.6-7).

His kingdom is germinating in people's hearts, in your heart, like a seed about to bear fruit. —Sing, dance, for your Lord. And, if you do not know how to, place the Word in your lips until it comes down to your heart: —God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, give me the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that I can get to know you. Throw your light upon the eyes of my heart so that I understand the expectancy you are showing me to, the wealth of the glory you have ready for me and the greatness of your power, that you have displayed with the resurrection of Christ.

 

 

Homily from Father James Gilhooley

Annie Dillard in Teaching a Stone to Talk tells a disquieting story about a British expedition to the Arctic Ocean. The participants loaded their two ships with all the equipment one might find in a posh London club. There were excellent china, engraved silverware, cut crystal, etc. But unaccountably the foolish men took only enough coal for twelve days.
    
Their ships became locked in the unforgiving Arctic ice. After many weeks, the desperate crew attempted to walk to safety. All perished. Two officers died near their sled. Their would-be rescuers found they had been dragging sixty five pounds of table  silver.
    
It would be very easy to criticize this foolish group of men. However, do remember that many of our own selves are weighed down by many negative forces in our Christian lives - bad habits, unhealthy distractions of all kinds, an absence of spiritual structure in our lives, etc. These self-imposed weights prevent or at least postpone our own personal ascensions.
    
It is right and proper that we make much of the Ascension of the Lord today. Yet, we must remember the Master would have us enjoy our own ascension in the now and here.
    
If one can judge from our fascination with space flight, it would appear that we do have an inherent desire to fly into the heavens. We want to somehow transcend ourselves and  reach that area where God dwells. Years ago New York's Hayden Planetarium in jest looked for volunteers for the 240,000 mile trip to the moon. 18,000 people volunteered within a few days.
   
The Gospel angels would not ask of them, "Why do you stand looking into the sky?" Rather, these adventurers wanted most anxiously to penetrate the skies.

    
Should not each of the baptized be as anxious to kick off the heavy weights tied about our spirits? Should we not experience our own personal spiritual lift-offs? Many of our ancestors in the faith did just that. Why cannot we ascend here and now?
    
There are many people who look to us to see whether Christianity is genuine. They wish to see whether it has touched our own lives in a personal way. They search to see whether it has caused us to ascend above the common place. For example, one convert was asked what prompted his conversion. He replied very tersely, "A Christian gentleman living on my block. He found time to take care of me when I was ill." His benefactor  had followed the advice of St Jerome, "Begin to be now what you will be hereafter."
    
That convert is but one of many searchers. Some of them are much younger than he. In recent years, Professor Harvey Cox offered a course at Harvard University in Massachusetts titled "Jesus and the Moral Life." A staggering one thousand students signed up for the course. According to the busy record-keepers, it was the largest lecture series ever taught by a single professor at the prestigious university. I dare say that each of the students was examining the Christian Cox to see whether this Jesus whom he taught had in any way touched his own life. And why should they not? And, if circumstances allow, why should they not inquire after any ascensions in our own lives?
   
As one sage puts it, "Christianity is not just Christ in you but the ascended Christ living His life through you."
    
The nineteenth century Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard summed up our human plight and hopefully our upward direction in a beautifully concise prayer. "O Lord Jesus Christ, save us from the error of wishing to admire you instead of being willing to follow you and resemble you."
    
The story is told of the deathbed scene of  Pope John XXIII. To those fussing about him,  the amused Pope said, "Worry not about me. My  bags are packed." His ascension had been made a long time before. He had followed the advice of the savant to  the letter: "When it's time to die, make sure that's all you have to do." The recently beatified John XXIII has much to teach us.
   
Perhaps we can begin our own ascension immediately by reflecting on these words of Charles Ghigna: "Do not let fear confine your life inside a shell of doubt. A turtle never moves until his head is sticking out."
 

 

Homily from Father Joseph Pellegrino
http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html

 

The Ascension: Witnesses to the Triumph

When I was a teenager, I often would go to Manhattan with family or friends.  There was then, as there is now, a lot to see and do.  And then, as now, the streets were full of tourists.  one of the things that we teens would do is stop on the sidewalk and look up at one of the skyscrapers.  We would just stare and wait, until some of the visitors would stop and look.  After a suitable crowd would gather, we would leave as all the visitors kept looking at they didn’t know what.  Hey, I never said I was a nice kid.

“Men of Galilee, why do you stare up into the sky.  This Jesus who has as been taken up into heaven will return the same way.”  Couple this with today’s Gospel, from Luke, “repentance for all nations should be preached in his name beginning from Jerusalem.  You are his witnesses.”  Together we have the message, “Stop wasting your time pining for the Lord, and instead get to work continuing his mission.

The call of Christianity is immediate.  There is a whole world of people longing for lasting peace, for meaning in life, longing for Jesus Christ.  We can’t decide to go into action at some other time, some later on.  Jesus calls us into ministry now.

Many times, the call comes through people who need us to reach out to them with a word or gesture when our minds might be on other things. Like children and Teens who ask the most important questions at the least opportune time, we are often called into ministry when we are quite busy with some other situation.  We are hurrying to get dressed to attend a party or a meeting and a thirteen year old decides that this is a good time to ask something about smoking.  We are trying to complete a job at work, and a co-worker stops by and mentions that he needs help with a personal situation.  The Lord’s time is often not our time. But we have to get into action.  We cannot and should not waste his time.

About 30 years ago people in America were glued to the TV watching a series entitled, "Roots".  You might remember it.  It was the story a the ancestry of the author, an African American, Alex Haley. Haley had it in his mind that he was going to trace his family back to Africa.  But he only had two leads, he had a hint of a village in a section of Africa, and, more important, he had a name.  For generations parents had handed down the name “Kunta Kintae”.  Haley travelled over to Africa and went to quite a number of villages.  In each of these village there was the griot, or village story-teller.  Each griot would reflect upon the name Kinte, but none could relate any tradition they could tie that name into.  Then one day Halley came upon a griot who began rattling off names ending in Kinte.  It was an out and out genealogy with, “this one took for wife that one and they had this one and that one,” etc.  The griot went on for over two hours when he came upon the phrase "Omorro begot Kunte who left the village to chop wood and never returned."  Can you imagine the impact of these words upon Alex Halley?  The griot had revealed the story that Halley had spent so long looking to uncover.

We know our roots.  And we are called by God to tell his story to a world that is seeking knowledge about its roots.  We are not to sit around staring at the sky.  We are not to keep the mystery of Christ secret.  Rather, we are to proclaim Christ, not just in what we say, but primarily in how we live.

So many people long to understand the reason for their existence.  So many people are seeking meaning for their lives.  The Christians is called to provide this meaning.  We are called to live the presence of the Lord upon earth.  The Lord has ascended into heaven, yet he is still here, right here, among his people.
We are his witnesses

 

 

Homily from Father Andrew M. Greeley
http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html

 

Gospel Summary

The feast of the Ascension celebrates the departure of the Risen Lord from this world to the place reserved for him in heaven. As such, it is the continuation of his Resurrection and the completion of his victory over the forces of sin and death.

In Luke's gospel account, the Ascension takes on special meaning because it not only signals the end of the earthly sojourn of Jesus but also prepares for the continuation of his work of salvation in the Acts of the Apostles, which is Luke's sequel to his gospel. We recall that Luke's gospel is dominated by the "journey" of Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem (9:51-21:38). Jerusalem is like a magnet for his ministry because it is there that we find the temple, representing God's presence, and the altar, prepared for the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus.

This sacrifice of Jesus in Jerusalem seems to be the end of his career but in fact is releases the power of the Spirit, which flows from Jerusalem to the farthest corners of the earth. Though Jesus does indeed "leave" his disciples when he ascends to heaven, he assures them that he is sending the "promise" of his Father upon them. This is the Holy Spirit who will guide and strengthen them (and all of us) for witnessing to Jesus, in word and deed, everywhere in the world.

Life Implications

Those of us who follow Jesus belong to the period of the Church. Through preaching and the sacraments, the Church strives to make Jesus present among us so that we may be empowered to bear witness to the power of God to deliver us from the bondage of sin and despair. It is the Holy Spirit who guides and supports us as we attempt to live the ideals of our calling and to introduce others to the salvation won for us by the sacrifice of Jesus.

One of the principal roles of this Holy Spirit is to enable us to recognize how to live as Jesus did in circumstances that are far removed from the situation in first century Israel. It is the role of the Spirit to tell us then what Jesus would do if he were living here in the twenty-first century. Such guidance will not only give us courage and confidence but it will also enable us to understand what unselfish love means in difficult and worrisome situations.

It is truly remarkable that the disciples in the gospel story do not grieve when Jesus leaves them. Instead, they "returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God" (Luke 24:52-3). As we live in the Spirit and try to be sensitive to the Spirit's promptings, we too can be filled with joy and find it fitting to express that joy with words of praise and thanksgiving. As we do so, we will surely attract others who will want to know our secret and will thus be ready to learn about the wonderful gift of salvation won for us by the love of Jesus.

 

 

 Homily from Father Clyde A. Bonar, Ph.D.
Contact Father at cbonar@cfl.rr.com

 

 Let's Live In Heaven Now

Introduction

Today we celebrate The Ascension of the Lord. We celebrate a doctrine of our Roman Catholic faith. Let's talk about how doctrines get formulated. First we see something happen, then we reflect on what happened, and we draw some conclusion. Then we formulate our conclusions into a statement or a doctrine of our beliefs.

An example. People used to think the earth is flat. Then, in the late fifteenth century some daring men set out to sea, sailing west. They kept sailing west, and finally came back to where they started. Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) was the first to circumnavigate the globe in 1521. They concluded, they knew, the earth is round.

The Disappearance of Jesus

Christian doctrine grows in the same way. We observe some happening; then from what we see, we draw conclusions. That’s how we got the doctrine of the Ascension of our Lord. After Christ had been crucified, the disciples saw three things. First, the disciples saw the Risen Lord, Christ risen from the dead. Second, they saw Jesus disappear. And, third, the disciples saw themselves able to work miracles. Their conclusion, Christ is in heaven.

Our readings during this Easter Season told us these stories. Mary of Magdala was the first to see the Risen Lord. She'd come to the tomb to anoint Jesus. But, the stone had been rolled back, the tomb empty. Standing there, Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and recognized the Risen Lord.

Then, in the locked room Christ stands right in front of Doubting Thomas and says to Thomas, "Bring your hand and put it into my side." The Risen Lord appearing to Thomas and the disciples.

On another occasion, there's the Risen Lord standing on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias. Christ shouts from the shore, "Cast your nets over the right side." The disciples ate breakfast with the Risen Christ, fresh fish grilled over an open fire.

But, remember our gospel today. After the disciples saw the Risen Christ, Jesus disappears. At Bethany, Jesus raised his hands, blessed the disciples, and, as the disciples watched, Christ was "lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight."

The amazing thing, the power of the Risen Lord continued to work through the Apostles. one day Peter and John spotted a beggar outside the Temple in Jerusalem (Acts 3:1-10). A beggar crippled from birth, Peter commanded the beggar to stand. Instantly the man stood up, his feet and ankles firm. Hearing of these miracles, people crowded the Temple. The sick hoped at least the shadow of Peter might fall across them as they walked past. The Acts of the Apostles (5:12-16) reports, all the sick and all those tormented by unclean spirits were cured.

The disciples concluded: Jesus must be in heaven. They'd seen the Risen Lord, then he disappeared. But, through the disciples, the power of Christ continued to work miracles and cures. Christ must be with God, and God is in heaven.

Where is Heaven?

Question is, Where or what is heaven? When Yury Gagarin, the first cosmonaut into space (in 1961), returned to earth, he said, "I was in the heavens and I did not see God." Of course not, heaven is not a physical place.

Even in the Bible the word "heaven" can confuse us. People in Biblical times did not understand the solar system. To them, the earth was the center of the universe. Heaven was a vast hemispherical vault stretched over the earth like a tent. People lived on the earth. High above, in the open spaces of heaven, lived God.

Our idea about heaven is different. To us, to be in heaven means to be with God. In heaven we totally obey the will of God the Father, in heaven we love as God loves.

Jesus showed us heaven. Story after story in the Bible lists ways Christ spread love. A love shining like a bright star on a dark night. Recall when the leper walked up to Christ, his flesh rotting away by the awful disease. Jesus reached out with love and cured the leper.

Jesus told us about the Prodigal Son. Walking home, broke and desperate, his father welcomed him, threw a party to show how happy he was to have his wayward son back home. A story to instruct us, telling us to love like the Prodigal Son’s father loves, to love like God loves.

Even as they drove the nails into the cross, Jesus said with love, "Forgive them, they know not what they do."

The lesson very clear: always, we are to love. By loving as God loves, Jesus shows us heaven.

And, in heaven let there be no doubt, God is in charge. Remember the day Jesus and his disciples were hungry and picked some grains as they walked through the cornfields on the Sabbath? The Pharisees challenged Jesus, told him he was breaking the law. Christ said, "The Son of Man is master of the Sabbath" (Luke 6:1-5). Or, remember that storm, on the Sea of Galilee (Luke 8:22-25)? A squall battered the boat. Frightened, the disciples awoke Jesus. Christ rebuked the wind, calmed the storm.

Where or what is heaven? Christ showed us heaven. In heaven love prevails, God is in charge.

Living in Heaven

Then Christ said, "You are witnesses of these things." What Christ did, we are to do. We are to step into heaven in daily life, to let God be in charge of our lives, to make love prevail. Jesus told the disciples, "power from on high" will guide you.

Pope John XXIII lived as if in heaven. During his papacy, just before going to bed Pope John would review the happenings of the day. In prayer the Pope would tell God, "It's your church, Lord, I'm going to bed. I've done the best I can." The "power from on high" guides his church, just as in heaven.

We all can do as Pope John XXIII did. To be his witnesses, Christ chose as his disciples fishermen, a tax collector, a tent maker, a physician. Now God chooses us to be his witnesses. God chooses the teenager and the retired, those of deep faith and those who sometimes doubt, of every profession, with every skill. The "power from on high" daily draws us into heaven.

We begin with our children. Sitting in a chapel in another church I saw a grandmother come in and kneel to say a prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Her son and daughter-in-law knelt beside the older woman. With them was a two year old boy. What did the boy do? The same thing he saw his parents and grandmother do, kneel. That's the very first way to tell the next generation about Christ. Our children know what's important to us, and when we show God is in charge of our lives, our children follow our example. We introduce our children to heaven.

How we live teaches Christ, or denies Christ. There was an advertisement on television for Chrunch candy bars? Shows basketball star Shaquille O'Neal [Los Angeles Lakers] picking up the vending machine, shaking it, and out comes a Chrunch candy bar. What's the lesson? Shaq's big and strong! And, not very honest! When a Christian wants a candy bar, a Christian puts some coins in the vending machine and buys the candy bar. We show God is in charge, we live as if in heaven, when we obey God's Commandments.

What Christ did, we are to do. Heaven is where God is in charge, where love prevails. We are to step into heaven, to witness, to make God present in what we do, in how we live.

Conclusion

Today we celebrate The Ascension of the Lord. This feast is not so much about where Jesus went as about where we Christians are supposed to go.

In heaven we are perfectly in union with God, totally conformed to God's will, completely loving. Our call, in our daily lives, to be the good Christian, ever more in union with God, ever more letting God be in charge of our lives, ever more loving as God loves.