Homily for the
Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord – Readings – Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians
1:17-23; Matthew 28:16-20. Theme: The
Hope To Which We Have Been Called
Today we celebrate the Ascension of the Risen Lord Jesus into
Heaven, to the place from which he first came to us. Many people often wonder
why we put such a big emphasis on the Ascension, even making it a holyday of
obligation in those places where it is not celebrated on a Sunday. And that’s a
good question. Why does the Ascension rank right up there with Christmas and
Easter as holydays of obligation? Well,
the reason it receives such an important place in both our liturgy and our
profession of faith is because the Ascension completes what Christmas began and
fulfills what Easter accomplished. Let’s
look at that a bit closer.
What did Christmas begin? It began the Incarnation, that is, the
unbelievable reality of the almighty eternal glorious God becoming a vulnerable
limited human being named Jesus. God the Son became human so that he could
save, that is heal, our sin-wounded human nature from the inside out, by
actually becoming one of us. By uniting his divinity with our humanity Jesus
elevated being human from the status of living as creatures of God to the honor
of our actually becoming children of God by adoption. So, the important thing
to remember when pondering the Ascension in the light of Christmas is that it
completes the process of transforming and healing human nature that began in Bethlehem.
Human nature, once ravaged by sin, is now sanctified by Christ and made worthy
to stand before the Presence of God in Heaven!
So then, how can we say that the Ascension fulfills what Easter
accomplished? Because the Resurrection was the marvelous sign and proof that
God the Father had accepted the sacrifice of the God-Man Jesus of Nazareth on
behalf of the human race. His rescue and restore mission was accomplished! Human
nature was healed of our spiritual wounds. The power of sin to drive a wedge
between us and God was conquered. Death,
the ultimate penalty of sin, was destroyed and no longer had the last word over
human beings. It was transformed from a deep dark dungeon of despair into a
hopeful doorway to eternal life. And so, the Ascension takes up from where the
Resurrection left off. It leads us human
beings into the glory Heaven. It shows us that the whole person, the entirety
of our human nature – body as well as soul - will experience glory once we
ourselves have passed through death and trampled it under our feet in Christ. This
is why we can call the Ascension the fulfilment of Easter.
You see, I think that many Christians have a misunderstanding when
it comes to the Ascension. They think that once Jesus rose up from the dead and
returned to Heaven he left his humanity behind and is now worshipped and adored
solely as God. But this isn’t the case at all! Such a way of thinking actually
strips the Ascension of its purpose and meaning for us. The Risen and Glorified
Lord Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, living and reigning with him, as
a Man as well as being God. And that’s
what is so awesome and marvelous about the Ascension. It elevates us humans far above what we were
originally created to be by allowing one of us, Jesus of Nazareth, to actually
enter into the direct Presence of God and reign there, side by side with the
Lord in Heaven. When the Resurrection of the Dead takes place at the end of
time, we will be lifted up, body and soul, to live and reign with Christ
forever in Heaven. This is the hope to which we have been called that St. Paul
mentions in the second reading today.
So, all this is why we can say that the Ascension ranks right up
there with both Christmas and Easter as one of our major celebrations and holy
days. But this event in the life of
Christ is not just something we remember and look forward to experiencing. In
the mean-time we have work to do! Like the disciples, who at the Ascension
received from Christ the Great Commission to go out to all the world and
proclaim the Good News, we too are sent out to invite others to come to know
and trust in Christ as Lord and Savior. We want everyone to know the great hope
to which we have all been called! This
means that we each are willing to share with others what a difference a personal
relationship with Jesus makes in our lives. That we are willing to let them see
by our changed attitude and Christ-like behavior that the Lord is continually
healing and transforming us from the inside out. And to let them know that he
is willing and eager to do the same for them!
Of course, we cannot accomplish this by simply relying upon our
own abilities and energy. But stay tuned…because
the way that Christ equips us to carry out this mission will be the focus of our
liturgy next Sunday, when we celebrate the Great Arrival of the Holy Spirit on
the day of Pentecost. In the meantime,
let’s thank Christ for the Ascension and for what it means for us as part of
his rescue mission to restore us to intimacy with God and elevate our humanity.
And let’s ask Him to grant us the grace to open our hearts during the coming
week to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, so that we can be his
witnesses among those with whom we live, work and socialize, and invite them,
by our words and example to live for God in Christ and experience a new way of
thinking, a new way of acting, and a new way of loving.
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