Homily: Solemnity of the Ascension – Cycle A
Friends,
as we begin to wrap up our celebration of Easter, we have these two great
feasts of Ascension and Pentecost that help us to “round out” the great Pascal
Mystery of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection. Jesus’ ascension into heaven is itself a
great mystery that reveals important truths about us and our relationship with
God.
The
mystery of the Ascension is this: that the second Person of the Holy Trinity
took on our human nature in order to glorify it so that it could be restored to
communion with God. In other words, God
became man in order to restore humanity to its original perfection: the image
of which is the harmony that man shared with God in the Garden of Eden. If we think about that for a moment, we might
be taken aback. “Wait, this nature, which gets tired, hungry,
and smelly—this nature, which St. Francis used to call “Brother Donkey”—this
nature is going to go to heaven someday?”
Yes and no. No, this nature, marred as it is by
weaknesses and finitude, will not be going to heaven. But yes, this nature, glorified like Jesus’ to be free from weaknesses and finitude, will
be going to heaven. By ascending into
heaven in his resurrected (that is, his glorified) human nature, Jesus
completed this act of restoration that anticipates the glorification of our own
bodies at the end of time. Thus, the
Ascension is truly the culmination of Jesus’ work on earth and, therefore, an
amazing mystery to celebrate!
This
is not the end, however. Jesus ascended
into heaven to complete the restoration of our human nature, but also so that
we might be sent out to “recall” God’s children to be restored in him. I know that this will sound like a crude
analogy, but the mission of the Church is like one big product recall. What I mean by that is this: a critical
defect has been identified and all of us need to be recalled to God to have
that defect eliminated and, thus, be restored to the proper functioning for
which we were made. The defect is sin,
which had the effect of disrupting the harmony that we enjoyed between us and
God, one another, nature, and ourselves.
By restoring human nature in himself, God has made it possible for us to
be restored. Thus, the mission of the
Church is to call all men back to God so that each one of us may be restored in
Christ Jesus and, thus, to the “proper functioning” for which we were made:
that is, to be in harmony with God, others, nature, and ourselves.
This
mission provides a “practical” reason for Jesus’ ascension. You see, when Jesus is walking among us, he functions
like a strong polar magnet: he draws his disciples to himself. Think of five year olds playing soccer: every
one of them crowding around the ball.
After Jesus ascends, however, that magnetic power is dissipated and his
disciples can now spread out and turn their focus toward fulfilling their
mission in the world. This is the
message of the angels that appeared to the disciples as they watched Jesus
ascend, isn’t it? “Men of Galilee, why
are you standing there looking at the sky?”
In other words, “Why are you just standing here? Go, you have a mission
to accomplish!” Therefore, as great as
it would be to have Jesus here among us, hopefully we can recognize the truth
in what he said elsewhere in the gospels, namely, “that it is good for you that
I go”, since his going frees us to complete the mission he has given us to
bring our fellowmen to him.
In
reflecting on this, I am struck once again on how these great mysteries of our
salvation seem to play out, in microcosm, in the Mass. Here’s what I mean: We know that, in the Mass, Jesus comes to us
in word and sacrament. Thus, like
ferrous metals attracted to a magnet, we are drawn to him and gather together
around him. This was the effect of
Jesus’ presence on earth, right? And
what did he do when his disciples gathered around him? He taught them by his word. In the Mass, after we’ve gathered, we hear
the Word of God proclaimed and broken open for us so that Christ might continue
to teach us today.
Then,
we re-present his Passover as we recall the events of the Last Supper, in which
Jesus offered his Body and Blood to his disciples in the form of bread and
wine, knowing that they are connected to the sacrifice he made of his Body and
Blood on the Cross—the same Body and Blood that now lives, in glorified form,
in heaven. We then renew our restoration
in Christ (and, thus, our communion with God and one another) when we receive
his Body and Blood from this altar in the form of bread and wine. Finally, Jesus returns to the Father
(represented symbolically when we place the reserved Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle)
and we are sent forth to continue the mission God has given to us to recall his
sons and daughters to be restored in Christ and, thus, to build God’s kingdom.
Does
this make sense? I know that it’s kind
of a lot to grasp, but it’s really true that, in every Mass (albeit in highly
compressed form), the entire mystery of our salvation is represented: from the
Incarnation, through the life and teaching of Jesus, continuing into his
passion, death, and resurrection, and culminating in his ascension and the
sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Of course, we’re not going to be aware of all of these things in every Mass,
but during this time of Eucharistic Revival, we would do well to remain conscious
of the fact that, in every Mass, we are being renewed in our restoration in
Christ so that we can continue to live the mission that he has given us. ///
Therefore,
in many ways, Jesus’ message to his apostles today is also for us: the Holy
Spirit will come upon us and give us power
to be his witnesses in the world (that is, to testify about him and about the
restoration that is available in him).
When the Spirit comes, we must go: go to make disciples of all people,
baptizing them and teaching them to live as Jesus commanded us. And so, as we offer God our sacrifice of
thanksgiving in this Mass, let us pray intently for a renewal of the Spirit in
us, so that we might realize his works: the often subtle, yet powerful works
that lead others to Christ. In doing so,
we will grow in holiness and so prepare ourselves to join Christ in his glory.
Our
Mother, Mary, has preceded us in Christ’s glory. With her witness of faith to inspire us and
her prayers to help us, let us take up this good work, so that God’s kingdom
may grow and flourish among us.
Given at St. Mary Parish: Union City, IN – May 20th,
2023
Given at St. Joseph Parish: Winchester, IN and Immaculate
Conception Parish: Portland, IN – May 21st, 2023
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