[stephenkhoo]

Scripture Reflections
17 May, 2012, Ascension of Our Lord, Solemnity
CHRIST, WHO LEADS US TO OUR HOMELAND, DEMANDS THAT WE ALREADY LIVE THIS FUTURE LIFE AND HOPE TODAY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ACTS 1:1-11; EPH 4:1-3; MARK 16:15-20

Do you know where your home is? Do you know where your home was? Otherwise how can you return home when your life has ended, since you do not know where your home was? Yes when we speak of someone who has ‘returned home’ we presume we know that he knows where his home is. The tragedy is that many people today do not know where home is or even whether they have a home!

The gospel tells us that Jesus knew His homeland and was returning to where He was before the foundation of the world. This is the meaning of the feast of Ascension. Too often, we stress on the visible aspect of Jesus being taken up to heaven that we forget that this is only a graphic illustration of a theological and transcendental event that has taken place in the life of Jesus. After all, what is above the heaven if not the stars and space! Only when we understand the theological significance of this event could we then appreciate whyHoly MotherChurch instructs that all the Faithful are obliged to come for this celebration.

The theological intent of this feast of Ascension speaks of an invisible reality that occurred in the life of Jesus, namely, His exaltation and glorification. By His resurrection, Jesus was raised to a new life. His body was transfigured. By His ascension, the Church wants us to know that Jesus has returned to His Father where He always was since eternity. To be seated at the right of the Father, as we confess in the creed, simply means that He now shares the Father’s glory and power which He emptied Himself of in His incarnation.

In the same vein, His exaltation means that Jesus Christ reigns over sin and death. He has conquered all His enemies and He is now established as the Lord of Lords. This is what St Paul writes, “This you can tell from the strength of his power at work in Christ, when he used it to raise him from the dead and to make him sit at his right hand, in heaven, far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or Domination, or any other name that can be named, not only in this age, but also in the age to come. He has put all things under his feet, and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church; which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.” The feast of the Ascension means that in principle the kingdom proclaimed by Jesus is now established especially by His passion, death and resurrection.

Where He is now, we hope to follow. This is why it is an important day of the Church and a day of obligation. It speaks of our ultimate hope. No longer do we live aimless lives, like unbelievers who do not know the outcome of their lives on earth. This is particularly true for those who suffer much on earth, especially from sicknesses, wars and injustices. With Jesus reigning in heaven and victory over sin and death, we are assured of our homeland at the end of our sojourn on earth.

Jesus has not only revealed to us where our home is, but He has also shown us the way to the Father and back to our homeland. He has taught us the way to live the kingdom life in the beatitudes. He has shown us the Father’s love in His teachings and most of all, in the paschal mystery. By His life, passion and death on the cross, Jesus has revealed to us the unconditional love and forgiveness of the Father. By His resurrection, He demonstrated that life is in the hands of God. So if we want to reach our homeland, we must now grow in knowledge of Jesus. This is the prayer ofSt Paul to the Ephesians, “May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him.” Once we deepen our understanding of Jesus, we too will be inspired to live this kind of life.

We too must empty our lives like Jesus at the incarnation and the cross in order to share in the resurrected life and the glory that He has with His Father. Only when we empty ourselves like Jesus, can the Spirit of God fill us with His love and presence. When that happens, we too share in the glory of Jesus and His Father. We who glorify the Father as Jesus did, will ourselves be glorified by the Father. St Irenaeus says “the glory of God is found in man fully alive”. When we live the life of God, the life of love and self-emptying, the glory of God will exude from us. Truly, the more we are willing to empty ourselves, of our sins and selfishness and give ourselves totally to God, then God will use us mightily for His glory and service.

In the meantime, whilst awaiting our final entry into the homeland promised and made certain by Jesus, let us not make the same mistake as the disciples who were staring at the sky waiting for the coming of the kingdom. No, we must remember the command of Jesus before His Ascension, that instead of speculating the date and time of the Second Coming of Christ, we are called to be witnesses of Christ to the ends of the earth. We must therefore continue the work of Jesus to establish His kingdom on earth. This kingdom that is to be ours at the end of time however must begin here and now as a foretaste. We must now already live the kingdom life.

Hence, the end of Jesus’ mission on earth also sets the stage for the beginning of the Church’s mission. Knowing the hope and destiny that is ahead of us, we should be excited to proclaim the Good News to all creation. We should be empowered and enthusiastic in sharing the revelation given to us by Jesus about our purpose and destiny of life on earth. We want to share our vision of the Kingdom with all. We want all men to share in the joy of the kingdom and to arrive at their end.

Yes, like St Paul, we too pray thus for them, “May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit and how infinitely great is the power that he has exercised for us believers.” Only God will reveal to them their real desire and goal in life for every human person desires a life without end, a love that last forever and that justice triumph in the end. Without which, life is absurd!

Before we can proclaim Jesus, we must first know Jesus. If many of us are still not converted to the Lord, it is because we do not know Jesus and therefore unable to see that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We do not have the inner eye to see that Jesus is the way to salvation. For this reason, we need the Holy Spirit who will enlighten the mind of our hearts. That is why Jesus instructed the disciples saying, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift I told you about, the gift my Father promised. John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Yes, the proclamation of the gospel is not something we can do by our own efforts alone. This work must be done with Jesus. Only Jesus can work in and through us by His Holy Spirit. This is what the gospel is reminding us. We must allow Jesus to work with us and in us and accompany our work with His signs.

This explains why the Angels told the disciples, “Galileans, why are you standing there looking up at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven.” Jesus will come again in the same way in the Holy Spirit. In the Holy Spirit, the mission of Jesus will continue and the Kingdom begun by Jesus will eventually be established.

With the Holy Spirit, we will also receive the gifts necessary to fulfill His mission. He will empower us with the gifts needed for this work and He will produce the signs in us to authenticate the reality of our message. For this reason, the period between Ascension and Pentecost is a time of waiting in prayer, like the Apostles who were gathered in the Upper Room with the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Traditionally, the Church encourages us to have a Novena to the Holy Spirit, beginning the day after Ascension to prepare for the renewal of the Holy Spirit in our lives. So, let us pray earnestly for the awakening of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the release of His gifts to us all so that we can become a vibrant, missionary and evangelical community of faith.