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ESTABLISHING THE KINGSHIP OF CHRIST BY MAKING DISCIPLES OF ALL THE NATIONS  

SCRIPTURE READINGS: ACTS 1:1-11; EPH 1:17-23; MT 28:16-20http://www.universalis.com/20140529mass.htmThe first thing we must take note when we celebrate this feast is that we are not commemorating a historical event.  In other words, we are not celebrating that day when Jesus, as depicted in Luke’s Acts of the Apostles, was literally lifted up into the sky and covered up by the clouds.  Rather, the feast of the Ascension must be seen in relation to the Feast of the Resurrection.  Both Easter and Ascension are two aspects of a single indivisible event.  That is why in Matthew’s gospel, when Jesus met His disciples at the mountain, it is presumed that He had already ascended into heaven, since “all authority in heaven and earth” had already been given to Him.If later appearance narratives separate these two aspects of the one single event, as in Luke and John, it is because of a pastoral need to assimilate the richness of these realities.  Even then, when they separate them into two events, they are not seen as successively taking place one after the other.  For in John’s gospel, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, then ascended into heaven, which is then followed by His appearance to Thomas, inviting Him to touch His wounds.  In Luke’s gospel, the appearance and ascension took place on the Easter evening when Jesus imparted the Holy Spirit.Consequently, we should not take the forty days literally.  Rather, the forty days is but a theological symbol of revelation.  Just as God revealed Himself to Moses at the mountain; and to Jesus Himself, who also taught at the mountain, it is a symbolic way of speaking about the revelation that took place.  This also explains why the Church gives the option to transfer the Feast of the Ascension to the following Sunday instead of celebrating it on Thursday.  Hence, when we celebrate this feast, we must ask, what is the theological meaning that this feast intends to reveal about Jesus?To understand the meaning of this celebration, we must ask ourselves, what is the difference between the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus, since both belong to the same event?  In the Resurrection, our focus and emphasis is on the new life and the transformation of Jesus.  This is illustrated by the Easter appearances.  In the Ascension, we contemplate on the effects and implications of the Resurrection.  It is therefore primarily concerned with the glorification of Jesus.  As the responsorial psalm and the second reading tell us, Jesus is enthroned as King of all creation, of the Church, which is His body; and of the universe as well.  In the Ascension, we contemplate on the exaltation of Jesus who now shares in the authority, power and glory of God the Father.   Now, if Jesus is raised to such a level, it is because by His Resurrection, He has triumphed over sin and death, and as St Paul puts it, “he has put all things under his feet.”The corollary of the glorification of Jesus is that this victory that Jesus has gained is also given to us.  St Paul tells us that this is our hope and all of us are called to share in the rich glories that Jesus has promised to us.  As Christians, we also believe that if we conquer sin, we will also conquer death by sharing in His resurrection and also in His power, when sin no longer has a hold on us.  But this is not only given to us but also to everyone.  This hope of sharing in the inheritance of Christ is extended to the whole of creation. In this way, the Kingdom of God that Jesus came to establish will be completed and fulfilled.But the fact is that although de facto, Christ is king of the whole Church, His body and of the universe, His kingship is still not fully established in creation.  This is because even for us as Christians, we have not yet fully submitted ourselves to the Kingship of Jesus.  We do not observe all the commands that He has given to us.  What is true for us is even more so for the rest of creation.  Many, still, are ignorant of the life of Christ.  Consequently, the feast of the Ascension, while offering us hope to share in the kingdom, power and life of Jesus, also gives us a missionary charge to make disciples of all nations.  Yes, we are called to be witnesses to Jesus.  Instead of being preoccupied with the date of the coming of God’s kingdom, what we must do, according to Jesus, is that we proclaim the Kingdom of Jesus by being His witnesses.This missionary charge must be understood on two levels.  Firstly, we are called to make ourselves more and more the disciples of Christ. Take note of the missionary charge in the gospel: baptize and then teach them to observe the commands.  This means that as Christians, we need to be always catechizing ourselves in our faith so that we can be more imbued with the gospel of Christ and become truly the messengers of the kingdom.   The first conversion that must take place is ourselves, so that Christ’s kingship is not only acknowledged and recognized but a reality as well.Secondly, the missionary charge also requires that we make disciples of all the nations.  The establishment of Christ’s kingship in the Church must move from the inner circle to the outer circle of the rest of the world.  This is because many people still do not acknowledge the kingship of Christ.  This command requires us to reconsider our missionary role as Christians.  Today, Christians tend to be diffident or over cautious about converting others to the Faith because we want to be nice and are afraid of hurting others.  Instead of speaking about conversion, today the contemporary attitude is one of dialogue with other religions.  This is not to say that such dialogue is not important.  We are also not denying that other religions have revelatory values because this would contradict the fact that the Incarnated Word is truly present in the Spirit in these religions whenever His message is lived.However, we cannot reduce the work of mission to simply one of dialogue.  Indeed, it is not even enough to reduce the work of mission to one of proclaiming the Good News by our good deeds.  There is also a need to proclaim Christ explicitly to others. For Matthew, the establishment of Christ’s kingship must entail the conversion of people to Christ; that they become His disciples. Indeed, it must be our hope that all dialogue and proclamation of the Good News by our words and deeds will lead them to acknowledge Christ explicitly as their Lord and Saviour. Thus, evangelization without the name of Christ, without the call for conversion and discipleship cannot be called the full proclamation of the gospel. Of course, in the work of conversion, we must ultimately realize that it is the work of the Holy Spirit.  Only the Holy Spirit can empower us to carry out effectively the mission entrusted to us.  For this reason, we must prepare ourselves for this mission by praying for the renewal of the Holy Spirit in our lives. That was what Jesus advised the disciples.  Until we experience the personal presence of Jesus in the Holy Spirit, we will not have the power to be His witnesses.  But with the Holy Spirit, we will be able to live the life of Christ, both by our words and deeds, proclaiming the Good News in person, thereby bringing about conversion to Christ when all people will observe His commands and His way of life. In this way, the Kingship of Christ will truly be established in the Church and in the whole world where the fullness of Jesus’ presence fills us all.

WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH

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