ASCENSION OF THE LORD - 1

ASCENSION OF THE LORD

Introduction: We celebrate today the Ascension of our Lord Jesus. We can rejoice in the Ascension because it tells us that we have a Mediator in heaven, the One who has died to save us from the deadly consequences of our sins, and now intercedes for us at God’s right hand. He is the only way to the Father, the only bridge between heaven and earth. Verse 25 of chapter 7 of the Letter to the Hebrew Christians has this wonderful promise: “Consequently, he is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

The Homily: VISIBLY ACCEPTED

Birthdays, Anniversaries, Christmas Day, and festivals: these are the occasions to giving and receiving gifts. The gifts must be gaily wrapped and hopefully useful. You don’t want to be left guessing if the gift wasn’t appreciated or thrown aside as useless. Men and women have been giving presents to one another from as early as we can remember. It’s also part of religious practice. Human beings have offered gifts to God, or call it making sacrifices. There were different objects of sacrifice: fruits, for instance, milk, oil, animals, even human beings, usually a girl child. And they’d better be the best and come from a sincere heart, or they wouldn’t be accepted, and they’d be in trouble from an angry god. Those days, gods were basically angry characters, and had to be kept in good humour!

In order to prove that the gift was handed over to God, it had to be poured out (milk and oil) or destroyed by slaughtering and burning. Once the gift was out of the hands of humans, it was presumed that it was in the hand of God. But there was a weak point in this logic, namely, how could the people ever be certain that God was pleased with and accepted their gift? They hoped for the best, and tried again and again and again.

Then came Jesus Christ on to the stage of humanity and brought along his sacrifice on the Cross. He went through death on to the Resurrection. His Resurrection was the mark of divine approval. God transformed something broken, his body, into something living and glorious. You can hear God telling us: “I gave you a personal gift, named Jesus; you smashed it. I restored it, for your sake.”

So, how does the Ascension come into all this? Well, look at Jesus going up to heaven: the billowing clouds, snowy white, opening grandly and receiving him. The clouds are a symbol of the divine presence. So you can quite easily imagine God the Father opening his arms to welcome His Son back home. You could almost hear him saying, “Welcome home, Son. That was a splendid job you did.” The disciples of Jesus, left back on earth, stood around right there and saw it all. The disciples actually saw Jesus’ self-offering visibly accepted by the Father; for how could the Father refuse the Son?

Now it is easy to understand how this sacrifice fulfilled all others. Milk, oil, fruits, animal and human sacrifices were all surpassed by the Passover of Jesus to the Father. And as Jesus ascends higher and higher, he becomes more and visible, i.e. he becomes universally available. Didn’t he once declare, “When I am raised up I shall draw all people to myself?” The Ascension tells us that the sacrifice of Jesus is complete and accepted. The Ascension was the signature of divine acceptance. Jesus went up to his heavenly glory to sit at the right hand of the Father. He has assumed his rightful place, by nature and by conquest, since he is the brave warrior of our redemption’s drama.

The clouds have folded up, and we, like the disciples, are left standing, staring into space. However, no one ever achieved anything by staring into vacancy. The Paschal Mystery was not an ending but a new beginning. Eventually the disciples had to learn to stand on their own feet and to develop a new relationship with Jesus on the level of the Holy Spirit.

There is a job to be done, and much of it is unexciting. Life is too stark a reality to allow us the luxury of merely thinking about Jesus sitting at God’s right hand in heaven. Fantasising about heaven will not get us there, and shouting “Alleluia” might be an escapist’s way of avoiding more pressing duties. Getting an emotional boost during a retreat may be quite thrilling. But it’s only a tonic, not the daily and more prosaic diet that we need for our daily tasks. Divine grace comes to us enfleshed in the apparent trivialities of daily life. Our daily duties, however banal, are real channels of God’s love. Transforming grace keeps pouring into us through such unpretentious channels and the small details of our life. The great Teresa of Avila once said, “Like genius, the service of God is an unremitting attention to details.”

And while you might think that Jesus Christ is away and up sitting at God’s right hand, the listen again to Teresa: “Entre las pucheras anda el Señor” (God strolls among the pots and pans of the kitchen”).

Prayer:     (Michael Vasey)

Blessed are you, sovereign God, reigning in glory.

Cloud and deep darkness proclaim your holiness.

Radiant light shows forth your truth.

Jesus has entered the cloud of your presence;

He has taken his seat at the right hand of Majesty.

Perfect sacrifice, he has put away sins.

Merciful High Priest, he pleads for our weakness.

Always our brother, he prepares our place in heaven.

Ruler of all, he establishes your reign.

Dawning light for the righteous, hope of sinners.

Blessed are you, Sovereign Lord, high over all.

Amen.