What Does Christ's Ascension Mean For Us? || Acts 1:6-14

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peace. Good morning, everybody. I have to confess

that I recall with some emotion the day some

25 years ago when my son left home to study in

Scotland. And at the airport when the time came

for him to go, his young sister, who had a very

close relationship with him, sobbed uncontrollably.

And we saw our son putting one foot in front

of the other, sadly walking away from us. And

as he departed across the clouds, we knew that

his life and ours would never be the same again.

And it's said that separation can be harder for

those left behind than for the one who leaves.

The one who leaves has a new future to focus

on. Those remaining behind are left with the

silence and the absence. And a Philippine poet

once said, sometimes people we love leave before

we are ready. They walk away in the middle of

our story. and we are left with the blank pages,

wondering how to fill them. So my experience

makes me link in a very personal way with today's

story of Jesus leaving his disciples on the Mount

of Olives and descending into heaven. As I have

with my son, the disciples had a very close and

loving relationship with Jesus, and they would

have been heartbroken when he left them behind.

And this is conveyed in the words of Acts. As

they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud

took him out of their sight. While he was going,

they were gazing intently towards heaven. And

looking intently at the sky expresses the disciples'

sense of trying in vain to bring Jesus back.

and their sense of shock and bewilderment and

loss at the love of such a dear one. So what

lessons can we, the people left behind on this

earth, learn from the account of Jesus' ascension

from his disciples? I think the first lesson

is conveyed by what followed after Jesus' departure.

Suddenly, two men in white robes stood by them.

They said, men of Galilee, why do you stand looking

up towards heaven? So the disciples were now

being challenged to direct their focus away from

their loss. They were specifically called back

to the place from which they came, Galilee. They

called back to action, to living in the present

world. to carry on Jesus' active mission. And

the serious nature of that mission is indicated

by the fact that two men in white robes addressed

the apostles. Two witnesses were required in

Jewish law for special events, and their white

robes indicated their integrity, that they were

telling the truth. And after all, just before

Jesus' departure, Jesus had given his disciples

a clear direction. You will be my witnesses in

Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the

ends of the earth. And we live at the ends of

the earth, don't we? So the message for us is

that we need to continue Jesus' mission in our

here and now. And St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

gives a very practical illustration of our mission.

Let no one ever come away from you without leaving

better and happier. Be the living expression

of God's kindness. Kindness in your face, kindness

in your eyes, kindness in your smile. and easy

to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.

I think the second lesson that we can learn from

the ascension is conveyed by what else those

two men in white had to say to the disciples.

This Jesus, who's been taken up from you into

heaven, will come in the same way as you saw

him go to heaven. And this means that we, like

the disciples, continue to have a relationship

with a living God, though absent in body. Because

the ascension is linked with the resurrection,

that Jesus rose above death, continues to live

in God's presence. So Jesus' resurrection and

ascension mean that our physical, earthly life

is linked with a spiritual life. Greater than

the here and now. So therefore, we have the opportunity

to continue to be uplifted through our relationship

with Jesus, though he's in a different place.

And Pope Emeritus Benedict said of the ascended

Jesus, Jesus has a continuing relationship to

his disciples, to the world. In departing, he

comes to us. And in order to raise us up above

ourselves and to open up the world to God. Raise

us up above ourselves. So especially when we

feel alone and rather dispirited, we call to

remember our mission to others. We call to remember

that Jesus will always be there to raise us up

to more. than we would otherwise be.