I
visited the home of a parishioner who used to be very active and committed in
serving the Church. But due to a massive stroke, he was now bed-ridden. Half of
his body was paralyzed and he was in pain. His wife and children were taking
turns to care for him. I learned that he requested his wife that should another
stroke occur, he wouldn’t want to be revived.
Though
his wife protested, his reasons were admirable. For him, it is mission accomplished. He has done his
duty. He has raised his children; he has served his family and the church. Most
of all, he wanted to see the God whom he
has served! Eventually, the dreaded stroke came. He left his family and
went home to his Father in heaven.
Today,
we celebrate the solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus to heaven. He had to bid
farewell to his family and friends on earth. Luke (Acts 1) describes the scene
in two words: he was taken up and a cloud hid him from their sight. In other
words, Jesus just vanished; he disappeared. There is a hidden drama here. One could
feel the great feelings of sorrow and loss of the disciples. Sorrow because
they won’t see him anymore; it’s the end of a beautiful and amazing story. Loss
because their lives will never be the same. In an instant, they lost their
inspiration and light!
But
this drama will be short-lived and temporary because, as promised, the Holy Spirit
will come and they will be filled with new courage and fire. Here, Jesus
teaches us that it is alright to feel sorrow and loss. God allows us to mourn
and weep. Even crying has its benefits. Tears is one way that our body
detoxifies itself; crying can teach us compassion.
There
are three lessons we can learn from Jesus’ Ascension:
Advance His kingdom on earth.
Before leaving, Jesus entrusted to the church-community a mission (Mt 28). He commissioned
and commanded us: Go. Baptize. Teach. These are active words; the perennial
mission of the Church and every disciple. We have to Go; to move; not to be complacent; always have a missionary heart. Baptize. Make disciples. Preach repentance
and forgiveness. Then, he wants us to Teach;
share the faith; grow in love and knowledge of Christ. This is how we advance
God’s kingdom of peace, joy and love. It we find this hard, he assured us: I
will be with you. Always.
Access to the Father.
With his return to his Father, he will tell him: Dad, mission accomplished. I’ve
done your will. He will surely show him the marks of his sufferings; the marks
of and enduring love. Love wins in the end. He will not sit at the Father’s
right hand. In other words, he will have full dominion and power. We now have
access to God’s grace and mercy; access to heaven; access to God’s heart.
Await and long for his Return.
His ascension will make us long for what is above. There are two tactics the
devil uses against us: deception and distraction. He will deceive us with lies
and empty promises; he will distract us and draw our hearts away from our goal.
The true goal of a disciple is to be with Christ; communion with him. Our 1st
Reading (Acts 1) reminds us that this Jesus will return. He awaits us in
heaven. Let us not get distracted by setting our hearts on the things of
heaven. In other words: Kita-kits sa langit! Let us long for Christ.
Prayer:
Lord, teach us generosity to advance your kingdom in this world as we await
with lively hope your return in glory. Amen.
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