Ascension Thursday Reflection

A Reflection for The Ascension of Christ
By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD
Mission Sts. Sergius & Bacchus/Franciscans of Divine Mercy
Based on Acts 1:1 - 11, Matthew 28:16 - 20, Ephesians 1:17 - 23
www.missionstsergius.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Divine_Mercy_Franciscans

As we celebrate Christ Ascension to The Father let us reflect on the readings for today and what they mean to us. In the Gospel reading, Matthew 28:16 - 20, we are directed to “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you.” How do we do that? We do it by living our lives every day as Christ gave us and example and directed us in His Sermon on the Mount or as we know them by, The Beatitudes.
That means we need to be aware of the needs of other, show compassion to those who are sick, poor, hungry, homeless and marginalized.
Christ also promises us that He is with us always. “Know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.”
Paul’s letter the to Ephesians could very well be addressed to us today for in it He is giving a blessing that asks God to sustain us and Paul also reinforces the reality that Christ was indeed the Son of God and the chosen one promised to rule the heavens and the earth.
“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. 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. 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.” (Ephesians 1:17 - 23)
The first reading from The Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11 relates how Jesus returned from dead and revealed himself to the Apostles and promised that they would receive the Holy Spirit to guide them and lead them. “In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and I taught from the beginning until the day he gave his instructions to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God. When he had been at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. ‘It is’ he had said ‘what you have heard me speak about: John Baptized with water but you, not many days from now, will be Baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Every person who is Baptized is done so with not only water but also The Holy Spirit.
In two weeks we will celebrate that day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and the miracle that occurred of their being heard in the language of people from many nations who did not speak the languages of the Apostles, attending their teachings.
Christ came to teach us the Truth and to give us the guidelines of how to live our life so that we would be pleasing to Almighty God and to distinguish the difference between God’s way and the man made rules that have nothing to do with gaining everlasting life.
When asked, Christ summed up all the Commandments or Rules with two very clear and simple ones. “Love the Lord, Your God, with your whole mind, body, and soul and love your neighbor as you love yourself” On another occasion Christ told us “Love one another as I have loved you”.
Christ loved us so much that He was willing to give His earthly life up so that we could have everlasting life and our sins could be forgiven.
Christ welcomed every one who came to Him. Christ made no distinction between race, gender or nationality. Christ was compassionate and taught us to be mindful of the needs of others.
Christ rebuked the hierarchy of the Jewish faith for their greed and their man made rules that often prevented people from offering God worship just as many church leaders do today.
Jesus told us "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:5-7)As we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension let us reflect on how well we are following the teachings of Christ in our daily lives. Are we being mindful of the needs of other? Are we speaking out against injustice? Do pray and take advantage of the Gift of The Eucharist? Do we reject discrimination because of race, Social status, nationality, sexual orientation, age, employment and other conditions that marginalize people and cause pain and suffering?
Christ’s way and being a true Christian is living our life in a way that often is in contrast to today’s society.
Christ left us with a legacy of living our life to please God so that we could claim the place prepared for us with the Father, let’s not forfeit that by rejecting His way but claim it by living as He taught us without shame, openly and proudly. AMEN