In the end love

Ascension of the Lord 2007

May 19-20, 2007

Acts 1:1-11;

Ephesians 1:17-23;

Luke 24:46-53

The story is told about an old woman who offered the bus driver a handful of peanuts which he gratefully munched up. After some moments, she gave him more peanuts, again the driver ate them gratefully. Curious, the driver asked why the old woman kept giving him peanuts.

“I have no teeth,” she replied.

“But why do you buy peanuts?” the driver asked.

“Oh, I just love the chocolate around them,” was the old woman’s reply.*

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In today’s Solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension into heaven, Jesus gave us no peanuts but three substantial and precious gifts: A deep sense of Hope of God’s promises to our humanity. Desire to be Witnesses to the Gospel. And, a sense of Joy at the Ascension of the Lord.

The Church believes that our Risen Lord at the end of His life on Earth he was gloriously “ascended into heaven” in body and soul. We proclaim this belief every time we say the Creed before the Prayers of the Faithful. We recall the moment when Jesus after forty days during which he rose from the Dead and appeared himself to the apostles, “he ascended into heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father.”

We can describe the Ascension of Jesus into heaven first in a historical aspect. The Ascension was not an invention of the disciples, rather this glorious even occurred in our human history, in a particular time and place. It is a historical fact. His disciples witnessed how “he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.” The first reading tells us that the last glimpse of the risen Jesus who has been taken up into heaven will return in the same way at the Second Coming.

Aside from the historical aspect of the Ascension of Jesus we look at its invisible aspect or the theological fact of Christ’s exaltation and glorification with the Father in heaven. What is the significance of the Ascension in our salvation?

A deep sense of Hope
Jesus who is God, but also human like us, when he Ascended into heaven he brings our humanity. Now that human nature has entered into heaven nothing will be able to separate us from God. “Jesus Christ is the Lord who now in his humanity reigns in the everlasting glory of the Son of God and constantly intercedes for us before the Father.”
Our celebration of the Ascension gives us the hope that one day we reach the place which our Lord has prepared to each and one of us in heaven.

Desire to be Witnesses to the gospel
So the second gift the Ascension gives us strong desire, it motivates to be living witnesses to the Gospel. We are confident that we believe will bring us salvation. Although we cannot see our Lord physically his Ascension into Heaven by the power of the Holy Spirit gives us confidence and desire to be living witnesses of Christ in our present society.

Where the Lord’s physical hands and feet are no longer present, the ministry of the hands of countless saints continues to bear witness to the Lord’s loving presence. Although our Lord may not appear in our midst to eat broiled fish (as he did with his apostles), his presence is tangible in the people who work for the poor, those volunteers working tirelessly in soup vans, people who care for the sick and lonely. But most of all we feel, we receive, the presence of the Lord, in every celebration of the Eucharist. Jesus is truly present at the proclamation of the word, at Holy Communion, and in each and one of us gather around His Altar.

We believers who affirm that the Lord is Risen and was taken up to heaven, therefore should consider and follow what the Lord has sent us to do, as we heard from the first reading: “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (that includes Weribee!)

Sense of Joy at the Ascension of the Lord
Inasmuch as the early Christian were filled with joy at the Ascension of the Lord we too receive the gift of joy as we celebrate today the mystery of our Faith. “Jesus who has been taken up into heaven will return in the same way as the Second Coming.”(Act 1:11)


The day of the Ascension of Jesus brought them joy! The disciples received Jesus’ blessing with great joy, the worshiped him and praised God, and they began immediately to do what Jesus instructed them to do.

May this joy be shared by us today! May joy always be God’s gift to each of us here today and to our students who will receive Holy Communion for the first time today.

May the feast of the Ascension
give us a deep sense of Hope of God’s promises,
increase our desire to be faithful witnesses
to Christ’s teaching wherever we go,
and fill our hearts with Joy
as we await the coming of the Lord.
Amen.

*Story told by Fr Jerry Orbos SVD in "Moments" at www.inquirer.net