The Ascension of the Lord - Year C
 16th May 2010

The feast of the Ascension is celebrated on the fortieth day after Easter, which was last Thursday. However in recent years the feast has been transferred to the following Sunday. On this day celebrates the entry of Christ into heaven with our human nature glorified, and the pledge of our glorification with Him.

During the course of life all of us come to many critical junctures. In our early years we left the security of home as we began the long process of schooling. Later on, after graduating from school or university, we faced the challenge of earning a living in a competitive world. Then came other critical junctures, such as marriage, parenthood, a new job, or a move to a new city or country.

The first disciples faced such a critical juncture at the Ascension. After his death and resurrection, Jesus had continued to teach them through forty days of appearances. Then he disappeared and asked them not to wait for "the promise of the Father."

It was now the in-between time Jesus had promised He would send His Holy Spirit, but his request to them was that they should wait.

Then the two angels addressed them: "This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." It was all very mysterious but the first disciples followed the advice of Jesus and waited patiently for the coming of the Spirit.

We are reminded today that it is not the task of Christians to 'stand looking up into the sky' either to mourn Jesus' departure from earth or to simply await his return. Our role until his Second Coming is to witness to him. We are not on our own. Through baptism and confirmation we have been "clothed with power from on high." Hence we have the strength and courage to face all the critical junctures in our faith life as we go about witnessing to Jesus. As his body, the church, we are to be Jesus' continued presence on earth bringing freedom, healing and forgiveness to all who long to know the true God.

Christian life has been a struggle from the word go, and that's unlikely to change' But it's a worthwhile struggle, with noble beginnings, and a noble end. That much the Gospel promises. As Christians on earth we still have work to do and we will face other junctures on our journey through life.