For daily readings, see http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/050408.shtml
Mary, Queen of Vocations, pray for us!
During the Transfiguration of our Lord, a voice came from the cloud – This is my beloved Son, listen to Him. The transfiguration of Jesus before Peter, James and John was a special moment in the lives of these apostles, when the glory of God and the identity of Jesus were made clear to them. The Transfiguration came to an end, however, and after the event was completed, the apostles were left not only with a memory but also with a commandment – This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.
Jesus in gathering disciples to Himself, gave his followers plenty of things to listen to and to think about. Leave what you are doing, give everything to the poor, then come and follow me. Whoever loves Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me. This is my commandment, love one another as I have loved you. Whoever does not eat my flesh or drink my blood has no life within them. Where I am going, you know the way, for I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
After listening to all of these things, the disciples of Jesus saw them fulfilled in the paschal mystery – in the suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Like the Tansfiguration, the paschal events in Jerusalem were the highlights of Jesus' time on earth. The disciples rejoiced to have been able to see the risen Lord, just as Peter, James and John rejoiced to see Jesus glorified during the Transfiguration. Like the Transfiguration, however, which was not the final word but was followed by a commandment – listen to Him – so also the Resurrection is not the final word in the story of Jesus either. Jesus made many appearances to His disciples after His Resurrection from the dead, but it was not Jesus’ intention to make an infinite number of cameo appearances to His disciples. No, Jesus tells His disciples after His resurrection that it is better for them if He goes to the Father to prepare a place for them in heaven, and in His place the Father will send another advocate, the Holy Spirit, to guide them into all truth and to remind them of everything that He did and said. We are here today, my dear friends, to celebrate Jesus’ going to prepare a place for us by way of His Ascension, and to prepare ourselves for the incomparable Solemnity of Pentecost that will mark the end of our Easter celebration next Sunday.
It is due to the goodness of today’s Feast, and to our trust in Jesus’ promise that it is better for us if He goes to the Father, that we do not have to be gloomy at the Lord's Ascension, his leaving us. We neither desire nor do we expect additional resurrection appearances from the Lord Jesus. What is more, since the Father and the Son have sent the Holy Spirit to be with us, our faith does not require such special cameo appearances by the Risen Lord. Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed, we are told at the end of John’s Gospel. In leaving us and sending us the gift of the Holy Spirit instead, Jesus assured that those who would follow Him after His Ascension would not engage in a contest to see who Had seen the Risen Lord the most or the longest, or who had seen Him perform the greatest sign. The Lord in ascending to the Father saved the Church from just this type of gnosticism, and sent the Holy Spirit instead so that everyone would have the same access to Him, through the Eucharist which He asked His disciples to celebrate in memory of Him, and through the Scriptures, Tradition and Sacraments of the Church. Without the Ascension, we would not have the great Solemnity of Pentecost and the assistance of the Holy Spirit who helps each one of us to seek a personal and intimate friendship with Jesus and to recognize the truth of what the Lord did for us and what He said to us. Maybe most importantly, without the Ascension of Jesus which we are here to celebrate tonight, we would not set our hearts and minds on the high destiny that is awaiting us in the kingdom of Heaven. Without the Ascension, we would not be looking beyond this world to the opportunity to have all our desires fulfilled in an instant through a sharing in the divine life of the Holy Trinity, and through an opportunity to speak to God face to face, as a friend. This is the gift awaiting us because of the Ascension, a gift so much greater than anything Adam and Eve ever experienced in the garden of Eden, a gift so much greater than the experience of the disciples who saw our Lord after He rose from the dead.
Without a doubt, it would have been great if the Transfiguration had lasted a little longer. It would have been great if the Resurrection appearances of our Lord had lasted longer than 40 days. For such experiences had by the disciples of Jesus undoubtedly strengthened their faith and gave them great hope for the pilgrimage that awaited them. Yet we are here on Ascension Sunday to take the Lord Jesus at His word. It is better for us that He goes to prepare a place for us. It is better that we walk by faith and not by sight, for blessed are the ones who have not seen, and yet through the Holy Spirit, have believed in the reality of Jesus' Resurrection. Blessed are those of us who look forward with great joy to the end of our Easter celebration next Sunday at Pentecost, and to the gift of the Holy Spirit who continues to keep our Church in the truth that Jesus left us, and gives us all access to a deep and personal relationship with Jesus by reminding us of everything that He did and said.
Jesus in gathering disciples to Himself, gave his followers plenty of things to listen to and to think about. Leave what you are doing, give everything to the poor, then come and follow me. Whoever loves Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me. This is my commandment, love one another as I have loved you. Whoever does not eat my flesh or drink my blood has no life within them. Where I am going, you know the way, for I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
After listening to all of these things, the disciples of Jesus saw them fulfilled in the paschal mystery – in the suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Like the Tansfiguration, the paschal events in Jerusalem were the highlights of Jesus' time on earth. The disciples rejoiced to have been able to see the risen Lord, just as Peter, James and John rejoiced to see Jesus glorified during the Transfiguration. Like the Transfiguration, however, which was not the final word but was followed by a commandment – listen to Him – so also the Resurrection is not the final word in the story of Jesus either. Jesus made many appearances to His disciples after His Resurrection from the dead, but it was not Jesus’ intention to make an infinite number of cameo appearances to His disciples. No, Jesus tells His disciples after His resurrection that it is better for them if He goes to the Father to prepare a place for them in heaven, and in His place the Father will send another advocate, the Holy Spirit, to guide them into all truth and to remind them of everything that He did and said. We are here today, my dear friends, to celebrate Jesus’ going to prepare a place for us by way of His Ascension, and to prepare ourselves for the incomparable Solemnity of Pentecost that will mark the end of our Easter celebration next Sunday.
It is due to the goodness of today’s Feast, and to our trust in Jesus’ promise that it is better for us if He goes to the Father, that we do not have to be gloomy at the Lord's Ascension, his leaving us. We neither desire nor do we expect additional resurrection appearances from the Lord Jesus. What is more, since the Father and the Son have sent the Holy Spirit to be with us, our faith does not require such special cameo appearances by the Risen Lord. Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed, we are told at the end of John’s Gospel. In leaving us and sending us the gift of the Holy Spirit instead, Jesus assured that those who would follow Him after His Ascension would not engage in a contest to see who Had seen the Risen Lord the most or the longest, or who had seen Him perform the greatest sign. The Lord in ascending to the Father saved the Church from just this type of gnosticism, and sent the Holy Spirit instead so that everyone would have the same access to Him, through the Eucharist which He asked His disciples to celebrate in memory of Him, and through the Scriptures, Tradition and Sacraments of the Church. Without the Ascension, we would not have the great Solemnity of Pentecost and the assistance of the Holy Spirit who helps each one of us to seek a personal and intimate friendship with Jesus and to recognize the truth of what the Lord did for us and what He said to us. Maybe most importantly, without the Ascension of Jesus which we are here to celebrate tonight, we would not set our hearts and minds on the high destiny that is awaiting us in the kingdom of Heaven. Without the Ascension, we would not be looking beyond this world to the opportunity to have all our desires fulfilled in an instant through a sharing in the divine life of the Holy Trinity, and through an opportunity to speak to God face to face, as a friend. This is the gift awaiting us because of the Ascension, a gift so much greater than anything Adam and Eve ever experienced in the garden of Eden, a gift so much greater than the experience of the disciples who saw our Lord after He rose from the dead.
Without a doubt, it would have been great if the Transfiguration had lasted a little longer. It would have been great if the Resurrection appearances of our Lord had lasted longer than 40 days. For such experiences had by the disciples of Jesus undoubtedly strengthened their faith and gave them great hope for the pilgrimage that awaited them. Yet we are here on Ascension Sunday to take the Lord Jesus at His word. It is better for us that He goes to prepare a place for us. It is better that we walk by faith and not by sight, for blessed are the ones who have not seen, and yet through the Holy Spirit, have believed in the reality of Jesus' Resurrection. Blessed are those of us who look forward with great joy to the end of our Easter celebration next Sunday at Pentecost, and to the gift of the Holy Spirit who continues to keep our Church in the truth that Jesus left us, and gives us all access to a deep and personal relationship with Jesus by reminding us of everything that He did and said.
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