Ascension of the Lord, Year B: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima
Theme: Christ’s ascension: the hope of our spiritual striving
Readings: Acts 1:1–11; Eph. 4:1–13; Mk. 16:15–20
Every Sunday, we proclaim, in the creed, that Jesus ascended into heaven, and seated at the right hand of God the Father. How did this happen? Today, the Church celebrates the feast of this great article of our faith — the ascension of the Lord — and she tells us how it happened and gives us some lessons from it.
The first reading gives an account of the event of the Ascension as recorded in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. It told us that it happened forty days after the resurrection of Jesus. On that day, Jesus instructed his apostles to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the baptism by the Holy Spirit so that they might become his “witnesses to the ends of the earth” by the power of the Holy Spirit. Then, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took Him from their sight, and two Heavenly messengers in white garments gave them the assurance of Jesus’ “second coming” or return in glory.”
Christ’s Ascension was the culmination of God’s Divine plan for Christ Jesus, his return to his Father with “Mission Accomplished.” Jesus’ Ascension is the grand finale of all his words and works done for us and for our salvation. It is a culmination, but not the conclusion, because, though Jesus is now with God in glory, he continues to remain with us, dwelling within us together with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He gave us the assurance when he said “Lo, I am with you always till the end of time.” The Feast of the Ascension celebrates one aspect of the Resurrection, namely Jesus’ exaltation.
This feast is also a celebration of the hope of glory for all Christians, the hope of entering into glory for all of us, after our life here on earth. The ascension of Jesus is the hope of our spiritual striving. This is the lesson can be seen in the letter to the Ephesians 1:18 where St. Paul explained the theological meaning of Jesus’ exaltation. He said: “May God enlighten the eyes of our hearts so that we may know the great hope to which we have been called”. Our great hope is that one day we too will ascend to Heavenly glory, provided we complete our part of the mission entrusted to us by our ascending Lord.
This mission is seen in the gospel of today. It said Jesus commanded us to preach the Good News of salvation to the whole world by word and deed. He asked us to go to the whole world and make disciples for Him by preaching the good news and by witnessing to it with our lives. By doing this, we would be completing the mission of Jesus. Completing Jesus’ mission should be our goal in life, and the prospect of sharing the ascended Jesus’ Heavenly glory should be the driving force of our lives. Our message will only be validated as coming from God if it can be seen in the way we live with one another in peace and harmony.
In the second reading, St. Paul showed us practical ways of preaching this good news to the ends of the earth. He said we are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called (that means we are to live our lives according to the teachings of Jesus), with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the holy spirit. Dear friends, when we live in love, harmony and peace, we are proclaiming the good news of Jesus to the world. We will continue to receive the Divine assistance and spiritual gifts necessary for our Christian call to bear witness through the Gift and presence of Jesus and the Father to us and by the power of the Holy Spirit living within us.
Fr Isaac Chima