As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, I cannot help but reflect on the many ideas and concepts that swirl around this feast…some with unintended consequences! The word “ascension” itself congers up images of Jesus rising up into the clouds to join the Father and the Holy Spirit somewhere “up there”…far, far away.
The problem with this image is it can lead us to believe that heaven is “up there” and we are “down here” and that God is
far off and distant from us and distant from our lives.
This is in stark contrast to the heart and soul of the meaning and significance of the incarnation. The truth of our God
having become “incarnate” (in the flesh) in Jesus means that God is with us…not some remote, disinterested deity watching us from afar.
We need to recall Jesus’ promise: “I am with you until the end”! These simple words are most profound…there is no
need for us to stand gawking skyward with our jaws hanging open. While the physical presence of Jesus Christ, as a singular human and divine presence, no longer walks the earth in the same manner as he did some two thousand years ago, Christ is here. As close to us as our own breath, keeping us alive to be his presence in our world. We need to recall last Sunday’s Gospel in which Jesus told the disciples that when we keep his word God makes us his dwelling place!
As we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus let us celebrate the presence of the Risen One in our midst! Before his ascension
Jesus gave a clear command and mission to his disciples…to us. We are charged with preaching the “Good News” of Jesus
Christ and to be that healing, loving and welcoming presence in a world filled with sickness, hatred, violence and exclusion.
Filled with the “real presence” we are sent forth to stand up and be the voice of the voiceless, to speak out on behalf of
those who are silenced or ignored, to make sure that hatred, racism, bigotry and misogyny are not left unchecked. As we have just marked the fifth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, by a white police officer, as we witness the destruction of decades of civil rights advances with the dismantling of all the DEI programs across our government, nationally, regionally and locally, in our educational systems, hospitals and in the private sector, in large and small companies and organizations. Make no mistake about it, this is systemic racism overtly and openly ripping apart our civil rights, exposing the monstrous reality of white supremacy and white nationalism. Creating a reality where people of color, women, members of the LGBTQ community, immigrants and refugees are not welcome and their very safety is threatened.
Filled with the Holy Spirit we are called to speak the truth of the Gospel to power, whether convenient or inconvenient,
whether garnering us friends or marginalizing us, it is our call as disciples of Jesus Christ!
As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, we know that in the midst of the chaos that swirls around us
we are not alone, because that Divine Presence that dwells within us, remains, guides and guards us as we struggle to live
out our discipleship of Jesus Christ.
As we struggle to find ways to respond and to resist the decisions and action being taken by the administration and our
elected officials that are and will bring serious harm and suffering to millions of our sisters and brothers, let us do so by
choosing, each day, to do what is right and honorable; what is decent; what is kind and just. To choose good over evil, and to
love one another as Christ has loved us. And, let us demand that our elected officials do the same!
We do not walk this journey alone, we walk with our God, and that makes all the difference! The Lord is with you!
Easter blessings of the Risen Christ,
Fr. Tim
The problem with this image is it can lead us to believe that heaven is “up there” and we are “down here” and that God is
far off and distant from us and distant from our lives.
This is in stark contrast to the heart and soul of the meaning and significance of the incarnation. The truth of our God
having become “incarnate” (in the flesh) in Jesus means that God is with us…not some remote, disinterested deity watching us from afar.
We need to recall Jesus’ promise: “I am with you until the end”! These simple words are most profound…there is no
need for us to stand gawking skyward with our jaws hanging open. While the physical presence of Jesus Christ, as a singular human and divine presence, no longer walks the earth in the same manner as he did some two thousand years ago, Christ is here. As close to us as our own breath, keeping us alive to be his presence in our world. We need to recall last Sunday’s Gospel in which Jesus told the disciples that when we keep his word God makes us his dwelling place!
As we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus let us celebrate the presence of the Risen One in our midst! Before his ascension
Jesus gave a clear command and mission to his disciples…to us. We are charged with preaching the “Good News” of Jesus
Christ and to be that healing, loving and welcoming presence in a world filled with sickness, hatred, violence and exclusion.
Filled with the “real presence” we are sent forth to stand up and be the voice of the voiceless, to speak out on behalf of
those who are silenced or ignored, to make sure that hatred, racism, bigotry and misogyny are not left unchecked. As we have just marked the fifth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, by a white police officer, as we witness the destruction of decades of civil rights advances with the dismantling of all the DEI programs across our government, nationally, regionally and locally, in our educational systems, hospitals and in the private sector, in large and small companies and organizations. Make no mistake about it, this is systemic racism overtly and openly ripping apart our civil rights, exposing the monstrous reality of white supremacy and white nationalism. Creating a reality where people of color, women, members of the LGBTQ community, immigrants and refugees are not welcome and their very safety is threatened.
Filled with the Holy Spirit we are called to speak the truth of the Gospel to power, whether convenient or inconvenient,
whether garnering us friends or marginalizing us, it is our call as disciples of Jesus Christ!
As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, we know that in the midst of the chaos that swirls around us
we are not alone, because that Divine Presence that dwells within us, remains, guides and guards us as we struggle to live
out our discipleship of Jesus Christ.
As we struggle to find ways to respond and to resist the decisions and action being taken by the administration and our
elected officials that are and will bring serious harm and suffering to millions of our sisters and brothers, let us do so by
choosing, each day, to do what is right and honorable; what is decent; what is kind and just. To choose good over evil, and to
love one another as Christ has loved us. And, let us demand that our elected officials do the same!
We do not walk this journey alone, we walk with our God, and that makes all the difference! The Lord is with you!
Easter blessings of the Risen Christ,
Fr. Tim
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