The Ascension of the Lord

Gospel Reflection

Matthew 28:16-20

Thanks to St. Luke, we have the valuable knowledge, in his Acts of the Apostles, of the period of time that elapsed between Our Lord’s resurrection and his final departure and Ascension into heaven. During forty days, Jesus appeared to and met with numerous disciples and offered further instruction to his closest ones, the Apostles. To them he had entrusted the laying the foundations of His Church. In point of fact, He himself was and is the true and only foundation. For that    reason, among the final words given to these men were these reported in today’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel. “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.” Many times people and even, perhaps we ourselves, have asked: “Why did not Jesus Himself  remain, proving by his lasting and enduring presence, all that He had taught and all that He Himself was?” Though there may be possible to offer more than one suggestion, it would seem that here, in one way or another , the gift and mystery of human freedom is involved.
 
Jesus chose not to force some sort of unwilling submission on those who were not really ready to accept Him freely and out of trust and love. He gives men and women time and space. He prefers to work through intermediaries who are mere creatures like ourselves, less likely to overwhelm. There are many paths that lead people, in the course of a lifetime, to belief in God and the acceptance of the essential moral truths. There are many paths that draw the searcher of truth to Jesus. There are many signs for persons to find their way into the Catholic Church, the Church Christ founded on the rock of Peter, the first among the Apostles to profess an unequivocal faith in Jesus as the Son of the Living God. Some are virtually born in the household of Catholic Christian faith. Others reach it early or late in life. It is not beyond imagining that the mystery of Christ and of His Church can even manifest itself and be accepted on the threshold of death.
 
It would be worth recalling how Jesus had told the Apostles immediately before his Passion that it was expedient for Him to go. Otherwise, the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit that is, would not come. This affirmation of our Saviour points to the Holy Spirit as the one who gives continuity to His mission. Jesus ended his visible presence, so that the Holy Spirit would
make Him present in a new and different way. It is, after all, the Holy Spirit, who acts in the sacraments of the Church, guides the teaching of the Church, and raises up holy men and women, apostles, in each era to reveal the ongoing presence of the hidden Jesus in the world. This presence is gentle and subtle, yet convincing for so many. Again, this is      because the Holy Spirit inspires faith and confirms it in the souls of humble and sincere men and women who hunger for truth and goodness. Soon we will celebrate Pentecost and the birth of the Church. The Church is the Mystical Body of Jesus. The Holy Spirit acts as its soul, sustaining its unity and its effectiveness so that it is, together with the Eucharist, the manifestation of Christ’s on-going activity in the world.