Today we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus back to his Father in heaven, and the beginning of a new mission for His Church here on earth. To spread the Gospel message to all peoples.
Jesus told his disciples plainly that he would be ascending back to the Father, yet he also told them that they would not be left alone, but instead that the promise of the Father would be with them. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, would be with them always to guide and protect them, and to make their mission possible. The same is true for us, we are not left alone at all, The Holy Spirit guides us, and we have the true physical presence of Jesus still with us in the Eucharist. In each case we have help from heaven to guide us on our way, and to sustain us with the true bread which came down from heaven – Jesus himself.
Yet there was a time of ‘in between” or uncertainty that had to be dealt with by the Apostles. This is something that we sometimes deal with as well. When Jesus ascended bodily back to heaven, the disciples were instructed to return to Jerusalem and to wait there. This could not have been an easy message to accept since that was the very place where those who had crucified Jesus were still very much in authority and were actively looking for anyone who followed Jesus and whom they considered a threat. Yet they had to return there to this great uncertainty and wait. It would be ten days before they would receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and at which time all doubts would be dispelled and replaced by boldness of spirit and the wisdom of God placed upon their lips. In some respects, ten days may not seem like much, but for anyone waiting for something important to take place, such as a promise to be fulfilled, or an important word given, it can seem like an eternity.
It was during this time that the Apostles stayed together while they waited. They were in hiding, but they spent that desperate time in reflection, in contemplation, and in prayer. How often have we retreated into our own hiding when faced with uncertainty in our lives, how often has it taken such an event to make us realize our desperate need for God’s closeness and protection. It should not come to that, and yet it so often does, because outside of that we become too caught up in daily distractions. Such times are powerful reminders to us, that we too need to rely on God’s love, wisdom, and protection to deal with life’s challenges. We too need to wait and receive God’s strengthening Spirit that will sustain us and allow us to navigate anything that comes our way. God is faithful always, and just as He sent us his Son to teach us, and to save us, He will also send us what we need to not only make our way through this life, but to do so in such a way as to complete our own mission of spreading His word to all, in our speech, and in how we live.
The Deacons Bench 