Readings: Acts 1:1-11; 1 Ephesians 1:17-23; Gospel
Matt. 28:16-20
Go, Therefore, and Make Disciples of All Nations!
1.
Today we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord into
heaven. Article 6 of the Creed states: “He Ascended into Heaven and is seated
at the right hand of the Father. Christ’s body was glorified at the moment of
his Resurrection, as proved by the new and supernatural properties it
subsequently and permanently enjoys. But during the forty days when he eats and
drinks familiarly with his disciples and teaches them about the kingdom, his
glory remains veiled under the appearance of ordinary humanity. Jesus’ final
apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory,
symbolized by the cloud and by heaven, where he is seated from that time
forward at God’s right hand” (CCC 659). After the ascension, the task of
preaching the Gospel was passed on to the apostles. Christ promised that he
would be with them through his Spirit to accomplish the work of evangelization.
The disciples were asked therefore, “Galileans, why are you standing there
looking up at the sky?” (Acts. 1:10-11). “Ascension is not a time to
commemorate Christ’s departure from us, but rather a time to recall Christ’s
presence in our midst. This presence is made manifest in the work of the people
of God, the Church.” (The Word Alive by Eugene H. Maly).
2. The feast of the
Ascension is like taking part in a relay, the baton is passed on from one
runner to another. Christ passed on the baton to his apostles and his apostles
to us. This is no time to stand idle and watch others. We must obey the divine
mandate: “Go make disciples of all nations.” (Matt. 28:19-20). How do we do
this? For the start, we can make Paul’s instruction to Timothy ours: “I
solemnly urge you to preach the message, to insist upon proclaiming it, whether
the time is right or not, to convince, reproach and encourage, as you teach
with patience.” (2Tim. 4:2). There are many people out there who are unaware of
the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. They do not know that God loves
them, passionately, intimately, personally and individually. This then, is our
mission: to make Christ known and loved, and, be His witnesses to all nations.
We must teach and convince the world of Christ’s love and the need to give our
lives in return for his love. In doing this, however, we know that we are not
alone. Christ promises to be with us till the end of time. He is with us even
during the worse circumstances of our lives. He is with us in his Spirit, who
is an agent of evangelization. His Spirit will teach us how to be his
disciples, in word and in deed. Our lives must speak much more eloquently than
our lips do when it comes to witnessing and teaching. People would much rather
see a sermon than listen to one.
3. The Ascension means
that Christ leads us from heaven through a shared mission of leadership. He now
involves all of his people in the work of the kingdom. In the second reading,
St. Paul reminds us that we all have been given gifts for ministries. Some of
us are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, or teachers. We are all
equipped for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. Our
gifts must assist us in the task of evangelization. Therefore, we must be the
living gospel for people to read. We are called to be good Christians, to have
the love of Christ in our hearts and to share same with others. We must be
kind, hospitable, compassionate and forgiving. We must learn to show mercy and
not be engaged in uncharitable acts. We must refuse to peddle rumors and unkind
words about one another. Gossip can ruin without killing, it can tear down
homes, break hearts and wreck lives. It only brings confusion and suspicion
where distrust is unperceived. Let us spread the message of love instead.
4. Let me conclude with
this admonition from Pope Paul Vl. in “Evangelization in the Modern World” he
says this about the sign of true evangelization: “The truly evangelized
individual must eventually go out to evangelize others. Such a person cannot
keep his faith to himself. The power that Jesus has given to us so that we
might indeed lead the victorious life of grace must eventually become vocal.
The way of life must lead to a proclamation of the word of life.” Pope Francis
on the other hand wants “The Church to go out onto the streets. I want us to
resist everything worldly, everything static, everything comfortable,
everything to do with clericalism, everything that might make us closed in on
ourselves. Our parishes, schools and institutions are all made for going out…if
they don’t, they become an NGO, and the Church cannot be an NGO. You are
bearers of hope…You are the protagonists of the future, artisans for the
future…Make the future with beauty, with goodness and truth…Have courage. Go
forward. Make noise.” Though Christ is no more with us physically, he is very
much around us spiritually. He said goodbye to his disciples so as to allow
them grow into mature witnesses. His Spirit, working in and through his
disciples taught them the way of love and discipleship. May this same Spirit
dwelling in us show us the way to true discipleship. Amen!
Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP
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