Solemnity of the Ascension
of the Lord, Year A
(Acts 1:1-11; Eph
1:17-23; Mt 28:16-20)
“And after He had said this, as they were
looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.”
Today we celebrate with great
solemnity the ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Heaven. He had prepared
the minds of His disciples for this moment, though they wished He stayed with
them. Jesus told them that it was necessary and for their own good that He
Ascended. “If I do not go away, the Counsellor will not come to you” (Jn 16: ).
He insisted that His Ascension is not to abandon them, “Behold, I am with you
always, to the close of the age.” When the hour came, He gave them missionary
mandate and authority, and instructed them to wait for the coming of the Holy
Spirit. Before their eyes, He was lifted up and ascended into the Heaven! It
was a touchy moment as they continued to gaze into the clouds for their Master.
As their eyes hit the wall of the
clouds, their hearts could not let go! Their legs remain fastened on the ground
as their hearts beat faster, racing after the Lord. The silence around them was
so loud that we could hear the vibrations of their inner fear. Then the Angels
appeared! “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus,
who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him
go into heaven.”
Within this longing for the Master
who warmed their hearts with unimaginable love, His presence remained with
them. Thus, their hearts were ready for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. As their
hearts raced for Jesus, the covering of the cloud unlocked faith and love as the new location points where they could
encounter His abiding presence. Thus their hope in Jesus can now go beyond space
and time. That is why the waiting for His coming again is as fresh as on the
day of Ascension. Faith is the new eyes with which believers behold Him; love
is the new hand with which we touch Him.
Therefore, the Ascension of Jesus
opens a new horizon of vision for His faithful. We remember Jesus’ statements, “Wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mt 6:21). “In my Father’s house
there are many rooms...I am going to prepare you a place”.(Jn 14:2-3). So the followers of Jesus live with a vision that locate heaven! That is why those who
contemplate Jesus Christ, who feel the warmth of His love, do not lack vision
and hope in every aspect of their lives and in every situation. No earthly
cloud can cover the vision of faith we have in Christ Jesus. There is no more
room for despair or frustration. Let us stretch forth our arms of love and eyes
of faith in Jesus to see through the challenges we face today, “the riches of
His glorious inheritance in the saints, and...the immeasurable greatness of His
power...” Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu,C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic
Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Thursday May 21st, 2020.
Solemnity of the Ascension of the
Lord.
The First Fruit of the Ascension (2015): https://nwachinwe.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-first-fruit-of-ascension.html
