All that Jesus has passed on to us
This Ascension Sunday marks when He empowered us and the Church to continue His mission
May 12—Ascension Sunday, Seventh Sunday of Easter
Readings: Acts 1:1–11; Psalm 47, R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.; Ephesians 1:17–23; Gospel— Mark 16:15-20
One of the realities I encountered in my ministry as a priest is that we do not leave this world until we have completed our mission. Our feast for this Sunday, the Ascension of Our Lord, affirms this.
The Lord adds depth to this grace with the following. One, He hands over the continuation of the mission to His apostles and community. Two, He empowers them to carry out the mission. Three, He sends them out into the world.
As Jesus completed His mission through His Cross and Resurrection, He added the final touches, so to speak, in the Ascension and the Pentecost, which we will celebrate next Sunday.
In the Lucan tradition, the Cross, Resurrection, Ascension and Pentecost made up the Paschal mystery, which was the completion of Jesus’ mission here on earth. He handed this over in the Ascension.
The handing over of the mission during the Ascension is more vivid in the version of Matthew (Matthew 28). The Lord told his community, “All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them ... ”
He had the authority and passed on this authority. Two things about authority: One, it is life-giving if it is genuine authority. Two, one is an authority in one’s profession or work if one can mentor someone in the profession. Thus, one passes on the craft and the expertise.
This is the Ascension of Jesus. He passed on everything He had—His gifts or charisms, His power, even His identity and mission— to the apostles and through them to us as members of Jesus’ church.
Most empowering gift
Jesus, the Emmanuel, was done with his mission, and His apostles, the Church as the Body of Christ, took over. This is completed in Pentecost, the “formal” birth of the church.
Then Jesus empowered the apostles in continuing this mission:
“These signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
But the most empowering gift we again see in the version of Matthew. “Remember, I will be with you until the end of the age.”
This is the greatest assurance that empowered the apostles and us, the church. The Spirit of the Risen Lord continues to remain in us and empowers us with His presence, a presence that lovingly guides us.
The final grace bestowed during the Ascension was the sending out: “... they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.”
The Last Discourse in the Gospel of John gave us a good handle on this. “It was not You who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain ... ” (John 15:16)
This is completed in the Ascension and in the resulting missionary life of the church, and all of us as members of His Church. The moment cleared showed Jesus choosing us and sending us out into the world.
The Pentecost seals the deal, giving us the grace of living out the mission of Jesus through, with, and in the Spirit of the Risen Lord.
From Jesus’ life, ministry, passion, Cross, Resurrection and Ascension, culminating in the Pentecost, we have one movement and moment of grace, redemptive grace.
We give thanks and praise to God.