Today, we celebrate the feast of the Ascension of the Lord. The Gospel reading of today’s Mass tells us the story of Jesus commissioning his disciples, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” And he promised them “behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mathew 28:16-20). He commissions us today  with his own mission, just as he did the Apostles.

The Gospel of Mark tells us the story of Jesus taking his disciples to task for their disbelief and their stubbornness since they had not put faith in those who had seen him after he had been raised. Jesus rose from the dead and first appeared to Mary Magdalene, but the followers of Jesus refused to believe her testimony. The disciples did not expect Jesus to be visiting Mary of Magdala after his resurrection. After all, her past was not great, and she was not one of the specially chosen apostles - she did not fit the common criteria for a visit from the world beyond and that was a surprise! Neither did they believe the two disciples, who had an experience of the risen Jesus, while they were on the road to Emmaus (Mark 16:9-15).

It is amazing and surprising to remember that Jesus called and trusted these men, with doubts and fears, to be his witnesses and sent them with his mission of bringing good news to the world. Men of weak faith, men who could not see beyond their disappointment, men who did not grasp all that Jesus said to them about his death and resurrection while he was among them, were sent to proclaim the good news of the resurrection (Mark 16:15-20).

It is amazing, surprising and important to remember that today, we, with all our limitations and weaknesses are trusted with this good news and sent to bring this good news of Jesus to the world, just as he did the apostles. It is just as important to remember that the Lord does not call the qualified but qualifies those he calls. The Lord has his own way of surprising us! He comes to us through the most unexpected people, events, places and situations!

The story of the ascension of the Lord is the story of the Church being  commissioned, empowered and sent to continue what Jesus began. It is the story of Jesus asking the disciples to become more fully involved in continuing and fulfilling his mission. It is the story of the disciples being empowered to live and to share the good news of Jesus. The feast of Ascension calls us to wait and remain open to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and be empowered to continue to fulfill the mission of Jesus. We must learn to be still and wait patiently, with open arms, minds, and hearts! We must pray that the Holy Spirit fills us with all the gifts we need to fulfill our mission of giving witness to our faith in the risen Jesus.

To read more of this Sunday’s reflection, please click on the links below…