During my years playing the organ, especially during seminary, I found myself honing on many different skills- some expected and some not. While I spoke of a few of them a couple of weeks ago, one of them was often very startling to most who would watch me play. While I played, they would often notice that my eyes were drifting away from the music, and would be focusing in on what was around me, the different parts of the organ, and even at times had my head completely turned around looking at what was happening behind me. It seemed odd- because it always seemed to them that my job was to simply play the organ. Why did I need to be glancing around everywhere?
The long and short of what I was so often doing was I was getting ready for my next step. I needed to know- is there a need for another verse? Is the procession almost over? Am I going to need to start to improvising to fill a gap while we are waiting. The reality of playing was that it wasn’t just about where I was, but it was where I was also going as well. I needed to have my focus on all of those things at the same time to ensure that I didn’t end up doing something that wasn’t supposed to happen.
In life, we often speak of it as a journey- that we are coming from somewhere, we are right here right now, and we are headed somewhere in the future. This moment in the Church’s liturgical year deliberately focuses in on the Ascension- that moment when Christ ascends into heaven. Yet, it is actually an invitation for more, as it helps give us insight into our own journey, not in any abstract way, but in a way that allows for us to consider the way that we are headed somewhere, and how our Lord helps us on that journey.
The first reading for this solemnity takes place in the Acts of the Apostles. This is at the very beginning of the book- and it deals with things in a sort of moment of transition. It speaks of the reality that there has already been a consideration of what Jesus did and taught in the first book- which is the Gospel of Luke. Now, there is a sort of hinge point being presented as Jesus has died and risen, and is now preparing to ascend back to the Father, and is getting the disciples ready for that moment themselves. So we arrive at this crucial moment- and they have all gathered around Him and ask “are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” It is a rather odd question because it seems that they are still stuck on the idea that Christ is coming back to restore the earthly leadership of Israel to the Israelites themselves. Yet, Jesus goes beyond this question- and allows them to understand that it is not for them to understand what is happening in that regard. Yet, there is still a promise of something coming to them- which is the Holy Spirit.
Finally, Jesus is lifted up into heaven, while all of the disciples are looking on. Eventually, He is removed from their sight, and they continue to look at the sky- and then two men appear and ask a simple question- why are you standing there looking at the sky? Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen Him going into heaven.” Right here, there is a moment of recollection that they are so intent on living life with Christ that they simply want to join Him and leave. Yet, they are being sent forward by these two men that appear to go and to do the work that they have been set out to do.
The second reading comes to us from Saint Paul and his letter the Ephesians. This letter at this moment is giving a sort of blessing- which would be in the form of recognizing the way that the church in Ephesus has been blessed, but how they are going to continue to be blessed in God. In particular, we reach this line that reminds them that they are to be enlightened so that they can recognize the “riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones.” As there is this reminder of glory, there is a need to reflect on the way that Jesus reached this glory Himself- how he suffered, died, and then rose again. It is by this mystery that He comes to that place of power and prestige, knowing success, not only on earth, but also in the kingdom of heaven as well. Paul reminds the church that they are to enjoy these benefits and more because of Christ’s own work.
Finally we reach the Gospel, and it is a fairly short account, and a bit repetitive as we have heard the bulk of the content already laid out to us. We hear about how the eleven disciples go to Galilee and they go to the mountain that they had been ordered to go to. Jesus approaches them- and tells them that he has been given power- and that they are to now go forward and make disciples of all nations, and to baptize them. It is also an important addition at this moment that there is the rem8inder that Jesus will “be with you always, until the end of the age.” Jesus is aware of the fact that this moment will not be easy- and it may actually take something for the disciples to live it out well- and yet, He wants them to have that simple reminder- that He is there with them always.
Yet, I want us to go back for just a moment and return to that idea of our journey. I alluded to the idea that we are all on a journey of sorts, and that we have a past, we have a present, and that we have a future as well. All of these readings really hammer home that idea that we are progressing from one area to another. Yet, what about the role that Christ plays in the entire journey, as we go forward?
To answer that question- we should return back to the idea presented in the first reading- and that simple question that is being asked. So the disciples are standing there, gazing up as Christ ascends into heaven- and then they continue to stand there and gaze into the sky. Yet, the Lord didn’t design them nor destine them to simply stand there. So, what does this mean, if they aren’t supposed to stand there gazing into the sky? What does this solemnity mean for us?
First, we should understand the very final destination that we should have. It is not bad that the disciples were gazing at the sky that day. That is actually a very good thing for them to do, especially recognizing that this is where they are to lead people to go. The reality that is presented in the second reading as Saint Paul spoke to the Ephesians reminds them of this reality- that Jesus is going to send his spirit of wisdom and revelation to them- specifically to reveal the entirety of the glory of Christ’s inheritance to us. What is the glory of that inheritance? What is Jesus’s inheritance that He wishes to give us? That is the kingdom of Heaven. He wanted to open this up for us again- and He does that by the glory of His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. So, we should first remind ourselves of the gaze that we should have towards heaven.
Yet, the first reading also gives us something further to consider. It is not enough for us to simply gaze to heaven to gain the prize of it, but we have to do work. So, at the time of Jesus’s Ascension, there are those two men that appear and ask that question, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” This is an important question, because it reminds us of two things. First it tells us about the desire that the disciples have for the kingdom of Heaven, and how much they want to be with our Lord. We can imagine to some degree how much they were saddened by the Lord leaving them, and so they simply stood there and waited. Yet, that was not what they were called to do- and that is what the second point was. The men wanted to remind them that they had something else to be going towards and busying themselves with.
And that is where we find that sense of mission built up for us in the Gospel. It reminded the disciples that they were to go forward to change the world one person at a time- to preach the Gospel and make disciples of all nations. They couldn’t just stand there and wait, but they were to be mindful of where they are called to go, and where they should take all of the other disciples with them as well. That is really an encouragement and a question for each of us now- how are we going to further the Ascension? Where are we being called to go forward and tell others about that final goal of entering into heaven- not just how we want to be there but we want them to be there as well?
Much like my time playing the organ- we need to be paying attention, not only to what is right in front of us in life, but also of our future as well. May we always continue to look towards the kingdom of Heaven, but continue our work here on earth as a result.
