“Where are you going?!” That question was quite frequent in the Belken household, and it was always directed either to dad or to mom. The intent was simple, at least from the eyes of several young boys: we wanted to know what they were up to- and really, we wanted to see if we could tag along, if dad was going to check the cows, or if mom was going into town. They were doing something different- and we’d likely want to go and experience that ourselves! We wanted to be a part of that. Yet, if we couldn’t, we’d often just sit and wait for their return, and anticipate the time that they’d be back in close proximity to us!
The Ascension, on it’s own, is an intriguing celebration, because it is a moment that seems was a moment of disappointment. Imagine the Apostles as this particular moment as we celebrate the feast of the Ascension. Their lives have been shaken in several different ways. They’ve see Jesus suffer His passion, and then die- something that was very unexpected. Further, He remained in the tomb for three days- and the world was quiet. Yet, the biggest surprise was the most unexpected: that He rose again from the dead. It wasn’t just that Jesus was being taken from the world in the usual way that we would all be taken one day, but then things changed in a magnificent way.
Jesus returns to dwelling on this earth- however, even that was only temporary. Jesus spent a good amount of time preparing the disciples for the fact that He wasn’t going to be on this earth permanently. Then the disciples looked on as their Lord was taken up into the sky away from them. Yet another change- and likely an unwelcome one.
Yet, now we consider all of this, as we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. It is a profound moment, and yet it can seem rather odd. It is the time that the Lord leaves earth to return to heaven. Why would this be a moment that is worth celebrating? Why should this be important to us, and what does it invite us to do? Even as it may seem to be an odd celebration of the Lord creating a distance between us and Him, in reality, it is an invitation for us to be all the more close to that Lord.
To start off today, it is important to note the connection between the Frist Reading and the Gospel. They both share the same author- that being Luke. He is the man behind the curtain for both the Gospel, as well as the Acts of the Apostles, and they compliment each other beautifully. It makes more sense, chronologically, to approach the Gospel first- because that begins the story of the Ascension. The Gospel gives us a very vivid image of the way that Jesus promises that He is going to send the Spirit- and they are to remain in the city until that time. Further, He reminds them that they are witnesses to what has happened: how Jesus suffered, died, and rose again- and they are now the ones who will tell of these things. So Jesus rises from their midst- and they go forth, praising God.
If we go to the next segment of the story, then, we pick up in the Acts of the Apostles. This gives us a little more detail to the same story, and carries us a little further. The disciples are filled with expectation, since Jesus has risen from the dead. They ask Jesus “are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus responds by telling them that it is not up to them to know the times and seasons. However, that said, there is an important side to this, in that Jesus is in fact going to another kingdom at this time- the Kingdom of Heaven. Then Jesus does something unexpected: He rises into heaven.
The disciples are standing there, simply watching Him go up into the sky- and then heavenly hosts appear to them, asking: “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there, looking up at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return to you in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” The men that appear to the disciples give them a commission and a reminder- they are to go forth! They will see Jesus again, and there is no need for them to despair. They are rather to go forward into their lives!
Finally, we arrive at Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. This letter gives us a sort of summary of where we are now. Jesus has ascended into heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father- and yet this isn’t just for show, but it is important. From this point, Jesus is going to send His spirit forth to give them wisdom and knowledge! They are going to be granted something new- and it is because Jesus has risen to the Kingdom of Heaven, and from that point He is sending a spirit- the Holy Spirit- to fill them!
As we consider all of these things, though, it should lead us back to that initial question: how are we with change? Do we want to ask that question ourselves: “Where are you going?” Lord, why are you leaving us? The fact of the matter is that Jesus Christ, on that day of the Ascension, did make something of an important change in His relationship with them, not His proximity. It may seem that, all of a sudden, the disciples are left alone, and this might imply that Jesus doesn’t really care for those who dwell on the earth any longer. That could be a temptation for the disciples. Yet, there is something all the more powerful that Christ wants to remind us.
First, we do have to ask the question: is Jesus really absent from our midst right now? While we may not be able to lay eyes upon Jesus in the same way that the disciples might have, that isn’t really the point. Rather, the point is that Jesus is present to us in new ways- that He gives us His Body in the Eucharist, His forgiveness in Reconciliation, His life in Baptism, and so many other things in our sacramental life. It isn’t enough that we could simply be granted a sight of Him eventually, but we are given the ability to see and to recognize Him today- even in the ways that may not initially readily appear to be Him. That is not what we are looking for, but rather, we are looking to the ways that He has become present to us in new ways. The ways that He lives within our hearts and our souls. The ways that He has changed His appearance to be with us in very important and life-giving ways.
Secondly, we should be mindful of the fact that we are given a commission. When the disciples were beholding the Ascension of the Lord- they weren’t simply left to stand there and gaze at the sky. This may not feel like it is a temptation necessarily, but it usually is present in other ways. It shows up when we start to say to one another that we wish things were better in our lives- without attempting to see where Jesus is. We can simply gaze at other realities- or perhaps even someone else’s life, because we refuse to be satisfied with what God calls us to do now. We can obstinately look up at the sky, and refuse to be moved! However, we know that God sends us forward. We gaze upon His Ascension, so that we can go forward with new energy and vigor, because we know that, where Jesus has gone, He wants to take us to be with Him forever!
Finally, He wants to remind us of our final destination. We are not meant to live on this earth forever. To do so would fall far short of the plans that God has for is. It simply would not be enough to strive to live our best life on this earth and then, at the end of time, we simply fizzle out. That is not the reality that our faith teaches us. If we use the light of faith, and the fact that Jesus moves from our midst to be somewhere else- He changes things- then we can deduce that we also are not meant to remain here forever either- but there is another place that Jesus is going to prepare for us.
Brothers and sisters, this Ascension of the Lord reminds us that things have changed: Jesus does not appear to us in the same way nor in the same place. Yet, He gives us a challenge to see Him in so many different ways that He is now present to us! Let us be a people that, even as we gaze up at the sky- even as things have changed- may we be faithful in seeking Christ and His Kingdom of Heaven, now, and at every moment of life!
“Where are you going?” The answer is simple- Jesus is going to heaven. Let us live lives, then, that will follow Him to that very same place.
