Gospel
Text: (LK 24:46-53)
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of
sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And behold I am sending the promise of my Father
upon you;
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them
and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage
and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and they were continually in the temple praising
God.
Today the church celebrates the Ascension of
Jesus into heaven. In a way, we are invited to make an “ascension” in our life
now. We are called to come closer to God. We are called to be more faithful
disciples of Christ. We are called to “ascend” to holiness. We also know that
ascension to holiness does not happen in one, uninterrupted, straight line of
spiritual progress. There can be obstacles, setbacks, and surprises.
To ascend to holiness involves trust in the love
that God has for us in Jesus Christ.
To ascend to holiness involves a willingness to
let go of whatever takes us away from God.
To ascend to holiness also involves reaching
outside of ourselves. We are not to be only concerned with our ascent, but the
ascent of others as well.
Listen to Jesus’ final words to his disciples
before ascending to his Father as recorded in Acts of the Apostles: “You
will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth” (Acts 1:8).
What kind of a world would we have if we acted
on that belief? Would that be too much to hope for?
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