Every year, when the feast of the Ascension rolls around, it reminds me of another event that will take place in a couple months right here at Incarnate Word. That moment is the first day of school, when families drop off their children and many of our younger students, perhaps because of nerves, or separation anxiety or just a love of sleeping in, will wail and grind their teeth as they are being dropped off for the first day of classes. In their mind, this is the worst day of their entire existence. They will kick and scream, they will try to bargain with their parents and God not to go to school, and when all else fails, they will go limp and refuse to move, requiring some motivation from teachers and carpool drivers alike. This experience can be pretty tough for parents too. Seeing a child upset isn’t a great way to start the day but as long as they stick to the program and drop off their kids and go, things get better. Usually, within the first week or so, these things get sorted out, and some of our most ardent protesters from the first day will often be the ones throughout the school year that jump out of their cars, ready to go each morning. They soon learn that school is ok and that mom and dad were not trying to ruin their life after all in making them leave home and enter a classroom.
-Today marks the winding down of the Easter season as we celebrate the feast of the Ascension, which is the moment Jesus left this earth and returned, body and soul to heaven.
-Like our young students, the Apostles weren’t real happy about Jesus going away again.
-they had lost him once when he was crucified and died on the cross
-they were enjoying having him around after the resurrection as he appeared to them at different times and ate with them and taught them.
-They were still afraid and hiding from the Jewish authorities, uncertain what would be their fate if they told people that they were followers of Christ.
-So when Jesus is telling them that he must leave and return to the Father, they are not excited, in fact they are upset.
-Jesus knows that he needs to leave them for their own good. He can’t wait until they say they are ready because they will never feel like they are. The band aid needs to be ripped off!
-When he leaves, it will make it possible to for the Holy Spirit to come upon them and transform them and the Church
-It will also allow Christ to be present to all of them always without the restriction of time and space. HE CAN BE EVERYWHERE!
-Finally, leaving the apostles and taking his place with his Father in heaven will allow Christ to glorify our human body.
-His ascension is preview of what we will enjoy if we remain faithful during our time on earth.
-At the time, the apostles cannot appreciate this. They are focused on the here and now. They cannot see the bigger picture.
-Soon, in a few days, when they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, God’s wisdom will be revealed to them and they will set the world on fire.
-But none of this would have happened if Jesus hadn’t first left them with the Ascension and rejoined his heavenly father.
-Which sounds a lot like the wonderful people, especially our parents, who have formed us throughout our lives!
-How often have mom and dad made us do something we didn’t understand or like or want to do?
-How many times did we resent the “tough love” of our parents, thinking in our minds that they were just trying to ruin our lives or out to get me?
-How often did we hear those words “trust me” or “you’ll be fine” and, despite our skepticism, things worked out?
-How many of us were sure that our parents were crazy, old-fashioned, uncool fogies, only to realize later that they actually were pretty wise and knew what they were doing?
-And just as Jesus makes the Apostles do something difficult and unpleasant, namely live without his physical presence, so that they can enjoy something even better in the days to come, so too, we recognize that our parents have done the same for us. Putting up with our rebellion, tears and hurtful words so that down the road, we might be able to receive even better things than we could have chosen for ourselves. Tell story of homework and quizzes….
-God also puts important people in our lives at just the right time to form and guide us into the people we are today and it is good for us to remember their influence and thank God for the gift they were to us. Perhaps it was a challenging teacher who saw more potential in us than we did in ourselves. Maybe it was a mentor or supervisor at work who shared generously and patiently shared the knowledge and experience they worked so hard to gain. Perhaps it has been a priest or religious, who counseled us and helped reveal the love and mercy of God through the sacraments, scriptures, and teachings of our Catholic Faith. In some way, all of these people, whoever they are in our life story, have been the gift of the Holy Spirit, placing us on the path to virtue and holiness by the grace of God.
Jesus also gives us the catholic church to protect, guide, and nurture our souls. In much the same way, the church exhorts us to live in a way that can be difficult and challenging. The catholic church wants what is best for us from the perspective of eternity and sometimes we resent that because we are stuck in the here and now.
-oftentimes, what we thought was foolishness and old-fashioned on the part of the church, ends being profoundly wise and beneficial as we mature and grow up.
-The church’s teaching on marriage, the family, human life and dignity, sexuality and countless other things look all the way down the road to the glory of the ascension where Jesus has prepared a place for us to live with him forever.
So today, in a special way, we want to say a profound “thank you” for all these special people in our lives who saw beyond our immediate comfort to a greater good. We ask God for the grace of humility and trust that we continue to believe in the plan he has for our lives and our world, especially when we find ourselves in situations like the Ascension, where God says, “trust me, this is difficult now but something even greater will come because of it”! Lord, increase our faith and help us to live in such a way that we can be reunited one day with you in heaven!
