One of the most privileged parts of the priesthood is giving the last rites and being present as someone takes their final breaths.
In these sacred moments, all of the unimportant things are set aside. No one reminds their family to cut the grass every week or promise to change the air filters for the furnace once they are gone. Those things might be necessary but they are irrelevant. Most often it is not the person dying saying anything at all but rather the friends and family. And what is spoken is always significant and usually simple. Things like, “I love you”, “thank you”, “you can be at peace”, “go join your beloved”, etc… No matter how many times I witness these sacred moments, it always hits me like a ton of bricks and stays with me for days. It also makes me wonder what my last words to loved ones will be… I just hope they can be repeated at my funeral!
With today’s celebration of the Ascension, we get the last words of Jesus from two different sources, St. Luke and St. Matthew. And they are a different type of “last words”. They are not those of a dying person but more like those of a parent who knows their child is about to experience a new stage of life and independence. These are like the words to a 16 year-old who is about to take the car out by themselves for the first time, or the college freshman who is being dropped off at school, or the young person getting ready to head out on vacation with friends.
These last words are not “goodbye, forever” but rather “I know we need to be separated in this way for your own good but here are some things to keep you safe and on track.”
What does Jesus tell his followers and us?
That they are never alone, He is with them always until the end of time.
That all power in heaven and earth has been given to Him and they are to participate in that saving power by going out into the whole world and baptizing in his name. Their faith is not a private matter to be kept quiet but something that must be shared.
St. Luke builds on this as we hear in Acts that Jesus pours on the loving advice:
Don’t leave Jerusalem until you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit! It’s only a few days away; you can do this!
And when they ask when Jesus is going to return and set everything right, once and for all, he says, trust me, that’s not your concern, just worry about being my witnesses to the world AFTER the Holy Spirit comes to you!
Lastly, he tells them to be witnesses, not just to their friends and families in Jerusalem, but also their countrymen in Judah and even their ethnic enemies in Samaria. They must be good examples always, everywhere, to everyone. No one is excluded from hearing the gospel and everyone deserves a chance to let it transform their lives.
Now what do kids do when their parents give them advice? Usually roll their eyes, or think yeah, yeah, I know just let me get on with it!
Matthew tells us that the disciples doubted when they saw Jesus. They had a hard time accepting his words, but even in the midst of their doubt, they did the right thing, they worshipped him, they submitted to God and in time, with the grace of the HS at Pentecost, they figured it out and became effective witnesses throughout the world.
But Christ’s command to the apostles didn’t stop with them; his mandate to “Go and make disciples of all nations” extends to you and me too. Even though Christ has ascended into heaven, even though we are waiting for his return at any moment of every day, we are expected to evangelize and give witness to all we have received through the gift of our faith. All of us have received the gift of the Holy Spirit by virtue of our Baptism and those of us who have been confirmed have also received the grace of Pentecost in our souls.
The Ascension reminds us that it is time to spread the gospel by sharing how our faith has made a difference in our lives, whether we are a priest, parent, teacher, professional, full-time student, teen, or child. This is our job as we anticipate Christ’s second coming; we are not just supposed to sit around, hoping we are ready when Jesus returns.
I point out this command to spread the Good News because far too often people think it is something reserved for deacons, priests, bishops, and these who have consecrated their lives to Christ. And while it is my full-time job to spread the gospel, it is yours as well. One of the reasons many people do not know Christ or live the gospel is because ordinary Christians do not realize the power of their witness and their ability to spread the saving message of Our Lord through daily conversations. One of the reasons our Church is shrinking and why we are going through this painful process of All Things New, is not just a lack of priests, it is also a lack of witness on the part of all Catholics. We have grown comfortable and indistinguishable from those who do not believe. Each of us, by nature of our baptism, is called to be share the Good News and bring Jesus to the people around us. This is the beauty of the Christian vocation; all of us, through our everyday work and relationships, have the opportunity to be made holy and to bring others to Christ. The Ascension compels and commands us to use this time before he returns as an opportunity to bring others to the Lord. It is not enough simply to take care of ourselves.
As we celebrate the Ascension , let us pay close attention to these last words of Christ. First, let us thank God for the gift of our faith, which was given to us by those following the Lord’s command to share the Good News. Second, let us resolve to share our own faith with those we encounter in our lives by the joyful and peaceful ways we carry ourselves and by meaningful and sincere friendship. Finally, let us recommit ourselves to the practice of personal prayer, so our witness to the gospel will not be empty words but a genuine and passionate display of the life of the Holy Spirit. In this way, we will honor Christ by making disciples of all nations.
