Cycle A - Year II:  

24 May 2020: Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading:        Acts 1:1-11

Second Reading:   Ephesians 4:1-13

Gospel Reading:   Please read Matthew 28:16-20  

"Go and make disciples of all nations!"

The world is in lockdown, a.k.a.  quarantine, because of the fear of the pandemic spreading.  In a lockdown, people are effectively confined to their homes and movement outside or travel is prohibited.

What about the homeless?  Their movement is restricted too, although some caring souls, mostly religious organizations, provide shelter and food for the homeless during this crisis.

In a lockdown, even religious missionaries and preachers of the Good News are restricted, too, or quarantined.  How do we preach the Gospel in this critical time?

This Sunday is the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord.  Forty days after His resurrection Jesus returns to the Father.  The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes this momentous event: "When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight." (Acts 1:9)

For His disciples, the Lord's departure and ascension is both an end and a beginning.  It was the end of Jesus' physical presence with the disciples, but also at the same time the beginning of the Lord's presence with them in a different way.

Now, Ascension Sunday is what is called the "great commissioning" which the risen Christ gives to His disciples and to the whole Church.  For Jesus ordered the disciples: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you!" (Mt 28:19)  

"Go and make disciples of all nations!"  We can think of this statement as meaning we are supposed to go to the different countries, which is not possible during this lockdown.  But also we can think of it as meaning we should reach out to unfamiliar groups within our own communities using available social media platform, and even perhaps within our own family during this lockdown.

The next part of our Lord's instructions is that baptism is not the end of becoming a Christian. Rather, disciples are supposed to teach everything that Jesus had commanded them.

No doubt the task given by our Lord Jesus Christ must have seemed large and difficult to a group of only eleven.  Even for us today, it still very challenging, more so during this time when the world is in lockdown due to the pandemic.

But then, however difficult the tasks the first disciples, and us today as baptized Christians, were being commanded to undertake, the first apostles, and now we in our generation, are not doing this alone by ourselves.  For our Lord's parting words to the apostles, and through them to us today, "And behold, I am with you always until the end of the age." (Mt 28:20)

So the, although Jesus is no longer with His disciples and with us physically, in reality the Lord does not leave His followers by themselves in this mission.  For the risen Lord continues to work in and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit. And next Sunday, the Church celebrates Pentecost Sunday, when the promise of our Lord to send the Holy Spirit to empower us is fulfilled.

Also this Sunday the Church celebrates Catholic Communications Sunday.  It is a timely reminder to make use of the wonder of digital media to spread the Good News and continue our Lord's redemptive mission on earth through His Holy Church, especially during this pandemic when we are quarantined.  Let us also pray that those spreading fake news change their ways for love of country and fear of God.

A blessed Ascension Sunday to us all.  And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!