RESTORE MEANING TO ASCENSION

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As the great season of Easter wanes away, we anticipate the celebration of Ascension, which in a way marks the completion of Christ Salvific mission here on earth.  The feast is celebrated in a single day, in a casual way, and is forgotten. Its importance and relevance to the whole of our Christian living is hardly referred to.

To add to the problem, in many Dioceses the feast is celebrated on a Sunday. Though, historically, Ascension was celebrated on the fortieth day after Easter, which is on a Thursday.

The tragedy; the relevance of this day and what Christ has accomplished for us stand underestimated. We have become losers of an opportunity to catechize anyone in the essential significance of this feast.  And more so, we have failed in an opportunity to witness to the world the ascended Lord.

Ascension is that event which took place when Christ our Lord, after having risen from the dead, appeared to his disciples at various times and in various places for forty days and then ascended into heaven from their midst.  (Mk. 16:19, Lk. 24:51, Acts 1:2)

For the Apostles it was a culmination of the post resurrection experience, when Christ Jesus after having convinced the disciples of his rising, and then having nudged them back into the saddle (see Article of 13^th May, 2011 on this blog site) is now desiring, that they wait for his new presence; the promised Holy Spirit.

In order to understand the magnificence of what Christ has done we need to understand the beauty of life’s processes.  Life and learning is a beautiful process. 

After having formed his Apostles for a period of three years, and having told them all that the Son of man would have to undergo, Jesus still knew that, no matter, how effective a speaker or communicator he may have been, it would still be difficult to get his message across to them at one go; though they had heard what he had to tell them, they had not comprehended it, in its totality.

In the post resurrection period, we have Jesus treating the sinful disease of the disciples; the lost focus, the unfaithfulness and their misplaced priorities had to be corrected. (See Article of 13^th May, 2011 on this blog site) He gives them a new orientation. Their days of formation are almost over and now they have to launch out into the deep. And so one last instruction; “…he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father.  (Acts 1:4) Wait for Pentecost!

The significance of the last instruction: It is always important, for one would communicate only that which is relevant and imperative at the time of departure. Jesus’ last instructions are effective because of his special relationship with the disciples, which makes a difference; a high recall value and hence practice of it is not difficult.  Added to this is the new support structure by way of a management change; for Peter is a changed man with a new and renewed vision and Mary who continues humbly and mildly with her unassuming presence. The process in accomplishing Christ’s mission is not over, for it is not even begun. It is still at stage one, even though on the last leg of stage one, yet they have to wait. His ascension message is clear; they have to wait in Jerusalem till they are clothed with power. 

Some have begun already, but the others join the group late, in the upper room; waiting, praising and thanking God. 

Waiting, if stretched too far, leads to grumbling. The pain of waiting at a mere half hour Eucharist is enough to cause many tongues to become petulant. Hence we feel the need for smiling priests and fast track celebrants to keep us going. But the truth never changes, without waiting one cannot receive the empowerment from Jesus.  

So also, no praise can be based on empty rituals. When one praises God or thanks him, especially in our waiting then we are allowing God to work in our lives. Since we praise God for something, the Apostles now have a reason to praise God; to recollect the significant element of Christ’s teaching and the clear goal or vision which the ascension communicates, to praise God.   

In other words, the Ascension of Jesus is the visible, effective and fulfilled mission of Christ, yet incomplete without our cooperation. He has made himself humbly weak to his chosen ones, so as not to do anything without us.

Every disciple of Christ is invited to look and behold this ascended Christ, and be sure of him being present in our midst, in the light of the eternity it communicates. The challenges of this present reality become difficult when we are faced with those forces of life which drags us away from Christ.  The Apostles did it beautifully, in all patience, by spending much time in his presence, waiting on him. They were recollecting and waiting, praising and thanking in order to be clothed with power from above. A ten day retreat programme!

The five day retreat programme which we used to conduct was in itself so difficult.

How then did the Disciples manage the 10 day wait? Of course, it is always more difficult for those watching from outside then the practitioners.  But in the process of Jesus’ priority it had to be thus. We cannot be God’s instrument unless we learn to wait on him, be clothed with power and then equipped, to go in his name.

Humans, by nature, always live in hope. It could be a hope of a new day or a better tomorrow. Apart from hope, he would become suicidal, and find life a meaningless exercise to live for. The unfortunate part of their life is the deception in the hope they hold on to. They hopefully live and plan for a tomorrow which they have neither seen nor lived in: Who has seen tomorrow? Yet they would not want to believe in the tomorrow of Jesus!

Christian life is a definite and sure hope. It may initially begin with a feeling that is rooted in deception but Christ always gives his disciples a glimpse and an experience of the sure hope which only he can give us. That experience is the foundation of the immovable faith of the Disciples of Christ. 

Here in brief are the many insights into the meaning of ascension:

v  Ascension made them recollect that they no longer belong here, for Christ has appeared to take us with him. Our ultimate roots are in Christ and with him we shall be for all eternity.

v  Assurance of his constant presence and intercession, whereby they will go fearlessly in his name. He is at a vantage point; he is now much closer to us then we are to ourselves.

v  He has also brought us closer to each other in his ascension. Like a satellite that brings the human race closer to each other, likewise he draws all men to himself and to each other in the bond of Catholic love. If Christ is not the centre than humanism can bring true and everlasting unity.

v  He is the seat of all power and authority both in heaven and on earth.  Hence nothing can happen to his beloved ones, unless he has permitted it and nothing evil can befall them that he can’t make it work for the good of those who look with joyful hope for the coming of their Lord and Savior. (Rm. 8:28)

v  He will keep empowering those who follow him faithfully with the promised Holy Spirit.

v  That life is one complete process ending with us living for all eternity in the place in which Christ has gone ahead and prepared for us.

v The Ascension of Jesus helps us lead a fuller, richer and meaningful life in this world because Christ our Lord in his ascension has given us a sure hope.

If such is the significance of this feast then the Church needs to order itself to a restoration of this great and significant historical event in the life of Christ.

Bring back the Ascension Thursday. In a discussion on an appropriate day for the celebration of the feast of Ascension, the majority, i.e. over 90 percent of the participants wanted a return to the 40 days rather than a convenient Sunday. Since it is such a significant feast, what could be done is to have a continuum of celebration beginning with the Thursday; making it obligatory to be part of the liturgy on all or one of these days, with the Thursday as the beginning, and as an important day of celebration. Each day could have its own theme.  If need be the mass timing could be changed to suit the working crowds.

This could set in process a trend to welcome another great feast of Pentecost with greater fervor and devotion. The faithful can then look forward to the great empowering which Christ bestows on his beloved ones.

Like the disciples, family members could come together to praise and thank God for the Ascension of Christ. On account of which, Christ’s salvific action is effectively implemented in our lives and we encounter his presence and empowerment. A Para-liturgical service could be prepared for the home to help the families accordingly. 

Those in the liturgical ministries and formation could think of having special songs prepared which communicates the message of Ascension and Christian hope.

                               Song of Ascension: In my Father’s house

In my Father’s house are many mansions, each one of you will have one for yourself.

Not a hut, not a room, not a house, but a huge big mansion for each one of you.

Do you believe in this offer, the promise of a trustworthy man named Jesus?

If you do so, and raise your hearts in praise and thanksgiving to God in all things,

Then eternity is surely at your doorstep and life will take a new turn for you.

If you have a doubt, then look to his ascension at the right hand of power and majesty.

See the poster on the wall, Christ’s offer is surer than that.

Listen to your mother’s voice, When the Lord speaks he is more trustworthy than her

Hear the man in office, who is he, without God sustaining him?

I will doubt the thousand voices speak one language, if they do not speak the tongue of Christ ascended.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, speak to my heart your eternal message of hope and assurance and then by your grace transform me to be your instrument of God’s power and love. Amen.