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Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. After forty days (a number indicating preparation in the Bible) Jesus ascended into Heaven, leaving the mission of the church under the care of the Apostles, and promising to send the Holy Spirit as their guide on Pentecost (which we will celebrate next Sunday).  I remember as a very young girl, picturing Jesus ascending into the clouds and I naively thought that if I could get above the clouds, I would see Jesus sitting on the right-hand side of God the Father.  The first time I flew in an airplane, we were above these beautiful white fluffy clouds and, of course, I didn’t see Jesus sitting beside God.  However, I did feel a sense of wonder and appreciation of nature and the world God created for us.

By ascending and sending the Holy Spirit, the faith could spread to the ends of the earth.  Because of this Ascension, the Holy Spirit dwells within us here and now and Jesus is present to us in the Eucharist whatever part of the world we are in.  The fact that we are following Jesus over 2000 years later is evidence of the success of the apostles and followers of Jesus.  At the end of every Mass, we are sent out to bring Jesus, be witnesses to what He came to earth to proclaim.  We don’t have to preach the Good News to everyone we meet – we should just be good exemplars of what it means to be Catholic / Christian.  In our lives, we know many people who truly are carrying out the message from 2000 years ago.  We encounter people who, though faced with the ravages of cancer, do not complain but try their best to meet the challenges head on.  We see people who are so very kind to others; who are raising their children to love and be loved; who help when they can to minister to others: the elderly neighbour who is alone, the single mother who needs support, the disenfranchised who need comfort, new Canadians who have lost everything and need help in picking up their lives and moving on.  We should remember that being Catholic doesn’t mean just attending Mass on Sunday then not doing anything once Mass is over.  The true Catholic lives a life of caring and giving and holding the values and morals that Christ expects of us in our daily living.  We are Christ’s witnesses today in our homes, with our families and with our neighbours in our parish community.  We do this through the quality of our daily lives; in how we speak to each other and treat each other.

It is now up to each of us in our way to carry on the mission and ministry of Jesus.  Through us today, the world will know that Jesus is alive, present, and active in the world.  As Pope Francis says to each of us, “Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that they have experienced the love of God in Jesus.”  Jesus, ascending into Heaven, has not left, deserted, or abandoned us.  He is with us when we gather to break bread with each other.  He is with us when we reach out to help and support each other.  These are the signs that Jesus is in us and with us today and forever.  We also should reflect on His words (at the end of today’s Gospel reading), “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Cathy Keirstead