***In India, the feast of the Ascension is celebrated on 20-May-2012 (the following Sunday.)***
13-May-2012 Dear Friend, As people go through life, many stop and stare and wonder what is happening! But there are a few who as they go through life, they make things happen! Are we spectators in life or are we pioneers! People of faith make things happen, not with their own power but because they are in touch with the source of all power -God! Today's feast reminds us that Jesus went up to heaven after accomplishing His mission, but His Spirit is with us. Let's ask for His Spirit to come alive in us! Have a 'Spirit-full' weekend! Fr. Jude Sunday Reflections: Ascension Sunday 'Prepared by the Spirit to fulfill His Mission!' 20-May-2012 Readings:Acts 1: 1-11 Ephesians 4: 1-13 Mark 16: 15-20 Today's first reading is from the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles and describes the beginning of the Church after Jesus had ascended into heaven. It would appear that Jesus had to leave in order that the Church might begin. His going away physically from this world signaled the coming into existence of the Church and His new presence in their midst. Yes, Jesus was leaving the world in a sense, but not really leaving it. He is not abandoning his disciples to their fate; in fact he was concerned about them. Before he goes he instructs them and affirms their faith by time and again appearing to them to convince them that he is alive. While being with them he asked them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. But they asked him, "Lord is this the time when you will restore the Kingdom to Israel?" "You don't have to know the times and seasons that the Father has set." Salvation is Now! Witnesses of Jesus today The Ascension is about our present world. It calls us Christians to continue the mission of Christ on earth. Christ's mission was not just to give us hope for the future, but to change the quality of life here and now, so that we can begin to experience already now the riches of the eternal life to come. Jesus entrusted this mission to his disciples when he said, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation." It is this mission that the angels urged the disciples to undertake, instead of 'standing there looking up at the skies" -One of the tallest buildings in Ireland is Cork Country Hall. To emphasize its height, there are statues of two men gazing up at the building. The apostles must have been like these statues staring up into the sky. Perhaps, to many of us our religion is just staring into the sky! If it is so we have failed to see a real connection between it and our everyday lives. Christianity is very much about the here and now. It is not about standing around waiting for something to happen; it is about making that something happen. We make it happen by witnessing to Jesus Christ through word and deed. Vima Dasan in 'His Word Lives' In today's Gospel the author regards Jesus as already sitting at the right hand of God looking back at this event. Note that the gospel says that Jesus was taken up into heaven. The implication is that it is the power of God that is at work in the exaltation of Jesus. Jesus is given the title 'Lord' and the apostles are given the mission to go out and to proclaim the good news everywhere, to all nations. They are not only given the mandate but they are equipped and confirmed in their mission by the power of the Holy Spirit in whose name they will work wonderful signs, and miracles. Their mission is to be universal, no longer confined to one nation. In this account of the mission, the apostles begin immediately. There is no mention of the descent of the Holy Spirit but it is implied in the presence of the Lord and the signs and wonders worked are all an affirmation that they are empowered in their mission by the risen Lord and his Holy Spirit present in their midst. The command given to the apostles is the same command given to us and to all believers. Faith is a gift given not only for ourselves but to be communicated and shared with others. There can be no coming to the Lord and receiving the Spirit unless we are ready to go forth and spread His message of love. Parting Message Parting messages have their own impact. Many an emigrant vividly remembers the final admonition and blessing of a heart-broken parent. Often school leavers hold on for years to the parting wisdom of an inspirational teacher. Marriage break-up can leave a lifelong painful memory of hurtful things said. An employer can frequently recall the parting outburst of the sacked employee. Final words have the power to make or to break, to challenge or to crush, to inspire or to inhibit, energize or to deflate. Christ's words as he left his disciples on Ascension Day are no exception. His command was clear-cut. 'Go out to the whole world and proclaim the good news to all creation.' Important though our own individual salvation is, the focus at Christ's parting is on the worldwide proclamation of the gospel. Of course, it is through living the gospel values that we best bring Christ's message to others but the wider missionary task is ever present. Ascension Day is a reminder of what we are called to do. It is a duty in which we all share and must not shirk. Tom Clancy in 'Living the Word' The Final Proof British Playwright Bruce Marshall gave an excellent example of this in his play Father Malachy's Miracle. The holy priest of the title felt that, if God would perform some miracle in or around the tavern where the city's chief unbelievers spent their time, then everyone in the community would have to believe. And so God did. As Father Malachy and his pious friends knelt praying in the street outside the pub, the whole building was lifted off the ground and sailed through the air several hundred miles to another city! The whole crew of agnostics was in it for the incredible journey. The result? In the papers the next day there were a dozen learned explanations of what might have really happened. And half of the people on board the flying pub felt that it might not have moved at all, that it had always been in the city where it landed, and that perhaps they had had too much drink! No wonder that we speak about resurrection-faith and ascension-faith. These wonderful culminating events in the life of Jesus are absolute signs of the truth and goodness of Christian teaching - to those who already believe. Eugene Laeur in 'Sunday Morning Insights' Thus far the Master… Puccini wrote La Boheme and Madame Butterfly. It was during his battle with terminal cancer in 1922 that he began to write Turandoe, which many now consider his best work. He worked on the score day and night, despite his friends' advice to rest, and to save his energy. When his sickness worsened, Puccini said to his disciples, 'If I don't finish Turandoe, I want you to finish it.' He died in 1924, leaving the work unfinished. His disciples gathered all that was written of Turandoe, studied it in great detail, and proceeded to write the remainder of the opera. The world premiere was performed in the La Scala Opera House in Milan in 1926, and it was conducted by Toscanini, Puccini's favourite student. The opera went beautifully, until Toscanini came to the end of the part written by Puccini. He stopped the music, put down the baton, turned to the audience, and announced, 'Thus far the master wrote, but he died.' There was a long pause; no one moved. Then Toscanini picked up the baton, turned to the audience and, with tears in his eyes, announced, 'But his disciples finished his work.' The opera closed to thunderous applause, and to a permanent place in the annals of great works. Jack McArdle in 'And that's the Gospel Truth!' Travelling on Your Knees Prayer moves the arm that moves the world. A man had a dream. One night he took a journey to a land across the sea; he did not go by boat or plane, but travelled on his knees. He saw many people there in deep sin, and he did not want to send in his prayers for them. But Jesus told him to go and see how many he could win. He said to Jesus that he could not go and work with such people. Jesus quickly answered him, "Yes, you can be travelling on your knees. You pray, and I will meet their needs. You call and I will hear." So, the man knelt in prayer and felt at ease as he travelled on his knees. He said to Jesus, "Yes, I know that I can do the job, and my desire is to please. I will heed Your call." And the man travelled on his knees. We are called to pray for the others. Every Christian has the ministry of praying for others. John Rose in 'John's Sunday Homilies' An Ascension Inviting Descent Some botanists roaming the mountains to collect rare plants spied an exotic flower cradled on a ledge below the peak on which they stood. Afraid of climbing down, they requested a small tribal boy passing by; "Why don't you help us? We'll tie a rope around your waist and lower you onto that ledge. And, when you come up with that flower, we'll reward you." The boy thought awhile and replied, "Okay, I'll be back soon!" Soon he returned with a poor man and said, "This is my daddy. Let him lower me down!" The botanists agreed. Then, the poor man tied the rope around his child's waist, lowered him onto the ledge, and after he plucked the flower, drew him up safely. The image of son descending and ascending is apt for the feast of the Ascension. Link the boy linked to his father by the rope, Jesus, 'The Way', links us to Abba. Thus, while the ascension reminds us of our divine connections, it also invests us with the responsibility of moving 'down' and outwards within our own 'end of the world'. In India for instance, where barely 2% of the population is Christian, we can ask ourselves: How can we be witnesses of Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension? Francis Gonsalves in 'Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds' To hell with what they think! An American army chaplain had just given the homily at Mass for American servicemen in a Cathedral in Europe. The theme of the homily was: "Be proud of your Catholic faith; don't be ashamed to practice it in public." After the Mass a sailor, obviously moved by the homily, stopped the chaplain in front of the cathedral. "Would you hear my confession, Father?" he asked. "I'd be happy to hear it," said the chaplain. With that the sailor knelt down right on the sidewalk in front of the cathedral. "Never mind kneeling," said the chaplain. "People will stare." "The heck with them, Father!" said the sailor. "Let 'em stare. I'm proud of my faith." The sailor's spirit of witness may have been a bit overly enthusiastic, but he certainly had the right idea. Anthony Castle in 'Quotes and Anecdotes' May Jesus and his kingdom be made real in us and through our actions! Fr. Jude Botelho [email protected] PS. The stories, incidents and anecdotes used in the reflections have been collected over the years from books as well as from sources over the net and from e-mails received. Every effort is made to acknowledge authors whenever possible. If you send in stories or illustrations I would be grateful if you could quote the source as well so that they can be acknowledged if used in these reflections. These reflections are also available on my web site www.netforlife.net Thank you.
