Why Go

A question comes to mind while we contemplate the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Why did Jesus have to return to heaven? The first answers to this question may come to us from the Scripture. Friar Jude Winkler comments that in the text from the Acts of the Apostles, Luke reverses the image of the coming of the Son of Man in the Book of Daniel (Daniel 7.13) on a cloud with the image of Jesus returning to God on a cloud. Luke presents the index of the missionary action which the disciples will do through the power of the Holy Spirit spreading the Good News from the spiritual centre of the world, Jerusalem to the political centre of the world, Rome. Luke cites the Holy Spirit as the agent to bring understanding to the disciples of the action they witness and do as followers of Jesus. The Gospel from Luke uses another set of bookends to indicate a completion in the Ascension. Father Roberto Donato noted that the beginning of the Gospel of Luke is marked by the silence of Zachariah announcing a king and ends with the King exiting into silence. The Gospel indicates that the power of the Holy Spirit will be the Presence of God with them as they proclaim Jesus, the Messiah and forgive sins throughout the whole world. Father Donato has noted that the workers often have difficulty completing the mission when the boss is looking over their shoulders. The Will of the Father that the Life of Jesus be known through the action of people is only possible with Jesus return and the power of the Holy Spirit which continues to involve the faithful in intimate conversation about the mission. A news article comments that the people of Haiti, who have endured so much suffering in recent years, are doing less sharing among themselves as a consequence of the presence of the “Big Aid” agencies in their land. We are so susceptible to seeking the easy way for ourselves and our attitude as witnesses of Jesus needs to be seeking to give of ourselves in compliance with the Will of the Father to bring the life of Love to the ends of the earth. The answers to spiritual questions and the power to act in His Name reside in our relationship with Jesus and the Father through the Spirit.