The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to act as the Body of Christ as we meditate on Jesus' ascension into heaven.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles is the Promise of the Holy Spirit that accompanies the Ascension of Jesus.
* [1:1–26] This introductory material (Acts 1:1–2) connects Acts with the Gospel of Luke, shows that the apostles were instructed by the risen Jesus (Acts 1:3–5), points out that the parousia or second coming in glory of Jesus will occur as certainly as his ascension occurred (Acts 1:6–11), and lists the members of the Twelve, stressing their role as a body of divinely mandated witnesses to his life, teaching, and resurrection (Acts 1:12–26). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)
Psalm 47 praises God’s Rule over the Nations.
* [Psalm 47] A hymn calling on the nations to acknowledge the universal rule of Israel’s God (Ps 47:2–5) who is enthroned as king over Israel and the nations (Ps 47:6–9). (Psalms, PSALM 47, n.d.)
The reading from the Letter to the Ephesians describes the Church as Christ’s Body through which Jesus may give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation as we come to know him.
* [1:15–23] See note on Rom 1:8 for the thanksgiving form in a letter. Much of the content parallels thoughts in Col 1:3–20. The prayer moves from God and Christ (Eph 1:17, 20–21) to the Ephesians (Eph 1:17–19) and the church (Eph 1:22–23). Paul asks that the blessing imparted by God the Father (Eph 1:3) to the Ephesians will be strengthened in them through the message of the gospel (Eph 1:13, 17–19). Those blessings are seen in the context of God’s might in establishing the sovereignty of Christ over all other creatures (Eph 1:19–21) and in appointing him head of the church (Eph 1:22–23). For the allusion to angelic spirits in Eph 1:21, see Rom 8:38 and Col 1:16. Here, as in 1 Cor 15:24–25 and Col 2:15, every such principality and power is made subject to Christ. (Ephesians, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)
An alternate reading from the Letter to the Hebrews is a call to persevere.
* [9:28] To take away the sins of many: the reference is to Is 53:12. Since the Greek verb anapherÅ can mean both “to take away” and “to bear,” the author no doubt intended to play upon both senses: Jesus took away sin by bearing it himself. See the similar wordplay in Jn 1:29. Many is used in the Semitic meaning of “all” in the inclusive sense, as in Mk 14:24. To those who eagerly await him: Jesus will appear a second time at the parousia, as the high priest reappeared on the Day of Atonement, emerging from the Holy of Holies, which he had entered to take away sin. This dramatic scene is described in Sir 50:5–11. (Hebrews, CHAPTER 9, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke proclaims the Ascension of Jesus.
* [24:50–53] Luke brings his story about the time of Jesus to a close with the report of the ascension. He will also begin the story of the time of the church with a recounting of the ascension. In the gospel, Luke recounts the ascension of Jesus on Easter Sunday night, thereby closely associating it with the resurrection. In Acts 1:3, 9–11; 13:31 he historicizes the ascension by speaking of a forty-day period between the resurrection and the ascension. The Western text omits some phrases in Lk 24:51, 52 perhaps to avoid any chronological conflict with Acts 1 about the time of the ascension. (Luke, CHAPTER 24, n.d.)
Larry Gillick, S.J. comments that at the end of our First Reading from the Acts up the Apostles, we hear of the two, who were dressed in white, asking the Apostles why they are looking up, gazing off into the blue. We can join them, if we wish, gazing into the blue of mysteries or insufficiencies. What these two messengers are saying to the Apostles is, “get on with it!” "You have seen enough, heard enough, now be enough for the Body of Christ to take flesh in you individually and corporally as The Church."
The “men of Galilee” went back up to Jerusalem. As with the "Viri Galille choir," they sang at times humilified with the more than scoffing listeners. They sang and their song continues when we are His Body revealing His Presence. We can be tempted that we are not ever enough. The Holy Spirit, Who inspired and guided that early Galilean band continues creating life in the Church and the world through such singers as ourselves. Don’t forget the words!!! (Gillick, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus ascends to heaven in his body - divine and human nature,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"You heard what came to our ears just now from the Gospel: 'Lifting up his hands, he blessed them. And it happened, while he was blessing them he withdrew from them, and was carried up to heaven.' Who was carried up to heaven? The Lord Christ was. Who is the Lord Christ? He is the Lord Jesus. What is this? Are you going to separate the human from the divine and make one person of God, another of the man, so that there is no longer a trinity of three but a quaternary of four? Just as you, a human being, are soul and body, so the Lord Christ is Word, soul and body. The Word did not depart from the Father. He both came to us and did not forsake the Father. He both took flesh in the womb and continued to govern the universe. What was lifted up into heaven, if not what had been taken from earth? That is to say, the very flesh, the very body, about which he was speaking when he said to the disciples, 'Feel, and see that a spirit does not have bones and flesh, as you can see that I have' (Luke 24:39). Let us believe this, brothers and sisters, and if we have difficulty in meeting the arguments of the philosophers, let us hold on to what was demonstrated in the Lord's case without any difficulty of faith. Let them chatter, but let us believe." (excerpt from Sermon 242,6) (The Lord Jesus Was Taken up Into Heaven, 2022)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 24:46-53 comments that like the disciples, we might wonder how to follow Jesus since he is no longer walking the earth. But the answer remains the same: Stay in the city. Stay close to your brothers and sisters in the Lord. When hard times come, we may feel distant from God or uncertain about what to do next. Confusion, hurt, or disillusionment can undermine our trust in the Lord and one another. In these situations, our first instinct is often to withdraw. We might avoid seeing people or even stop going to church. But Jesus encourages us: Stay in the city.
Jesus promises to give us the power we need to live as his people. He urges us, Stay close to your brothers and sisters. Stay close to me. Keep praying. I will fill you with my Spirit. “Jesus, help me to stay close to you and to your people, even when I don’t understand what you’re doing.” (Meditation on Luke 24:46-53, 2022)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that Luke dedicates the Acts of the Apostles to Theopolis that could be a symbolic name for all lovers of God. Luke states the mission to be witnesses to the end of the world, the political centre of Rome. Friar Jude reminds us that the third revelation of Jesus in Luke mirrors our usual journey of the revelation of Christ to us through Scripture, Word and Sacrament, and ultimately face to face in faith.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes his spiritual development as a “pilgrim’s progress,” with God using the circumstances of his life—particularly his international ministry and travel—to expand his vision, heart, and mind.
Soon there was a much bigger world for me than the United States and the Roman Catholic Church, which I eventually realized also contained paradoxes. The e pluribus unum (“out of many, one”) on American coinage did not include very many of its own people (women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ people, poor folks, people with disabilities, and so many more). As a Christian I finally had to be either Roman or catholic, and I continue to choose the catholic end of that spectrum—remember, catholic means universal. Either Jesus is the “savior of the world” (John 4:42), or he is not much of a savior at all. Either America treats the rest of the world and its own citizens democratically, or it does not really believe in democracy at all. That’s the way I see it. But this slow process of transformation and the realizations that came with it were not either-or decisions; they were great big both-and realizations. None of it happened without much prayer, self-doubt, study, and conversation. The journey itself led me to a deepening sense of holiness, freedom, and wholeness. Although I didn’t begin thinking this way, I now hope and believe that a kind of second simplicity is the very goal of mature adulthood and mature religion. (Rohr, 2022)
The liturgy of the Ascension prepares us to be prepared to accept the prompting of the Spirit to bring Christ to the ends of the earth in our acts of love, mercy, and compassion.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/1
Ephesians, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/1?17
Gillick, L. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Ascension-2022.html
Hebrews, CHAPTER 9. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/9
The Lord Jesus Was Taken up into Heaven. (2022, May 26). Daily Scripture net. Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=may26
Luke, CHAPTER 24. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/24?46
Meditation on Luke 24:46-53. (2022, May 29). Word Among Us. Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/05/29/395828/
Psalms, PSALM 47. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/47?2
Rohr, R. (2022, May 29). Ever-Widening Circles. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/ever-widening-circles-2022-05-29/
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