Ascending connection

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today help fit the Ascension of Jesus into our role as the Body of Christ.

Connected in the Body

In the passage from the Book of Acts Jesus underlines the Promise of the Spirit as He Ascends to the Father.

* [1:4] The promise of the Father: the holy Spirit, as is clear from the next verse. This gift of the Spirit was first promised in Jesus’ final instructions to his chosen witnesses in Luke’s gospel (Lk 24:49) and formed part of the continuing instructions of the risen Jesus on the kingdom of God, of which Luke speaks in Acts 1:3.1 

 Psalm 47 is a hymn calling on the nations to acknowledge the universal rule of Israel’s God.

* [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).2 

In the reading from Ephesians the Church is claimed as Christ’s Body.

 * [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.3

The Gospel from Luke describes the joy of the apostles at the Ascension.

* [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.4 

Steve Scholer asks “What are we doing with the parting gift our Lord gave to us on Ascension Thursday?”

Wisdom is discernment, the ability to process knowledge and to find the truth that will form the bedrock of our lives. Wisdom helps us define what is worthy and true, and to find the precepts needed to live a faith-filled life. Wisdom means understanding the consequences of our actions and words before we act or speak. Wisdom means having the knowledge and understanding to recognize the right course of action and having the will and courage to follow it; a prescription for living in peace with the people we interact with daily. Living a wise life gives us great harmony and enriches our sense of self-worth.5 

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus ascends to heaven in his body - divine and human nature,” by Saint 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)6

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 24:46-53 recalls that saying goodbye can be bittersweet. The sweetness lies in our love for them; the bitterness, in leaving them.

 Surprisingly, Jesus’ apostles do not weep at his ascension. Quite the opposite, Luke tells us that they returned to Jerusalem—the very place where Jesus was executed—“with great joy” (24:52). Such a display of exuberance can make the apostles appear unrelatable, almost superhuman. What about their deep human connection with Jesus? Didn’t they feel sad that after overcoming death, the greatest separation there is, Jesus decided to leave them anyway?
Of course they were sad. But more than anything else, they were filled with joy. They were confident that they would one day follow where Jesus had gone, and then they would be reunited forever. So their hope of seeing him again made their sorrow sweet.7

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, cites Christena Cleveland, author of Disunity in Christ: as he calls for an end of dualistic thinking that is dividing the Body of Christ.

It seems we must have our other! We struggle to know who we are except by opposition and exclusion. Eucharist was supposed to tell Christians who we are in a positive and inclusionary way. But many Catholics, particularly clergy, have made the Holy Meal into a “prize for the perfect” and a “reward for good behavior” instead of medicine for sickness—which we all equally need. Now I see what our real sickness is. Our sickness or “sin” is the illusion of separateness, a completely mistaken identity which is far too small and too boundaried. The Eucharist is made to order to remind us that we are all one body of Christ. Even those in “other flocks” (see John 10:16)—other religions or no religion at all—are still part of the one body of God, which is, first of all, creation itself.8 

The Ascension of Jesus brings the Body of Christ and our role to reflect Jesus to others to our primary focus.

References

1	(n.d.). Acts, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 2, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/1
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 47 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 2, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/47
3	(n.d.). Ephesians, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 2, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/1
4	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 24 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 2, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/24
5	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved June 2, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 2, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
7	(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved June 2, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/06/02/
8	(2019, June 2). One in Love — Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 2, 2019, from https://cac.org/one-in-love-2019-06-02/