Most of us are old enough to remember the days when we had that ever-popular Holy Day, The Feast of the Ascension, or better known as “Ascension Thursday”! I’ve never been quite sure why the Church celebrated the Feast Day on a Thursday. Maybe, even back then, Wednesday was a big church night… Actually, it falls on a Thursday because its forty days after Easter Sunday, which, when you count the days of the week, comes out to be a Thursday. Which just goes to show that spirituality is usually quite practical in it’s nature, trying not to think TOO much. These days, many Dioceses, including our own, have been given the option to “transfer” Ascension Thursday to the following Sunday. In our case, that would be this coming Sunday, June 5th! My guess is that moving this particular Thursday to a Sunday is designed to make sure that folks really focus on this incredible moment in our salvation history… After all, who goes to Church on Thursday? That was meant to be “tongue and cheek”, but its oh, so true!
The Acts of the Apostles would be the Scriptural source of the event called “The Ascension”. “Jesus said to them, ‘you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.” (Read Acts 1:1-11) The Catholic Encyclopedia, online at newadvent.org, offers the following as a reason for celebrating the Ascension of our Lord: “In the liturgies generally the day is meant to celebrate the completion of the work of our salvation, the pledge of our glorification with Christ, and His entry into heaven with our human nature glorified.”
The Feast’s Gospel reading is taken from the end of Matthew’s witness of Jesus’ commissioning of his disciples. “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Read Mt 28:16-20) This begs the point that I have been reflecting on most of the Easter Season… We are called and chosen to be disciples, to share the love of the Gospel in all that we do, sing, and play, so as to CHANGE THE WORLD! For ALL of us, this means that we have to think big, and stretch our dreams to fit the potential given to us by God! It might be cliché my friends, but like our Lord and Savior, we too need to soar to new heights!
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