Ascension Sunday

Luke 24:46-53

One summer I spent a few days in Darwin as part of my summer break. While I was walking on the streets of Darwin, I happen to pass by the Cathedral of the Diocese of Darwin. Outside the Cathedral, there was a statue of the crucifix mounted on the wall. However, at first the image was quite disturbing because what was left was the face and the torso of the crucifix, it had no more arms and legs. Then the parish priest of the Cathedral Parish happened to pass by and after some pleasantries, he pointed out to me that the crucifix was hanging outside the Cathedral near the garden, and had ,sadly, been vandalised. But instead of restoring the crucifix, they decided to leave it as it was. And he pointed out to me a little poem from St. Teresa of Avila at the bottom. The poem goes something like this:

Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

Compassion on this world,

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,

Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,

Yours are the eyes, you are his body.

Christ has no body now but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

compassion on this world.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

The gospel for today which it ties in very closely with the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, shows how Jesus ascended into heaven body and soul. And if we look carefully, his disciples, instead of being sad and forlorn, were happy, rejoicing and continuously praising God in the temple. They were very happy because they realised that Jesus’ mission was now finished. He had done what he had to do. He had fulfilled the Father’s will. He became one of us. He was born in a stable. He became a helpless baby. He experienced life as a refugee and seeking asylum in Egypt as the Holy Family was being persecuted by Herod. He experienced being a child enjoying life. He experienced how to work and earn for a living. He experienced doing his ministry among his people with joy and also with persecution. He experienced sadness and betrayal. He experienced torture and death on the cross. He experienced being glorified in the resurrection. And now, with the Ascension, he is going back to where he belongs and that is in heaven with his Father.

Now, the mission is being passed to his disciples. But even when Jesus is not around physically, he will continue to guide his disciples from heaven through the Holy Spirit. That is why it is his instruction that his disciples should not go out of Jerusalem until the arrival of the Holy Spirit. And after that they became missionaries. And there are three characteristics that gospel readings give us about being good missionaries. First, the disciples were full of joy. We can’t witness for Jesus, if we are sad and always serious. Real witnesses for Jesus are full of joy because if we experience joy being with Jesus and loving Jesus, then this joy should be seen in our lives. Second, the disciples went to the temple to pray. Missionaries should also be prayerful. Fr Ben Beltran, SVD once told me that if we work and work but don’t pray, then we are just “glorified social workers”. It is in praying that we take on the spirituality of mission. Because mission work is done not for anybody except for Jesus Christ. Lastly, the disciples proclaimed the Word. We are also tasked to proclaim the Word. We as Christians by virtue of our baptism are all missionaries. Well … not all of us are called to be missionaries in the formal sense of the word. But all of us are called to be missionaries in our way of life and by our example. St Francis of Assisi once said, “We should proclaim Jesus Christ always and use words only when necessary.” Being a good missionary is not just about what we preach but practicing what we say.

The Ascension of Jesus teaches us that as he goes back to his Father in heaven, the mission of Jesus continues with us. We are now his eyes, his ears, his hands and his feet here on earth. So that one day when our life here on earth is finished, Jesus will welcome us and hear the words, “Well done faithful servant, come and share your master’s joy.”