Homily Ascension of the Lord 2020
Today, we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. And today’s First Reading tells us the story of the Ascension of the Lord. Saint Luke gives us some details about what happened that day. After his Resurrection from the dead, the Risen Lord appeared to his disciples many times during forty days. He talked to them and strengthened their faith and hope. Then, one day, while they gathered together on the mountain as recommended, the Risen Christ appeared to his apostles for the last time and gave them his last instructions. After that, he ascended into heaven. In my homily today, I’ll focus on three main points.

1. Ascension is a double mystery of Absence-Presence.

It’s the end of Jesus’ Physical Appearances. It’s the completion of his life’s mission on earth. In other words, Ascension was the appointed time when the Lord Jesus stopped sharing with his apostles his human presence. The apostles could not see his human face anymore. They could not touch his body anymore. They could not hear the tone of his human voice anymore. They could not see him cooking and making breakfast for them anymore. They could not enjoy anymore his delicious barbecues like he did during his apparition to them, in the Easter morning of their miraculous fishing, on the shore of the lake of Galilee. When thinking or reflecting on the Ascension of the Lord, one image came to my mind. Ascension can be compared to a “Mother” who has a baby and who, suddenly, stops breast-feeding her child. Generally, mothers breast-feed their babies for six months, one year or more. Then, one day, they decide to stop beast-feeding. When a mother weans her baby, it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t love her baby anymore. Weaning is not a punishment, but by doing so, a mother wants her baby to accommodate to another style of food. A weaning time is difficult for a baby, but it’s necessary for him to grow.
Likewise, the Ascension of the Lord was a tough time for Jesus’ apostles. But it was necessary for them whether they had to continue Jesus’ mission of proclaiming the gospel. Jesus’ Ascension was a ‘sine qua non’ condition for the sending of the Holy Spirit to them. Indeed, by ascending into heaven, Jesus wanted his apostles to accommodate to a new style of his presence amid his people. He will be present amid them, not in the same way, not humanly or physically, but in a different way, through the Holy Spirit. In other words, the apostles had to experience and be familiar with the new style of Jesus’ presence. As Jesus promised, “ Where two or three people gather in my name, there I will be.” Then, the Ascension of the Lord is a mystery of faith. We have to believe that Jesus Christ, Our Lord, has entered into the glory of God the Father. As Pope Benedict XVI said, “ The meaning of Christ’s Ascension expresses our belief that in Christ, the humanity we all share has entered into the inner life of God. Heaven is a Person. Jesus Himself is what we call heaven.”

1. Ascension is a mystery of Hope.

As Fr Gabriel of Saint Mary Magdalen wrote, “ The central idea in the liturgy today is the raising of our hearts toward heaven, so that we may begin to dwell in spirit where Jesus has gone before us. Christ’s Ascension is our own ascension; our body has the hope of one day being where its glorious head has preceded it (…). The Ascension is, then, a feast of joyful hope, a sweet foretaste of heaven. By going before us, Jesus our head has given us the right to follow him there some day (…). This is the great hope of the Christian soul, so beautifully expressed in the hymn that says: O Jesus, be the hope of our hearts, our joy in sorrow, the sweet fruit of our life.” While the apostles were looking intently at the sky as Jesus was going, suddenly two angels stood beside them and said, “ Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” This message of angels was a message of hope to Jesus’ apostles. This message is also a message of hope to you parishioners of Saint Patrick of Placerville and Saint James of Georgetown. For sure, today, Jesus Our Master has ascended into heaven. And the best attitude for you is not to stay there waiting for him in laziness, sleeping all days, doing nothing. But Ascension is time to go back to the Cenacle of your life and families to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, in prayer and hope. It’s time to go back to your activities. You have to be in joy and believe that Jesus will send you his Holy Spirit to help you in your mission. At each Mass, we profess the mystery of faith. And we are in the attitude of hope, waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus in glory. Ascension is for us an invitation to Have Only Positive Expectations in the coming of the Holy Spirit that Jesus has promised.

1. Ascension is a mystery of giving testimony

In today’s gospel, we heard how the Lord Jesus, before he ascended into heaven, sent his apostles in mission of evangelization: “ 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.” Then, the apostles went and proclaimed the gospel, baptizing. We have received their testimony and we’ve believed. Today, it’s our turn to go and bear witness to Jesus’ resurrection, so people can hear our testimony and believe in God. As he said to his apostles, today Jesus is telling you: “ You my friends of Placerville and Georgetown Ca, are witnesses of these things.” In other words, today, Christ relies on you. And the question is: what testimony do you give to your family and society? What testimony do you give with your behavior? What testimony do you give in the way you speak to others and talk about others? What testimony do you give in the way you look at others? Today, Christ needs you as an instrument of his gospel. As Saint Teresa of Avila said, “ Christ has no Body now, but yours. He has no hands, no feet on earth, but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ looks with compassion into the world. Yours are the feet with which Christ walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which Christ blesses the world every day.” Happy Feast of Ascension!
Rev. Pepin W. F. DANDOU
Georgetown Ca, May 23, 2020.