AletheiAnveshana: “You Ascended on High” Acts 1:1-11; Eph 1:17-23; Mk 16:15-20

Saturday, 11 May 2024

“You Ascended on High” Acts 1:1-11; Eph 1:17-23; Mk 16:15-20

 

“You Ascended on High”

Acts 1:1-11; Eph 1:17-23; Mk 16:15-20

O sing to the Lord, make music to his name; make a highway for him who rides on the clouds. Alleluia. 

Today, the liturgical readings reflect upon the celebration of the Ascension of the Lord, who ascended into heaven on the fortieth day after Easter. The Ascension of the Lord Jesus implies that all the purposes of his incarnation and advent are accomplished in and through his passion, death and resurrection. Jesus did not leave the earth until he accomplished everything on earth that God entrusted him to do. In his recorded intercessory prayer, addressing his Father, he exclaimed, “I have glorified you on the earth: I have finished the work which you gave me to do.”

The highest reward for this accomplished mission was to return to the Father and occupy his thrown which he had before the creation of the universe. He returned to the same glory that he had as John the evangelist proclaims, “In the beginning was the word. And the word was God. And word was with God” (Jn 1:1-3). It is our belief too. Our savior Jesus Christ sits now on the right hand of God as our Intercessor too. The apostle Paul says to the Romans, “It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us (Rom 8:34). He died for us. He died that he might offer eternal life to us. He lives that he may be our advocate as well as our propitiation with the Father.

As he ascended to the Father, he left his mission to his followers. The church is the community of his followers. She has a preaching task to tell the story of his good news to those who have never heard of it. The church has a healing task to bring health to the body and health to the soul of every creature. The church has a source of power to have the power to lift venomous snakes and drink poisonous liquids and take no harm. Yet, the church is never left alone to do this task. Always Christ works with her and in and through her. The Lord of the church works still in the church through his Spirit.

And the risen Jesus empowers us to carry on his work. Jesus’ last words to his apostles point to his saving mission and to their mission to be witnesses. And it is to give witness to his saving death and his glorious resurrection and to proclaim the good news of salvation to all the world. Our task is to proclaim the Gospel - the good news of salvation to all the nations. God’s love and gift of salvation is not reserved for a few or for one nation alone, but it is for the whole world - all who accept it. The Gospel is the power of God, the power to release people from their burden of guilt, sin, oppression, power to heal, restore, and make us whole. Let us also ascend from earthly things to the heavenly things in our day today spiritual journey.

Each of us has been given a special gift to build up the body of Christ

 

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