Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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The Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord directs our gaze toward Heaven, where Jesus, in his glorified body, is seated at the right hand of God (Cf. Mark 16:19). It also recalls the beginning of the Church’s mission of being sent by Christ to spread the Gospel throughout the world. In this way, we are exhorted to raise our sights to Heaven without losing our focus on the earth, where we are to fulfill the tasks that the risen Lord has entrusted to us.
Jesus said in today’s Gospel that his disciples were witnesses of his death and resurrection. This meager company of common people, irrelevant in face of the world’s great powers of the time, was sent to bring Jesus’ message of the Resurrection, of Christ’s sacrificial love and God’s never-ending mercy to all corners of the earth.
This plan of God could only be realized with the strength that God himself granted to his followers, which includes us in our own place and time. Jesus assures us that the Holy Spirit will sustain our mission too. He says, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall by my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
We have been empowered by the Holy Spirit, who has gifted us with everything needed to fulfill this mission of giving testimony to the crucified and risen Christ. For those of us who have received the sacrament of Confirmation, we have also received the special gifts of the Holy Spirit — wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and the fear of the Lord — that help to strengthen us as we carry out the mission entrusted to us.
The Lord’s Ascension into Heaven inaugurates a new way of Jesus’ presence in our midst. He remains with us until the end of the age in this new way. The Holy Spirit reminds us of everything he taught us so that we can teach others that God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that whoever believes in him might no perish, but have eternal life. The glorified existence of Jesus in Heaven is the hope we have for ourselves. Let us share this hope with others. It is a hope that will not disappoint.
Have a blessed week everyone.