Last Updated on July 5, 2023 by Gloria M. Chang
Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:17-23, Matthew 28:16-20
Spirit Ignites Spirit
At the empty tomb and the Ascension in Luke’s writings, two men dressed in white suddenly appear and ask, “Why?” Heaven seems amused by these scenarios.
Jesus defies death and now gravity as well. In the forty days between these two astonishing events, he also popped in and out of spaces, walked through walls, and effected a miraculous catch of fish. In the face of such wonders, the disciples’ parting words betray their worldly minds: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
With infinite patience, Jesus redirects them to the source of true power and authority. In the space of a novena, they will receive “the promise of the Father” when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, giving them grace and strength to be his witnesses “to the ends of the earth.”
The fire of the Holy Spirit is necessary because seeing is not always believing. In the Gospel of Matthew, the eleven disciples gathered at the mountain saw Jesus but doubted.
Empirical evidence fails to convict when it comes to matters of the spirit. Spirit ignites spirit to open the eyes of the heart.
“May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,” St. Paul prays for the Ephesians, “that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call…”
Jesus will return the same way he ascended, proclaim the heavenly visitors. They leave us in suspense.