The appearance to the disciples

REFLECTIONS TODAY**media[16044]**First Reading • Acts 1:1-11 In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the Kingdom of God. While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.Gospel • Luke 24:46-53 Jesus said to his disciples: “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.Go and tell the good news! There are times in life when we have to leave our homeland for a greater cause. No matter how much we want to remain comfortable where we are, circumstances push us, or we choose to leave that familiar space in order to pursue something more important. As in any journey, we expect challenges but also joyful discoveries. Or we may fall in the process, but heaven may be kind enough to lift us back and even put us to a higher place than before. So, departures have their own risks, but also have their own rewards. Today’s solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord celebrates the vindication of Jesus as he willingly descended from heaven and chose to be with humanity, as one of, and like, them, except for sin (Heb 4:15). In order to save the world and humanity immersed in sin, he descended on earth and taught and led people to salvation, to deliverance from their sins. But being of ordinary stature, his own did not accept him, although not all of them, as John the Evangelist says—for there were also those who did accept him (Jn 1:11-12). Ironically, those who were eagerly awaiting and watching for the signs of the Messiah’s coming missed the very sign itself (himself). And even when Jesus pointed out to them how he was the promised Messiah, they still did not believe and accept him. Nonetheless, Jesus did not waver in his resolve but continued to fulfill his mission in words and deeds. In the end, as he realized it was the hour for him to face his “glory,” he willingly accepted his fate as his enemies ganged up on him until they killed him by hanging him on a cross like a criminal. But because of his obedience, because he did not cling on to his human life, but offered it for sinful humanity, God vindicated him by raising him from the dead and exalted him, as the Philippians hymn professes (Phil 2:6-11). Having finished his mission on earth, having completed his journey, he ascended back to the Father, to where he came from. It was not an easy journey, to say the least, but he fully fulfilled his mission: his cross became the symbol of the salvation he came down for. As Christians, we can choose to become comfortable where we are. We can ignore what the rest of the world is experiencing and just be content with our blessings. But that is not what a Christian is. A Christian is one who follows Jesus, the Master: the master who risked his life, who did not cling to his being God, but as Paul says, emptied himself and took the form of a slave (Phil 2:7). Thus, our vocation as Christians is to go out of our own selves, our families, our own familiar and comfortable zones, and reach out to where there is need of help, of redemption, of salvation. We are the face, the hands, the heart of Jesus in today’s world. And we can only aspire to “ascend” to our final home in the measure that we are willing to stoop down and descend from our egoism to become a person for others. As the angels reminded the apostles who were mesmerized by what they saw, as Jesus was lifted up to heaven before them, they were to go back to Galilee (Acts 1:9-11). As we await the Lord’s return, we cannot simply stare at the heavens and wait idly. We are to be busy with the Lord’s affairs. He will come; that is for certain.Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2025,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.