There is something almost humorous in the Ascension readings because the apostles are standing there staring into the sky while the angels are practically saying, “Why are you still standing around?” In other words, Jesus does not ascend in order to escape the world; He ascends in order to send His Church into it.
The Lord tells them in Acts that they will be His witnesses “to the ends of the earth,” and then in Matthew He gives the great command to “go and make disciples of all nations.” The Ascension is not the ending of the story. It is the beginning of the Church’s mission. Christ returns to the Father, but He leaves His work in our hands, imperfect as those hands may be. That is both humbling and frightening, because the Gospel now travels through ordinary people like us.
What is equally beautiful is that Jesus never sends the disciples out alone. Matthew’s Gospel ends with one of the greatest promises in all of Scripture: “I am with you always.” The Lord who ascends is not absent. He remains with His Church in the sacraments, in His word, and in the quiet strength of the Holy Spirit.
The apostles had their doubts, fears, and confusion, yet Christ still entrusted them with the mission of the Kingdom. That should give all of us hope. We may not feel holy enough, prepared enough, or courageous enough, but the Church has never depended solely on human strength.
The Ascension reminds us that our eyes cannot remain fixed only on heaven while ignoring the world around us. We are called to bring Christ into our homes, our workplaces, our schools, and our community, trusting that the Lord who sends us also walks beside us every step of the way.
To answer everyone’s question about the solemnity of the Ascension: The Ascension has never been on Thursday (as a holy day of obligation) in our diocese as long as I have been alive and more. I wish it was on Thursday, but the USA Bishops (except New York, Massachusetts, and Nebraska) decided to make it easier on everyone and move it to Sunday. Obviously it’s still an obligation as it’s a Sunday and every Sunday is an obligation. Period.
Lastly, I was asked to tell people how much the addition to the organ cost. It is $100,000 for the digital addition. I would be thrilled if we can offset that cost. It was too good an opportunity to not add this now while we are working on it. To add it later would add more cost.
Thank you for your consideration for the project!
Father Arisman