The Ascension: Mission Begins

𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝟏𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐇 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 (𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍)

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏: 𝐀𝐜 𝟏:𝟏-𝟏𝟏

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟒𝟕:𝟐-𝟑, 𝟔-𝟗 “𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐣𝐨𝐲, 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝.”

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟐:  𝐄𝐩𝐡 𝟏:𝟏𝟕-𝟐𝟑

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐓 𝟐𝟖:𝟏𝟔-𝟐𝟎

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: “𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬…” (𝐯.𝟐𝟎) 

𝐀𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐒

In both the public and private setting, talking of missions is part and parcel of their organizational and or corporate structure. The mission defines the character of the organization regardless of their orientation.

Companies have their missions. So, it is with the military organizations around the world. To achieve their mission, they go to great lengths to define their goals, strategy, tools that are needed and of course the budgets needed to carry out their mission.

But what if you are a ragtag group without access to corporate or government resources? What you have was just the training you had with your leader who taught you everything you need to know about your mission, but he left you without operating expenses to pursue your mission.

This scenario would have dampened the enthusiasm of the disciples who were only too eager to begin their mission notwithstanding the difficulties they faced.

We see this today as we celebrate one of the most important solemnities in the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church – the Solemnity of the Ascension for the simple reason that this biblical event finally puts a cap on the questions that non-believers have raised with regards the coming back to life of Jesus Christ and his ascension into heaven.

            The other reason which is also important is the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ marks the beginning of the mission of the church that he has established which has been tasked to proclaim the gospel of love the ends of the world.

            As we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, let us ponder on the Gospel that speaks of what we now know as the Great Commission. This commission or the marching orders given to the Apostles at the end of Matthew’s Gospel was to baptize all nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The Church must have seen this gospel reading as appropriate for today’s celebration since this is one of two Scripture passages where Jesus has explicitly given specific orders on what his Apostles are to do.

            Conversely, this gospel reading also refers to the presence of the Trinitarian God in the mission of the church which also commissions us to: “go and make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭.” (𝐯.𝟏𝟗) and I view this passage as very appropriate indeed because it doesn’t just provide us with our own marching orders as disciples, but it defines the Trinitarian life that we all must live out.

            And for us to fathom what this Trinitarian life is all about, there is a need for us to at least acquire even a little knowledge of what our Trinitarian God is all about. Our Catholic faith only requires us to know and accept that there are three persons in one God – the Father who was the Creator of all things seen and unseen and the Son and the Holy Spirit who proceeded from the Father.

            Thus, a strong faith is necessary to believe in the Trinitarian God because of all the revealed truths of our Catholic faith, this is considered as the most impenetrable to reason. With only our feeble understanding, we cannot grasp the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and, this is the reason why it is called a mystery as we are unable to comprehend that there are three persons in one God.

            As Catholics who have been baptized in the Spirit, we are merely called to believe in the Trinity. Not to believe in the Trinity is like gazing at the sun trying to understand its properties but losing our sight in the process. Also, one of the reasons why it becomes difficult for us to understand the Trinity is because this is not explicitly spelled out in the Bible. In fact, the very word "Trinity" is not found in the Bible.

            Rather, it was the early Christians who discerned and decided on the Doctrine of the Trinity when they applied their God-given reason to the revelation which they had received in faith.

In 𝐉𝐧 𝟏𝟔: 𝟏𝟐:𝟏𝟓 Jesus spoke about the Father who sent Him who is the Son of God and about the Holy Spirit whom he was going to send. He said that the Father had given Him all that he has and that he in turn has given to the Holy Spirit all that he has received from the Father.

            The inner relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is in such a way that each of them is fully and equally God, yet there are not three Gods, and this is the fact that becomes incomprehensible to the human mind which is why it is called a mystery.

Like Augustine we may not be able to understand the how of the Trinity but I think it is very important to understand the why. The importance of this doctrine lies in this: We are made in the image of God, therefore, the more we understand God the more we can understand ourselves.

            And when we talk of mission, we neither refer to the physical work that we do or the projects and programs that we promote as a church or community as many have wrongly perceived but mission per se refers to the proclamation of the gospel of Christ to others and the setting may be varied for this mission can start in the home and progress to the community or neighborhood, the church or parish and eventually to those who have not had the experience of knowing Christ in a more personal way.

            Recall too that in every funeral wake you have attended you will notice that in the eulogy there are selected speakers who extol the good deeds of the person being honored and normally they talk of how well the person raised his family and how he lived his life.  

            In other words, everyone has a mission and our mission starts from our own home. How our children end up is basically dependent on the mission  

entrusted. And beyond the financial successes of every child lie the most important mission of all – to turn our children into a God-fearing person whose character personifies the image and likeness of God. (Gen 1:26)

            As I have always stressed in some of the teachings I have facilitated, everyone can chart their own future by living the present in the way they want their future to be.

It simply means that if you want to have a future that will guarantee you a room in the mansions that Jesus has reserved for you in heaven, then live your life in complete obedience to Christ who commands us to love God with all our hearts, mind and strength and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Difficult it may be, but these two commandments assure us of our heavenly future.

            In today’s gospel, Jesus promised us that he would be with us always to the end of time and he assures us of his power – a power which overcame sin and death. Now as the glorified and risen Lord and Savior, ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, Jesus has given us the power of his Holy Spirit, and this is the same power that will guide us in living our heavenly future in the here and now.

            Jesus' last words to his apostles and he is also telling us now that we have to take over his mission to be witnesses of his death and his glorious resurrection and to proclaim the Good News of salvation to all the world. This is the Trinitarian life that we are called to live and the purpose for which we have been called – God, we and the world around us. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘔𝘢𝘺 17, 2026)