Word to the Wise
Sunday, May 16, 2021 - Ascension of the Lord - B
[Acts 1:1-11; opt: Eph 4:1-13 or 4:1-7, 11-13; Mark 16:15-20]So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs. [Mark]
It is graduation weekend at Texas Tech, the university our Dominican community serves. After more than 30 years of campus ministry experience, one would think I could get accustomed to saying "farewell" to students whom I welcomed four years (more or less) ago. Actually, it has gotten harder! This year particularly I am saying "farewell" to one or two students with whom I have become close friends. I know that we will "stay in touch" but the university context and calendar has been such a shaping influence that one worries if time and distance will erode the special relationships. Experience has taught me that it requires effort and dedication to maintain those. These thoughts have been at the front of my mind as we celebrate this very weekend the feast of the Ascension of the Lord.
The disciples had a "roller coaster" time of it. First, there was the grief and disappointment at the death of Jesus followed by the amazement, joy, and confusion of his resurrection. And now, he leaves again! And they are left with a big "What next?" The "What next?" will be the coming of the Holy Spirit and the preaching of the gospel to all ends of the earth. The relationship with the Lord did not disappear but remains in the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is not his physical presence alone that matters (we do have the Eucharist as the reminder of that form of presence) but the relationship in faith and love, which we offer to others as witnesses.
The sadness of graduation departures and the "What next?" questions about treasured relationships must yield to the joy (and effort) of long term presence in one another's lives. The results of the disciples' response to the "What next?" are with us today as we gather to celebrate the "departure" of the Lord's Ascension AMEN