Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus, which will be followed next Sunday by that of Pentecost, ” anticipated “by Christ himself, as we read in the passage from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1, 1-11): “ you will receive strength from the Holy Spirit that will come upon you, and upon me you will be witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth “.
Jesus ascends, that is, he goes up, he goes to heaven.
His task on earth is finished.
Now….it’s our turn!!!
What?
Yes.
This is the message contained in the two solemnities of Ascension and Pentecost.
Christ goes away and, as he leaves, says to the apostles: “ go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to every creature “, that is, continue my mission…thanks to the help of the “ Holy Spirit “which will come upon you.
This is Christianity.
Jesus came, he taught, he made signs, he showed us, with his death and Resurrection, that we are called to Eternity, that our life does not end on this earth but that corporal death is only a passage to real life.
Now it is up to us, if we truly believe in Him, to do the only thing we are called to do: announce the Risen Christ to everyone, tell everyone that we are made for Eternity.
Let’s face it: it would have been ” more comfortable “that Christ was not” ascended to heaven “!!!
With Him present… there would have been no need for our commitment as… He provided for everything!!!
And instead the Master calls us to co-responsibility, he calls us to be ” adult Christians “, not to remain dazed at “ look at the sky “, as the apostles did after the Ascension ( “ Men of Galilee, why are you looking at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. “. Thus ‘Acts, 1, 1-11), but to go and announce the Gospel while awaiting his return.
However, this task is up to us” do not like “.
We like the “ living room Christianity “, one made up of rites, of little prayers, but not of concrete commitment, which we believe is intended for ” religious “.
They are the ones who have chosen to follow the Lord entirely, not us.
It is therefore up to them to bear witness to Jesus.
It’s a mentality that dies hard, but it’s not the Gospel.
Christ never said that the announcement belongs to certain categories of people.
The announcement is a “ universal mission “.
Christ states: “ Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to every creature “.
Does not say: ” priests, nuns, monks, go “.
He simply says: “Go “.
And among those who have to go there are also you and me, just as we are, with all our limitations.
These shouldn’t be what scares us.
There is a beautiful episode of the television series Chosen where James the Lesser talks to Jesus and asks him how it is possible that he, a little limping, who, for the most part, was not even healed by the Lord from his problem physical, may be suitable for the advert.
Christ replies to him that he does not have to worry about his limitation because he is loved by the Lord, who considers him capable of carrying his message.
And then our limit, which can be physical, mental, must not frighten us nor must it provide us with an alibi since, in our task, we are not alone but the Lord, as he did with the apostles, ” he will act together with us and confirm the Word with signs “.
Happy Sunday and good news to everyone.
