May 16, 2021
Seventh Sunday of Easter (Year B)
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus. Traditionally this feast is observed forty days after Easter on Ascension Thursday and is considered to be a Holy Day of Obligation. However, most provinces now celebrate the Ascension on the Seventh Sunday of Easter so that more of the faithful can fulfill the obligation on this most holy day.
The importance of this feast for the Church is demonstrated by the fact that it dominates the theme for both the First Reading (Acts 1:1-11) and the Gospel for today (Mk. 16:15-20). The scene in both readings is somewhat similar. Jesus takes the disciples to an outdoor area and gives them a small speech with details concerning their upcoming mission. Then he is taken up into heaven in their presence while they prepare for what is to come.
Within the simplicity of the scene there exist some distinct differences between the two versions both of which impart unique significance to the event. As a common feature of Mark’s Gospel, the context and content of the Ascension scene are relatively short and uncomplicated. After the Resurrection when the women flee the empty tomb (Mk. 16:1-8), Jesus appears briefly to two disciples and to Mary Magdalene (16:9-13). Then he meets the eleven at the table where they are assembled in Galilee and gives them their commission (16:14-18): “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” (Mk. 16:15).
He tells them that baptized believers will be saved, whereas those who do not believe will be condemned. He also tells them that those who believe will have signs that accompany them – they will drive out demons, speak new languages, and heal the sick. Finally, when Jesus is finished speaking to them, he is taken up to heaven to sit at the right hand of God.
In the chronology of Mark’s Gospel, the Ascension takes place on the same day as the Resurrection. As a matter of fact, that the Ascension occurs on the same day as the Resurrection is given a sense of urgency in John’s Gospel. When Jesus meets Mary Magdalene at the tomb and she finally realizes his identity, he tells her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” (Jn. 20:17).
These words of Jesus have led scholars to consider the Resurrection and Ascension to have occurred as a single event on Easter Sunday. The reasoning lies in the salvific nature of the death of Jesus on the cross. Jesus first revealed the sacrificial nature of his death at the Last Supper when he offered his body and blood as the New Passover lamb. This sacrifice, which would accomplish the release from slavery of sin for all believers, was inaugurated by his death on the cross. But the sin offering would not be complete until Jesus ascended into heaven so that he could present himself to the Father in the heavenly Temple, as the Lamb of God who was slain for the redemption of the world. This was the accomplishment of the Paschal Mystery – the life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus.
When we look at the reading from the book of Acts, Luke also refers to this day of the Ascension of Jesus. He speaks of his “first book,” the Gospel of Luke, and how he had dealt with all that Jesus had done and taught “until the day he was taken up after giving instruction through the holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen” (Acts 1:1-2). Like with Mark’s Gospel, this event has occurred on Easter Sunday.
However, Luke makes a unique addition to his passage in Acts. He announces that Jesus has continued to present himself alive to his followers for a period of forty days. During this time, he has offered further proof that he has risen from the dead and he speaks to them about the kingdom of God. He also instructs them to remain in Jerusalem to wait for “the promise of the Father,” which would be the sending of the Holy Spirit on the Feast of Pentecost (Acts. 1:4-5).
In the tradition of Israel, these forty days would have been a significant time for the disciples as a period of purification and preparation. It was like the forty years the Israelites spent wandering in the wilderness with Moses to be ready to enter the Promised Land. And it was like the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert, praying, and fasting and preparing for his work as the Son of God.
Yet at the end of these forty days, the disciples still do not completely understand what they are supposed to do. Because when they gather for the last time, they ask Jesus, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). The disciples still think that the kingdom of God that Jesus has proclaimed will be a time of restoration for Israel. They think it will be a release for their nation from their oppressors like at the time of the Exodus from Egypt or the captivity of the Babylonian Exile. But this time has not yet come. For Jesus tells 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.” (Acts 1:7-8).
With these words, Jesus is taken up to heaven on a cloud as they look intently at the sky. While two men dressed in white garments ask them why they are standing there looking up in the sky. This Jesus, the men say, will return in the same way. Jesus had promised as much at his trial before the Sanhedrin: “You will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Mk. 14:62).
The Ascension for Luke marks the end of the appearances of Jesus for the disciples. They are left on their own. But in a short while they will receive what Jesus promised, the gift of the Holy Spirit. With this guiding presence, they will finally have a true understanding of their mission to spread the gospel message. They will know with certainty that Jesus, crucified and risen, is the long- awaited Messiah and savior of the Jews. As his witnesses they will establish his Church and announce the good news of salvation for all of those baptized into Christ.
We might compare these two Ascension scenes from Mark and Luke to our own Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. In Mark’s Gospel the disciples are novices. They have received the faith of the Resurrection that has been passed on to them and they have received the Holy Spirit. They are like Christians who inherit the faith of their parents and godparents and receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism through the actions of the priest or deacon. But the disciples in this case are still like children. They stand there looking at the sky not knowing what to do. They do not yet possess enough knowledge to begin their work as apostles to deliver the message of Christ.
In Luke’s version the disciples get what they need – a period of training from Jesus in order to truly understand the meaning of his Kingdom and the work that they are called to do in his name. Obviously, they had received many teachings from Jesus before, but now all of this needs to be reinterpreted in light of his death and Resurrection. Once they have received the necessary insight, the Holy Spirit comes and gives them the faith, guidance, and courage to precede with their tasks to begin the transformation of the world until Jesus returns.
We might say this is their “Confirmation,” the Sacrament that we receive as young adults. After perhaps ten or more years of catechism and faith formation, once again it is the reception of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands of the priest or bishop that imparts to us the gifts to act out our faith as mature Christians. Unlike the followers of Jesus, the reception of the Holy Spirit may not give us the power to work signs. We may not be able to “speak in tongues,” cure the sick, or exorcise demons. But we do receive the same gifts – wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
Jesus told his disciples that he had to ascend to the Father: “It is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you” (John 16:7). This is the reason we celebrate today. Knowing we can proudly become disciples working toward the reordering of God’s creation in the plan of salvation as a result of the Ascension and the promise of the Father that Jesus leaves behind.
