Reflection on Mass readings for June 1 (Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord)
Acts 1:1-11
Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
Ephesians 1:17-23
Luke 24:46-53
At this year’s Easter Vigil, I had the great joy of presiding for the first time as a pastor for the baptisms and confirmations of a number of brand-new Catholic converts. Besides being a beautiful and exciting moment in its own right, for me it was also a moment of nostalgia as I remembered how my family and I had gone through a similar journey many years prior in our own conversion to the faith.
Even though I was relatively young at the time, if there’s one emotion I remember clearly from that experience, it was anticipation: the joy of looking ahead to the promise of the graces and spiritual treasures we would receive when we were finally received into full communion in the Church.
The reality of that day was no less special when it arrived, and if anything, it was only the beginning of a new stage in our relationship with God as we got used to being members of our parish, learning all the classic Catholic prayers and devotions, and growing into the different spiritual gifts the Lord entrusted to us.
This week, joyful anticipation stands out once again as one of the most beautiful themes of the Solemnity of the Ascension, a moment that is both mysterious and hopeful as Christ is lifted up into heaven, leaving his disciples with the promise that the Holy Spirit would soon be sent to strengthen them for the work of ministry.
We can imagine that it must have been a bittersweet moment of separation, especially since Jesus had only recently returned to his friends after the tumultuous days of his Passion, death, and Resurrection. More than that, however, the Ascension was and is a sign of great hope – hope in the promise of our heavenly home that Jesus has gone before us to prepare.
Of course, the great challenge of this feast day – of living in anticipation of heaven – is, to put it simply, that we’re not there yet.
In fact, most of us may find that, without realizing it, we’re tempted to fall into one of two possible extremes. The first is similar to what the apostles did in those first moments after the Ascension, as they stared up into the sky and waited for something to happen.
It took an angelic intervention to remind them of something each of us often needs to remember as well – namely, that our faith is meant to be lived day by day, starting with the present moment.
For us, this temptation might look like treating our faith as an abstract reality that makes us feel better and gives us some hope for the future, but has little bearing on the concrete decisions that weigh us down and occupy so much of our minds and hearts.
The opposite extreme may be true as well, that we may feel overwhelmed when we consider the prospect of trying to navigate these parts of our lives in the light of Catholic teaching, especially in moments when our call to holiness is truly sacrificial.
At those times, a life of hope often looks like our own Way of the Cross, a challenge to go through the difficult process of interior conversion and changing our actions to better reflect the will of God because we know it will lead to our freedom and joy.
The good news is that, regardless of where we may struggle on our journey toward heaven, every one of us has access to the same spiritual gifts and the same Holy Spirit as Our Lord gave to his disciples. That’s the real secret to perseverance in a life lived in anticipation of eternity: we’re not meant to go through it alone.
With the help of God’s presence in our lives, the sacraments and treasures of his Church, every Catholic, whether newly baptized or many decades along the path to heaven, has the best support we could ever ask for on this journey.
In the spirit of this feast, then, let’s each take that lesson to heart, and live our faith inspired by this same hope that we share in Our Lord’s promise of heavenly glory.
Father Cassidy Stinson is the pastor of St. Jude, Radford; chaplain of Radford University Catholic Campus Ministry; and a member of the Institute of Jesus Priest, a secular institute founded by Blessed James Alberione.