THE END OF THE BEGINNING: SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD – A | May 17, 2026


THE END OF THE BEGINNING

We have all stood at a “departure gate” at some point in our lives. Perhaps it was dropping a child off at college, saying goodbye to a friend moving across the country, or standing at the bedside of a loved one passing into eternal life. In those moments, there is a profound sense of “looking up” or “looking away”, a feeling that something central to our world is leaving us behind.

Today, as we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord, the Apostles are standing at their own departure gate. On the Mount of Olives, they watch as Jesus is “lifted up” until a cloud takes him from their sight. They stand there, necks craned, eyes fixed on the sky, probably feeling a mix of wonder and a crushing sense of abandonment. But then, two men in white garments ask a question that cuts through their trance: “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” (Acts 1:11). The Ascension is not a story about Jesus leaving; it is a story about how He begins to stay with us in a brand-new way.

In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus promises the power of the Holy Spirit. He doesn't want the disciples to be “spectators” of his glory; He wants them to be “witnesses” of his grace.

There is a human tendency to want to stay on the mountaintop. (We remember the experience of the three disciples during the Transfiguration of the Lord) We want to keep Jesus in a “sacred bubble” where things are peaceful and clear. But the Ascension tells us that Christ “ascended” not to get away from our mess, but to fill the entire universe with His presence. As St. Paul tells the Ephesians, God put all things under Christ’s feet and made Him the head over all things for the Church, which is His body.

If we spend all our time “looking at the sky”, waiting for a miracle to drop from the heavens or longing for a distant, “someday” heaven, we might miss the fact that Christ is standing right next to us in the person of our neighbor, friend, our spouse, or the stranger in need.

The Gospel of Matthew gives us the “Great Commission.” Jesus says, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Mt 28:19). 

Jesus himself indicated three steps to fulfil his command. We all need, above all, to “Go!” Leave our comfort zone and our own ideas. Leave what we believe and know. “Baptize!” In the sacraments, we experience God’s presence. “Teach!” by example, by a credible way of life; to teach what he commanded rather than their own personal opinions.

This can feel overwhelming. We examine our own lives, our doubts, our busy schedules, and our feelings of inadequacy, and we think, “How can I be a witness?”

Jesus, of course, knows everything. He is aware of our doubts and weaknesses. However, He doesn't wait for the apostles, and for us today to be perfect or for their doubts to vanish before He gives them the mission. He simply gives them a promise: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:20).

This is the beautiful paradox of the Ascension. Jesus goes away so that He can be closer to us than ever before. He is no longer limited to one physical body in one town in Galilee; through the Church and the Eucharist, He is present in every corner of the earth.

A famous prayer attributed to St. Teresa of Avila says: “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world.”

Today, as we celebrate the Lord mounting His throne amid shouts of joy, let us stop “staring at the sky.” Let us look at our hands and realize they are His hands. Let us look at our community and realize we are His body.

Jesus has finished His earthly work so that we can begin ours. He has gone before us to show us where we are headed, but He remains behind to give us the strength to get there. There is work to be done, a world to be transformed, a gospel to be preached, and we are the preachers. Our mission, brothers and sisters, starts now. We shall go then to the people out there and proclaim by words and deeds that “Jesus Christ loves you; He gave his life to save you; and now He is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen, and free you.”

We shall go ahead, dear friends, without fear, remembering the Lord’s words in today’s Gospel: “I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt 28:20). It is the lasting promise of the new and eternal covenant, and we celebrate that presence joyfully in this sacrament of unity and faith, the Eucharist, in remembrance of Him.


By B’rata Joe H., sdb – P’titeLight


 

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