Look! Up in the sky…

In the church’s liturgical calendar cycle which is celebrated every year I wonder if people are able or still find meaning in what we are celebrating. I do not know to what point someone realizes the importance of liturgical celebration in the Church but what I do know is when people start to relate personally to the celebrations they become significant. Liturgical celebrations are obviously important per se but they become alive and meaningful only when people begin to ‘participate’. Today is one of these celebrations – the ascent of Jesus in heaven.

What is the significance?

Luke wrote two books, one of the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Both have an account of the ascension of the Lord and is considered the climax of his writings. This account is very essential to the early Christian communities then, later to the Church because their confession and identity is rooted in it. They confess that Jesus is Lord, in His glory and in His divinity. They identify themselves through the saving power of the risen Lord, now ‘ascended into heaven and seated at the right hand of the Father’.

The significance lies on the fact that we are united to God through Jesus, we commune with God in Jesus, and we are now glorified through Jesus. To think and to understand God apart from Jesus is impossible for us. However, the event of the ascension makes us wonder where exactly Jesus is? If he has ascended into heaven, then where is heaven? Common sense directs us to look up in the sky.

Heaven is not so much of a place but is God’s immediate presence. It points to us that heaven is Christ present and continuously working on earth through the Church and through the Spirit. Heaven is not measured by distance as one goes on a journey, rather heaven must be seen in a relational manner. Heaven involves persons communicating with each other.

Who is the Church?

The people of God identified with the crucified, risen and now glorified Lord. We are Christ’s disciples, one who follows His words and deeds. We are commissioners of Christ’s message of salvation i.e. what God has done and is doing, to bear witness about Him through the proclamation and living the message. We are commissioned to ‘go and make disciples of all nations’.

The good news is not only Christ died, was buried, and rose again. These events were more than just historical facts. The emphasis is on the risen Jesus who is alive, working and present among us through the Spirit, the true Immanuel – God with us.

If we believe in this mystery, our ministry will be that of His ministry. Our prayer, worship, praise and community life will be a life of witnessing that Jesus is alive, here and now and that heaven is never far, not up there somewhere, but deep with in us.

(pictures c/o http://www.en.wikipedia.org/ and fr Paul Lew, OP)