Feast of the Ascension [C]

 



FEAST OF THE ASCENSION [C] 


We’ll open with a baseball expression: Going, going, GONE!! That’s the announcer, tracking the ball after it has been hit. We hear that it’s going, it’s going. Upon clearing the fence it is finally pronounced as “gone!!”  And yet, you have to be sure that it really has found its way into the seats. A talented outfielder can time his jump and turn a homerun into an out. 


It does happen. A great number of people were watching when Tori Hunter denied Barry Bonds back in 2002. People were watching because it was the annual All-Star game, pitting the best of the National League against the best of the American League. It was the top of the first inning when Bonds launched a ball to deep center field. The ball was passing over the fence, when suddenly Hunter extended himself and made the catch. The ball was going and going. But it could not be pronounced as gone. 


Now, let’s turn our attention to the person of Jesus. We acknowledge the fact that he is ascending to the Father. It can be said that he is going…and going. Should we pronounce him as gone? He has literally cleared everything: the fence, the ball-park, the clouds, even the very stratosphere! How can we not pronounce him as gone? Do we see any evidence at all, pointing to the contrary? 


Perhaps we should inspect Tori Hunter’s glove? Or better still, it might be worth reflecting back on recent events. Recall, for example, that ritualized meal Jesus celebrated in the Upper Room. That’s where the Eucharist was born. Through the miracle of the Eucharist, Jesus can now be experienced in the bread and the wine. And furthermore, he wants to be experienced in this way. He’s very explicit about it: Do this in memory of me (LK 22:19). 


Jesus speaks clearly when he’s presiding in the Upper Room. And he continues to speak clearly when he summons the disciples to gather around him in Galilee. The parting words of our Lord can be found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter twenty eight: Behold, I am with always, to the end of the age (28:20). With that, he ascends. He’s going. He’s going. Nevertheless, we can’t think of him as gone. He continues to be “with us”—through the mystery of the Eucharist. 

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