Until You Come Again
May 28, 2017
By Gabriel Antonio Madrid
By Gabriel Antonio Madrid
The disciples may have asked themselves, did He really have to go? Will the Master really leave His followers behind? What will become of them now? It is normal for the disciples to develop some sort of separation anxiety now that it is made known to them that the Lord is about to depart. But if we recall the previous gospels in the past week, we find Jesus consoling His disciples and strengthening them in the spirit, like a shepherd tending to his flock before he goes on a long distant travel. Like the Good Shepherd that he is, though His physical presence is gone it doesn’t mean that He is no longer with them nor does he leave His flock unattended. The Lord after enduring all these pains and trials, is risen as He said and is now ascending back in glory to the Father. This, however, is not entirely the story of Himself, but through his Paschal sacrifice, he now incorporates us within that story. He was lifted up on the cross, He has risen from the dead, He has ascended into Heaven so that we too after our fall may be lifted up and raised to new life that we may altogether share in His triumph over the bondage of sin and death.
This is the story that he has commanded his disciples to tell all nations so that we may be one in glorifying the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. By virtue of our baptism, we are also tasked with this mission and so the story does not die with the Holy Men and Women who have gone before us. It must not die with us, rather is must live on for all generations to hear and acclaim. But of course, no one said that this task would be easy as people may have diverse opinions and reactions. There is a price to pay as we are charged with this task of proclaiming this story.
The road we are to take in bringing the good news resembles that which Jesus also took. But no matter what may come, Jesus assures the faithful that He is always with us even until the end of time. When comes those days when we feel weary and lonely, we can always come to our Lord in many ways possible. He has not left his disciples without recourse. We have the Holy Eucharist to remember, celebrate and strengthen our belief in the mysteries of our faith. If we fall into error, we have the merciful presence of Jesus in the sacrament of reconciliation through the presence of the priest attending to us. These signs are set before us so that we may regain the joy of being a good Christian. The traditions we uphold and pass on, the scriptures we read understand, and proclaim, all these we do because we rely on the hope that He will come again. Lo and behold! He is coming back as He promised.
As we celebrate today the Solemnity of the ascension, we are reminded of our duty and our mission of witnessing for Christ who was crucified, died, buried and is now risen. He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. But have no fear nor be troubled, for he is coming back to take us with Him that we have a share of His victory after we have fulfilled our purpose in this earthly life. Let us not remain idle, gazing into heaven waiting for His return. Rather, let us continue to profess our faith in Him by being his witnesses, living the true message of the gospel in word, thought and deed, until He comes again.
This is the story that he has commanded his disciples to tell all nations so that we may be one in glorifying the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. By virtue of our baptism, we are also tasked with this mission and so the story does not die with the Holy Men and Women who have gone before us. It must not die with us, rather is must live on for all generations to hear and acclaim. But of course, no one said that this task would be easy as people may have diverse opinions and reactions. There is a price to pay as we are charged with this task of proclaiming this story.
The road we are to take in bringing the good news resembles that which Jesus also took. But no matter what may come, Jesus assures the faithful that He is always with us even until the end of time. When comes those days when we feel weary and lonely, we can always come to our Lord in many ways possible. He has not left his disciples without recourse. We have the Holy Eucharist to remember, celebrate and strengthen our belief in the mysteries of our faith. If we fall into error, we have the merciful presence of Jesus in the sacrament of reconciliation through the presence of the priest attending to us. These signs are set before us so that we may regain the joy of being a good Christian. The traditions we uphold and pass on, the scriptures we read understand, and proclaim, all these we do because we rely on the hope that He will come again. Lo and behold! He is coming back as He promised.
As we celebrate today the Solemnity of the ascension, we are reminded of our duty and our mission of witnessing for Christ who was crucified, died, buried and is now risen. He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. But have no fear nor be troubled, for he is coming back to take us with Him that we have a share of His victory after we have fulfilled our purpose in this earthly life. Let us not remain idle, gazing into heaven waiting for His return. Rather, let us continue to profess our faith in Him by being his witnesses, living the true message of the gospel in word, thought and deed, until He comes again.