By Rev. Joe McCloskey, SJ
“Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at
the sky?” Acts 1:11a
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you
may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of
glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing
greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his
great might. Ephesians 1:18-19
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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. And behold, I am with you always, until the
end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
Piety
Our piety is forever
asking us the question of the angels to the Apostles. Why stand you here
idle?” Piety is our love of the Lord and
our love is shown by actions. The command of the Lord is simplicity itself. The
Father has given all power in heaven to him. Christ’s command is that we make
disciple of all the nations. He promises his presence to us to the end of time.
He asks us to pass on to others what we have learned from him.
Study
We look at what Christ
must have been wondering about to himself. The task was so daunting that he
must have wondered how he was going to be able to spread what he taught the
Apostles through them. He must have looked to the Spirit with a desire for his
apostles that we cannot imagine. At the last Supper he prayed not only for them
but also for those who would come to believe because of the Apostles. That is
the endless prayer of Christ that comes down through the ages. Christ is
praying for those who will come to believe because of us. The task is daunting;
but all is possible to the love of God.
Action
Our actions speak the
reality of God in our life. Our actions are how we get our feet back on the
solid ground of walking as extensions of Christ in all we say and do. We have
to be more than space cadets looking up to the sky without any connection to
the Church and the Mystical Body of Christ that we are all parts of by our
apostolates that flow from our Baptism. Actions
speak louder than words. We can preach always by our lives and occasionally use
words. The Ascension is the Nativity of Eternal Life for the Church. We claim
the Resurrection of Christ by the joy of the Resurrection already ours by our
vision of the Christ of the Resurrection. Christ comes back into our lives by
the work of the Spirit that gives us the seven gifts of Wisdom, Knowledge,
Counsel, Understanding, Piety, Fortitude and Fear of the Lord. These gifts strengthen and enlighten the way
we try to do the work of Christ. These gifts of the Spirit allow us to be the
continuity of the humanness of Christ by the way we live out the Sacramental
life of the Church. Our Baptism makes us the presence of Christ in all that we
are doing to spread the waters of Baptism over our world.
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