The Promise to Return

Feast of the Ascension of the Lord

"Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven."

Today we celebrate that Ascension of the Lord. We know through reading the Acts of the Apostles that Jesus appeared many times to his apostles after the Resurrection and before returning to his Heavenly Father. These appearances were to prove not only that Jesus was indeed alive, but also to instruct his followers about the kingdom of God.

The instructions were important because through them, the apostles were given the Great Commission; that is, they were to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins until such a time when Christ would come again. Jesus handed over to his apostles everything they needed to continue his work here on Earth. In a real sense, by this Commission, the apostles were given the responsibility of becoming his co-workers in the vineyard; and by this action, all creation was now placed in man's hands!

Because Christ rose from the dead, we know that God has forgiven humanity. Our sins were washed away by the Blood of Christ. Since God has forgiven us, we must forgive others. By this forgiveness, we mean a total acceptance of a person in spite of what has been done to us. When we forgive in this way, we are participating in the perfection that is God.

With joy, we sing with the psalmist:

All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the Lord, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.