Ascension 2009
May 2009
Today we celebrate the feast of the Ascension of Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus of Nazareth , the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, was sent by the Father who is the First Person of the Holy Trinity, to show us what the Father is like. When he had done this he returned to the Father (today , the feast of the Ascension).
He returned to the Father not to go away but to be with us in a new, more effective way. This he did by sending us the Holy Spirit who is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. (We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit next Sunday, the feast of Pentecost).
Through the Holy Spirit, who now abides in me, the Father and the Son also abide in me.
Now let’s see what all the above might mean.
While Jesus of Nazareth was physically among his followers it anyone wanted to see him or talk to him they had to look around to see where he was, and if they couldn’t see him they had to ask someone if they knew where he was. Then they had to go and search for him and if they found him they had to walk up to him and catch his attention by saying something like ‘excuse me but could I have a word with you.’
Or you might be told that he wasn’t around but had gone to Capernaum which was forty miles away. Having reached Capernaum you might well find that he had crossed the sea of Galilee and was presently at the other side.
For those who wanted to see and talk to Jesus this was far from an ideal situation.
Once Jesus had returned to the Father and sent the Holy Spirit things changed completely. The followers of Jesus no longer needed to find out where he was or to travel to meet and talk with him. Now Jesus was in them and they were in Jesus.
When I was at school, long, long ago, I had to learn poetry.
The poems were in a book which I had to buy. I had to carry the book to school and bring it home again every day. Every time I wanted to read a particular poem I had to find the book, open it, find the right page and then read the poem. If I couldn’t find the book I couldn’t read the poem. After a period of time, doing this every day, I realised that I no longer needed to find the book to read the poem. I knew the poem by heart and I could recite it any time I wished without the book.
Now I knew the poem in a different way. The poem had become part of me.
Even today, over fifty five years later, it is still part of me and I can recite it any time I wish. (recite poem).
This is what happened after the Ascension. Jesus was no longer visibly among them. They no longer had to look around to see where he was. He was now part of them and present to them all the time but in a different, more complete, way.