1. -- Lanie LeBlanc OP -
2. -- Dennis Keller OP -
3. -- Fr. John Boll OP -
4. --
5. --(Your reflection can be here!)

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Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

June 1, 2025

Acts 1:1-11; Responsorial Psalm 47; Hebrews 9:24-28 & 10:19-23;
Gospel Acclamation Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 24:46-53

Forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus took leave of his disciples and returned to his Father. A couple of interesting thoughts about the ascension and the forty days Jesus spent with his disciples. The first is about forty days. Luke, in the Acts of the Apostles writes that Jesus came to the disciples, speaking about the Kingdom of God. In Luke’s version, Jesus tells them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father, the baptism by the Spirit sent by the Father. Luke chooses the forty-day span because forty is a number designating enough time for instruction, for developing a culture, and answering questions. Jesus reminded them of his ministry, his miracles, and the prophecies that foretold him and his work. We spent these forty days living the mysteries we heard during Lent. The Greeks called these forty days the mystagogue, a walking around in the mysteries. This is the Church’s way of emphasizing the teaching, culture, and answering questions of new members of the Church community baptized on Easter Vigil. For those of us who spent years practicing our faith, it is a time for refreshing our understanding of the Church as Community. In the six weeks of Easter this year we heard repeatedly from the Acts of the Apostles, telling us about the early church community as a model for our church now. The second reading this year was from the Book of Revelation, warning of breakdowns in moral conduct and what resulted from community failures to follow the message of the Lord. It pointed to a final result of a new heaven and a new earth – crowned by a heavenly Jerusalem. There would be no death, no mourning, tears would be wiped away.

The second point of question focuses on Ascension. The Ascension returned Jesus to the Heavenly Jerusalem with the Father and the Spirit. Jesus insisted he would not leave us orphans, but he and the Father would send the Spirit to continue guiding and energizing us in our pursuit of personal and collective fullness of our Persons in accordance with God’s plan. An interesting question, however, remains. If heaven is a place of spirits and is invisible to us, where is the resurrected Body of Jesus? Jesus is more than a spirit. His body, as with each of us, is part of our person. Ah, questions to find answers to --- after we make the transition, when we have finished our journey on earth, in our community of the Church there is a resurrection promised by Jesus’ resurrection.

 The gospel in this celebration of Jesus’ ascension gives the disciples one last instruction for their education and personal growth. He looks to the prophets to insist that what he endured was foretold by the prophets. Reading the second book of Isaiah will refresh our thinking as well. In that book, Isaiah writes about the ‘suffering servant’ through whose sufferings the nation is saved. We might ask, “Saved from what? Saved for what?” The easy answer is “sin.” But questions pile up on questions when we use that codeword. “What is sin?” Easy answers do not satisfy inquiring minds. An easy answer could define the disaster of sin would be, “Sin is any choice, any course of action, or thought that robs us of freedom.” Take, for example, the sin of Idolatry. Idolatry is a sin that captures us and has us spend our lives, our fortune, our loves on a thing, a pleasure, a course of action, a hatred that captures us and creates a never-ending impulse toward what is not God. Could be financial, could be social, could be pleasure, could be mind and soul robbing drugs, could be power over others and abuse of nature. All these and many more things, in fact, steal our freedom. We become slaves. And those taskmasters have no mercy. Robbing another of their freedom by abuse, manipulation, and enslavement affects those who are thieves. The Hebrew Scriptures is about freedom. All Christian Scriptures are about freedom.

In the Ascension, Jesus goes to the Father and together they send the advocate, the one who stands with us, who whispers to our spirits, who encourages us, and inspires us to goodness ---AND freedom.

We celebrate the Ascension on Sunday following the forty-day period as a matter of making certain that our Church hears about the Ascension and what it means. It is worth celebrating.

Seventh Sunday of Easter

June 1, 2025

Acts 7:58-60; Responsorial Psalm 97; Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, & 20;
Gospel Acclamation John 14:18; John 17:20-26

Even though in North America, the Seventh Sunday of Easter gives way to the solemnity of the Ascension, the Scriptures are helpful. These writings are the last chapter of Easter mystagogue.

The martyrdom of Stephen, one of the seven deacons chosen to serve gentile Christians, takes center stage. This martyrdom sets the scene for this last teaching in the Easter Season about the Church, that Community of Jesus. Stephen preached about the Kingdom of God/Heaven. He had been condemned by the Sanhedrin for his teaching. Filled with the Holy Spirit Stephen had a vision of heaven and Jesus, the Son of Man at God’s right hand. The Son of Man title is one that arose in both pagan culture as well as in the Book of Daniel. That title was given the one who would come on a cloud to bring in pagan culture a change in society unforeseen and unprepared for. In Daniel it was the One who would bring freedom to the Nation. The Sanhedrin, complicit in the torture and death of Jesus, knew he was talking about Jesus as the Son of Man. Stephen’s teaching was heard as an accusation against their failure to accept Jesus as the Son of Man. Stephen’s testimony to the Sanhedrin, not listed in our selection, spoke of the rejection of Moses and subsequent prophets. Luke refers to the prophets who spoke God’s truth to the Chosen Nation. All prophets were accepted by many and rejected by many. Those who rejected chose violence and persecution to silence those prophets. Only those whose hearts and minds are free of idolatry are able to hear, understand, and live according to the words of God coming through the prophets. Idolatry is a terrible choice for human life. The worship of wealth, of power, of notoriety blinds the heart to truth. It is only ever expanding and demanding pursuit of those idols that enslave and rob the human spirit of freedom. Living in accord with the true and good overcomes those shackles. Reviewing the history of Israel, it is evident that every time the nation – especially in its leadership – fell into worshiping idols, the nation suffered much to survive and be self-governing. There is no reason for us to think otherwise in our time. Any displacement of God as the God of loving kindness for all creation brings violence, hatred, and destruction of the wonder of community living. Aspirations and campaigns for total wealth, total power, and adulation rob humanity of common sense. The wonder and value of each unique citizen that is the basis of community is destroyed. Community surrenders to rugged individualism.

The gospel makes clear the opposite of effects of idolatry. John’s gospel this Sunday is the prayer of Jesus at the last meal with the disciples before his execution. This prayer to the Father asks Him that those who believe in Jesus are united with each other in the same way the Father and Jesus are one. This prayer for community joined by love and respect for the dignity and worth of every person is central to Faith in Jesus. That faith is witnessed in Jesus’ ministry, his miracles, and most certainly in his death and resurrection and in the One who sent him into the world. There is a constant story of Jesus’ love. Even in his criticism of religious leadership, his work and words are meant to turn their hearts. That is the message of the prophets, which is revelation of the Mosaic Law. That was the message of the Baptist who was prophet announcing the Kingdom of God.

There is a warning in this blessing as well. Jesus prays, “Righteous Father, the world does not know you.” The implication is that the world does not want to know the truth, the good, and what righteousness is in living.

This is Jesus’ farewell to the disciples. The prayer to the Father is heard by the disciples and opens the ears of their hearts to what the Father and the Christ will send on Pentecost. The Spirit continues the presence of God among those who love Jesus. That presence continues the growth of the Kingdom of God, of Heaven in time and place.

Dennis Keller Dennis@PreacherExchange.com
 

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Volume 2 is for you. Your thoughts, reflections, and insights on the next Sundays readings can influence the preaching you hear. Send them to preacherexchange@att.net. Deadline is Wednesday Noon. Include your Name, and Email Address.
-- Fr. John