Ascension of the Lord – B 

From the very first days in the history of our Church, Christians have lived with feet firmly planted on the earth and eyes gazing upwards toward heaven.

This is what we recognize in the Apostles of Jesus as we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord.

The Apostles cannot help but have their eyes drawn heavenward as they witness Jesus leave this earth and return to heaven where he is seated at the right hand of the Father. Jesus' Apostles are also reminded by Him that they are to keep their feet firmly planted on the earth where they are to be His eyes and ears, His voice, His hands and feet, as they continue on earth the work he began, until He comes again.

This is our posture as we take the place of the Apostles and the first Christians as disciples of the Risen Lord in our world today.

Our eyes are fixed on heaven above as we look forward in hope to what we pray will be our eternal destiny – life with Jesus and the angels and saints, with all of our relatives and friends who have gone before us, in God's heavenly kingdom.

We also keep our feet firmly planted on the earth – attending first of all to the needs of our families, participating in the life of the Church, working for justice in our world, beginning in our own community.

Our work on behalf of the homeless and hungry, the immigrant and the abused, the unborn and the sick and the dying, begin here on earth the realization of the human dignity that will be revealed in its fullness in heaven.

Our care and concern, our attention and our energy, our love and affection, which we share generously with family, friends, neighbors, fellow-parishioners, all help to form bonds that unite us on earth, that do not unravel with death, and which give us a glimpse of the what the fullness of the communion of the saints will be like in heaven.

Our sharing in the sacraments, of initiation, of our vocations, of healing and forgiveness, are encounters with the Risen Lord that strengthen and give us joy and hope now, and that increase our longing for the day when we will see Jesus face to face.

In our homes, in our parish and Church, in our communities, our feet are planted firmly in the ground, and we are the eyes and ears, the hands and feet, the voice of Jesus in our world today.

We are also a people who know and believe that our kingdom is not of this world, and so we keep or eyes fixed on the life that is to come, in the kingdom where Jesus is seated at the right hand of His Father in heaven.

As we continue to do the work of Jesus here on earth, may we follow where he has led and find our hope in His glory, for He lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen!

Thomas P. Ferguson
May 28, 2006