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Seventh Week of Easter
Collect
Almighty God, fill us with a holy joy; teach us how to thank you with reverence and love on account of the ascension of Christ your Son. You have raised us up with him: where he, the head, has preceded us in glory, there we, the body, are called in hope. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reflection
Through the Paschal Mystery, Jesus is acknowledged: Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil 2:11)!
Jesus’ journey from death to life was completed when he ascended into heaven and sat at the right hand of the Father and sent the Holy Spirit upon his disciples.
Before he departed from them, Jesus left clear instructions to the eleven: “In a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.”
Then, there was still something important missing from their formation. They were chosen by Jesus, they were taught by him, they were eyewitnesses to all that he had done, they saw him at various times and ate with him after his resurrection. But this was not enough. Something still needed to be accomplished in Jesus’ salvific plan: the coming of the Spirit of God, as was prophesied.
Jesus chose his disciples to be his witnesses throughout the world. To this point, most of us would understand and we might also try to be witnesses at times in our lives. But no human effort is enough to undertake an authentic work of witness. Jesus continues to assert: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation” – Is everyone called to go into all the world? No! But everyone is called to go, by which I mean to leave his or her comfortable environment and preach the Gospel. How can this be done? This surely cannot be done by one’s efforts alone. We need the Holy Spirit; we need his gifts. As the Eleven had a relationship with Jesus that transformed them gradually, we also need a relationship with Jesus that transforms us, transforms our values and our priorities. This is the work of the Spirit within us.
“Whoever believes and is baptised”– We believe and are baptised. The first disciples did not have these advantages! In our case, we were first baptised, and then we were taught to believe. We cannot begin our journey of faith as disciples of the Lord without them. Jesus also refers to the signs and effects that will accompany those who believe and are baptised: salvation, casting out demons … We must ask this question: Are these signs apparent in our lives? Do we give them importance, or we behave as if these words of Jesus before his Ascension do not include us?
“He sat at the right hand of God” – This declaration is a part of our Creed. Upon this truth, the New Testament constructs Jesus’ salvific work in Heaven. Seated at the right hand of the Father, the Lamb of God intercedes for us through the power of his Blood. Jesus’ intercession has one aim, which he himself had explained: We can only go to the Father through him. When we require something truly important, do we go to Jesus or to someone else?
