The Mission Is Ours
We are called, we are chosen.
We are Christ for one another.
We are promised to tomorrow,
while we are for him today.
Anthem by Tom Conry
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. We remember that Jesus, immediately before ascending to His Father in Heaven, gathered His followers around Him, told them that He was leaving in order to prepare a place for them in the Kingdom, and passed on His mission to them.
Jesus knew that both His loss as well as the mission would place a heavy burden on His followers. That is why He promised that great signs and wonders would accompany them and that they would be instrumental in drawing more people to God.
What a wonderful job to be given and what a frightening job to boot. Wonders or not, the followers of Jesus knew that they would be met with great opposition. Even when Jesus was among them, there were many who would not believe Him. With Jesus gone, they would be fearful that their message would not be received or understood. But they went out and proclaimed the message nonetheless and great signs and wonders did, indeed, accompany them.
That same job is handed off to us today. We, descendants of the disciples of old, are challenged to proclaim the Good News and to bring a piece of the Kingdom into the world each time we speak or act. The job is just as important today and we have the same Spirit leading us and guiding us as did the apostles and disciples. Of that we have no need to fear.
Fear truly is useless. It does nothing for us and works against us. Why fear when our champion is the Lord, Jesus Christ? He has won the victory over sin and death and opened for us the gates of heaven. He has also sent the Holy Spirit to His people and given us the many gifts that flow from the Spirit. If He has done all of that, why fear? Why worry? Instead, let us place our hope and trust in Him and pick up the mission that He began.
It might seem like a daunting task until we remember that He did not ask us to do it all by ourselves. We are brothers and sisters in the Lord and together we are called to proclaim the Good News. Many hands make light work.
FAITH ACTION: Ask God to give you the gifts that you need to be a faithful witness to His Son, Jesus Christ, in this world of ours. Proclaim the Good News by word and deed and trust that the Lord will help you.