When Jesus is lifted
up to heaven (as the story is related at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles), the apostles naturally turn their eyes to the sky and watch as a cloud takes him from their sight. Their attention is brought back to earth the
question posed by two men dressed in
white: Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? Why, indeed?
The angels’ question is meant to bring the apostles’ gaze back to earth,
where there is work to be done. Acts
recounts the apostles’ efforts to give witness to Jesus’ presence among them;
their lives will be transformed, geared only in one direction, by their
proclamation of the good news. Reading
Acts can give us a deeper awareness of that relationship in which we are all
participating. Because when Jesus’
resurrected body ascends, another body remains on earth to continue his
work: the Body of Christ that is the
Church. And that Church is, first and
foremost, you and me.
You are witnesses to
these things, Jesus tells the disciples in this week’s Gospel from Luke. They are called to give witness to
their life experiences, as we too are called – to be witnesses with the whole
of our lives about how we have turned
to God and recognize the great power that is His love in our lives. As a church, we give collective witness to
this reality, bringing that love to bear upon a community, and thereby edging
closer to the fullness of that love. Participating
in Eucharist strengthens our identity as members of the Body of Christ and
allows us to dedicate our lives to being that love for the world. This is what it means to be Christ’s voice and hands and breath: to reveal his love in our every word, gesture
and act. If the eyes of our hearts are
enlightened (Ephesians), then we will respond to God’s call for
relationship, learning every day to be the presence of God in the world, gifted
with inner vision so that we too can shout
to God with cries of joy (Psalm 47), and thus share that joy with all who will open their ears - and hearts - to hear it.
This reflection is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
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