The Ascension of the Lord – Cycle B
May 16, 2021
Saint Mary Parish, Pylesville 8am
Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 5pm and 11am
Our Good-Byes
This past Friday, a religious Sister, Sister Pat, told me about her own blood sister.
Her sister is dying of cancer and probably has only a few weeks to live. Pat told me that members of the family have been visiting her sister, really to say good-bye.
As you would imagine, these good-byes have been quite difficult. We all know that there are other good-byes that are also difficult.
Parents have to say good-bye when their children go off to college for the first time. I imagine that they feel some loss and emptiness at that moment.
We watch friends or family members in the military leaving for their deployment. We worry about their safety, and our good-bye may be filled with anxiety.
The Disciples’ Good-Bye
I have to think that the disciples in today’s first reading are experiencing something similar to our good-byes.
Jesus has left and returned to the Father, and he will no longer be with them. It is time for a final good-bye.
So, no wonder that the disciples are just standing there, looking up at the sky. They are feeling loss and emptiness, and they need some time to adjust.
A Balance
Interestingly, the passage then states: “Suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. They said, ‘Why are you standing there looking at the sky?’”
So, on the one hand, these two men dressed in white – probably angels – seem to be telling the disciples to get moving. They seem to be saying: it’s time to do what he told you to do.
But on the other hand, we can’t discount the stillness of the disciples at this time. Their stillness is natural, normal, human.
Spiritual writers say that being still especially at times like this is important. It is kind of a balancing moment before we move forward.
We often need some stillness in our lives, especially after our good-byes. In this, we can find our bearings and sort things out.
In this stillness, we can get in touch with our true inner self. And above all, we can open ourselves to the presence and grace of God.
So, we need in our own way to “look up to the sky.” And then, after that, as the angels are prompting the disciples to do, we can get busy.
What Are We to Do
In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us what we are to be busy about.
And some of Jesus’ words here are very tricky. They have to be understood carefully.
Jesus starts by saying that we will be able to “drive out demons.” This does not usually mean formal exorcisms or anything like that.
But it does mean, especially in our day, driving out the deadly demons of hatred in all of its forms. And we will do this by respecting others as Jesus does, regardless of who they are or how different they are.
Then Jesus says that his “disciples will be able pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.” This is one of the passages of Scripture that is not to be taken literally – definitely not!
Scripture commentators say that here, in dramatic, metaphorical words, Jesus is promising that he will be with us and strengthen us always. He will do this as we carry out his mission of compassion and respect, even in the face of opposition and ridicule
And, finally, Jesus says that his disciples “will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” We know that sometimes physical healing happens, and sometimes it doesn’t.
But what can happen is that we are healed within. We are healed of our distance from God, healed of our feelings of guilt and being down on ourselves, and healed of our hateful feelings toward another person.
Maybe this work of healing comes last in Jesus’ list because it is the most important. It is to be his central work that he wants his disciples to continue, that he wants us to continue, no matter what.
