June 2nd 2019. The Ascension of Our Lord
GOSPEL Luke 24:46-53
Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio
Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading . . .

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GOSPEL Luke 24:46-53Jesus said to his disciples:
"Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power from on high."
Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them
and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage
and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and they were continually in the temple praising God.
The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Kieran’s summary . . . Jesus’ Ascension shows us that our ultimate destination is the Father. Thus, our final goal is not really a place but a relationship with the God who made us. This goal becomes the yardstick or measuring the value of everything in our lives. If something does not lead me to heaven, then it must be rejected. But how can we live our lives as a journey to the Father? Jesus instructs us to stay in the “city”, to remain with the community of the Church, in the things of God. It is here that we will be clothed with the Holy Spirit. In Genesis, Adam breaks his relationship with God. He doubts God’s paternal embrace and seeks to hide from him. He covers himself with fig leaves, the things of the earth. We too distrust God and try to cover ourselves with the things of the earth – vainglory and success. And no matter how much we try to cover ourselves, we remain  incomplete. In Christ we gain a new garment, a new covering that is utterly unlike the worldly things that we use to hide ourselves. What is this garment? It is the gift of the Holy Spirit which gives us a childlike dependency on the loving providence of God. It is one thing to try to confront reality purely with our own abilities, and it is another matter entirely to hand our lives over to the Father, moment by moment. In these days between Ascension and Pentecost, let us begin to turn away from our worldly dependencies and prepare ourselves to be clothed in the providence of God.

Jesus’ Ascension shows us that our ultimate destination is the Father. Thus, our final goal is not  really a place but a relationship with the God who made us. This goal becomes the yardstick for measuring the value of everything in our lives. If something does not lead me to heaven, then it  must be rejected
This Sunday we see the Lord Jesus ascending to the Father, and we contemplate the revelation that the final destination of the risen Lord is not here below, but heaven. What lies beyond death? Our heavenly Father! Christ, in fact, does not rise just to resume living, but to bring to completion the human life that he assumed and bring it to the Father. Such is the goal of humanity. Our destination is not really a place, but a relationship. This can be experienced already in this life, every time we stop making absolutes of ourselves and open ourselves to a life as children of God. In those moments we enter into love and unleash our most authentic beauty. It is therefore vital to evaluate everything in the light of that joyful goal. If we are to live wisely, then we must apply a principle of discernment: what is not directed towards heaven has little value and must be neglected.

How can we live our lives as a journey to the Father? Jesus instructs us to stay in the “city”, to remain with the community of the Church. It is here that we will be clothed with the Holy Spirit.
We can ask ourselves: what does it mean to live life as a journey to the Father? In the Gospel passage
for Sunday, Jesus gives his disciples some directions: "Stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from above". These instructions are also for us today. The "city" is the place of the Christian
community, the place of the sacraments, the New Jerusalem, the liturgical assembly. The Lord
manifests himself in the Church's liturgy. If we "remain" in this assembly, then we receive the new
garment that comes down from above, the Holy Spirit.

In Genesis, Adam breaks his relationship with God. He doubts God’s paternal embrace and  seeks to hide from him. He covers himself with fig leaves, the things of the earth. We too distrust  God and try to cover ourselves with the things of the earth – vainglory and success. And no matter how much we try to cover ourselves, we remain incomplete.
The image of being clothed originates in Genesis: Adam sins and breaks his relationship with
God and realizes that he is naked. He doubts the paternal embrace of God and feels exposed and
fragile. And what does it do? He takes the things of the earth, the leaves from the trees, to cover
himself. But this does not give him the courage to face the gaze of that God whom he no longer
trusts. We dress with the things of the earth, with vainglory, successes, projects. And no matter how
much we try to cover ourselves, we remain incomplete and uncertain.

The Christian is clothed in the providence of God
But humanity receives in Christ a new garment, a new guise, a new role. What is a child of God dressed in? In the providence of God! The Gospel of Matthew says: "Do not worry, therefore, saying: ‘What shall we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ Your heavenly Father knows what you need." The heavenly garment, in other words, is the relationship with the Father, a childlike dependence that is the Holy Spirit. It is one thing to try to face reality with our own abilities and survival techniques, but it is another matter entirely to hand our lives over to the Father, moment by moment. These days between the Ascension and Pentecost are the time to strip ourselves of our earthly dependencies and be clothed from above. To ascend with Christ to the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit is done "by remaining" in the city, in the Christian community, in the things of God. At that point, one is no more simply down here on earth; one lives "on earth as it is in heaven".