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Jesus 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.” Luke 24:46–49
And with that, the earthly mission of Jesus was completed and He
ascended into Heaven. Or was it? Was His mission completed? Yes,
but only in the sense that our Lord’s work of destroying death and
offering new life was accomplished by His life, death and
resurrection. Human nature was now invited to share in a new life
of grace.
Prayerfully imagine standing on the mountain of the Ascension with
our Lord. As you gaze upon Him, imagine that you were also present
with Him throughout His public ministry. Imagine witnessing His
many miracles, the way that He converted the hardest of hearts, the
authority with which He spoke, His arrest, torture, death and then
His Resurrection. Imagine seeing His hands and feet, once pierced,
now radiating glory from those wounds. As you see our Lord in this
way, imagine Him looking at you with love and saying to you that He
has chosen to send you forth to the world to be a witness to Him
and to all that you have seen and encountered. You are to go forth
sharing the Good News of His life, death and resurrection with all
whom you come in contact with.
First, our Lord has, indeed, shared His entire life with you. By
reading the Gospels, you become a firsthand witness to all that
Jesus did and accomplished. His Word is alive, and it reveals His
very Person to you, just as it did to His first followers. Second,
Jesus does call you to go forth and to share this living Gospel
with the world. Therefore, it is important to ponder how you can do
such a thing. How can you give witness to the Resurrection of
Christ? How can you change lives? How can you continue the mission
of Jesus Himself?
The promise given by our Lord to the disciples on the mountain of
the Ascension is also a promise given to you. He is promising to
send the Holy Spirit upon you so as to clothe you “with power from
on high.” Only by receiving that power and using it fully will you
be able to accomplish the mission that our Lord has given to you.
Therefore, will you open yourself to the Holy Spirit and commit
yourself to the continuation of Christ’s mission?
If we were to fully understand the mission we have received from
Jesus, it would fill us with a holy fear. But too often the
realization of what God wants of us fills us with an unholy fear
instead. We think about evangelizing others, sharing our faith,
witnessing to the truth by our actions, loving our enemies and
living for the Gospel alone, and it can appear overwhelming. If
that is the case with you, then know that this form of unholy fear
can be dispelled so that the gift of holy fear can take its place.
Holy fear is a gift of the Holy Spirit that inspires us to sense
the awesomeness of God and the mission we are given by encountering
it firsthand. It motivates us, encourages us and leaves us with
wonder and awe. From there, this and every other gift of the Holy
Spirit enables us to fulfill the unending mission of
Christ.
Reflect, today, upon the particular mission that God has given to
you. Prayerfully look at Jesus as He stands on the mountain of the
Ascension and looks at you. As He does, let Him reveal to you not
only His very Person but also your particular sharing in His
ongoing mission of sharing the Good News to the ends of the earth.
Receive that mission with courage, joy and holy fear. Reverence it,
savor it, ponder it and accept it. Commit yourself to this glorious
sharing in the life of Christ by committing yourself to become a
witness to Christ until the end of your life on earth.
My ascended Lord, as You entered body and soul into the full and
glorious presence of Your Father, You handed on to your disciples
the duty of completing Your mission on earth. I hear Your call in
my life, dear Lord, and commit myself to the glorious task of
continuing that mission on earth. Please use me as You will and
fill me with power from on high so that I may help share Your
saving Word to the ends of the earth. Jesus, I trust in You.
Window: workshop of Franz Borgias Mayer (1848–1926); Photo: Andreas
Praefcke, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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