Ascension C.  May 20, 2007.  Our Lady of Grace 5PM, 9;30 AM. .Acts 1: 1-11.  Ephesians 1: 17-23.  Luke 24: 46-53.

When my Father died my Mother said to me, “I know that this is hard on you, but your life will go on.  This is the end of life for me.”   To this point my Mother’s life had been intimately wrapped up with my Father.  She was a strong woman.  At the same time my Father made most of the major decisions for the family, sometimes after talking to her and sometimes without her even knowing about it until afterwards.  One of the signs that my Dad was very much in charge is that my Mother didn’t know how to drive a car.  She could go only as far as she could walk or as far as he would drive her.  I taught my Mother to drive when she was 67 years old.  It was the beginning of a life of independence that she had never known before.  She begged us to write checks for her and to oversee her financial situation.  She had never done that before.  Instead we taught her how to write checks and how to keep track of them.  It was not long before she was telling us that her financial situation was none of our business.  My Mother blossomed after my Father’s death in a way that I had never seen before.  My Father’s going away was in fact not the end of life for her; it was a new beginning.

Jesus said to his disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up and a cloud took him from their sight.

To this point everything had focused on the physical presence of Jesus.   Jesus had done the preaching.  Jesus had worked the miracles.  Jesus had made the decisions.  If Jesus had continued to be physically present in our midst his followers would never have discovered the power God had hidden in each of their lives.  We would have continued to be totally dependent on Jesus saving the world all by himself. God, in fact, has a much better idea.   Jesus knew this and he told his disciples, “It is better for you that I go.”   By the miracle of grace, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus in now present in every baptized and confirmed member of the Church.  We are no longer bystanders pushed to the sidelines doing little more than applauding for Jesus.  We are now ministers, missionaries and saints, filled with the Spirit of Jesus and called to bring his loving presence to every inch, corner and challenge of the world in which we live.

When Jesus was taken up into heaven the disciples stood looking up into the sky, wondering what was going to happen now.   They had witnessed the preaching and miracles of Jesus.  They had lived through his death and had rejoiced in his resurrection.  Was it all going to end this way with Jesus being taken up into the clouds and disappearing from their sight?   In fact what they were witnessing on the day of the Ascension was not the end of the ministry of Jesus; instead it was a new beginning. For two thousand years Jesus has made himself powerfully present in the ministries of the Church.  Today, on this Ministry Appreciation Sunday, we celebrate the powerful gift of ministry given to others through the members of this parish community.   I have asked …….to speak to you about Christ’s powerful presence in ministry here at Our Lady of Grace.

(After the ministry moment reflection)   This parish community is a precious jewel sparkling with the grace of the Holy Spirit.  I am very grateful to you for who you are and for all that you do to make Christ present in our midst.  Please stand as your ministry is announced. (Add at the end the ministry of the Eucharistic Assembly.)