Bình thường chúng ta nghĩ rằng, khi Chúa Giêsu Lên Trời, Ngài vào thiên đàng, và Ngài bỏ chúng ta lại ở dưới thế này. Thật sự thì Chúa Giêsu đã rời bỏ thế giới này, nhưng điều đó không có nghĩa là Ngài bỏ rơi chúng ta.
Hôm nay chúng ta mừng kính lễ Chúa lên Trời, và mỗi năm chúng ta nên lợi dụng cớ hội này để suy gẫm vả phản ánh về mối quan hệ của Chúa Giêsu với chúng ta, về sự hiện diện lâu dài của Ngài ỡ giữa chúng ta và ở trong chúng ta.
Khi Chúa Giêsu đã sống lại từ cõi chết, Ngài đã hiện ra với các môn đệ và những người đã tin tưởng và yêu mến Ngài như những người phụ nữ thân tín của Ngài. Mục đích Chúa hiện ra sau khi sống lại trong 40 ngày là để giúp cho các môn để và những người theo Ngài được hiểu rõ là qua cái chết, và sự sống lại Chúa Giêsu, Ngài đã sống lại trong cách sống mới nhưng Ngài vẫn luông ấp ủ mối quan hệ của Ngài với chúng ta, mặc dù bây giờ đã được thể hiện theo một cách mới.
Việc Chúa về Trời cũng là một trong những phần mà Chúa đã hiện ra, đâ là lần cuối cùng và cũng là lúc mà Ngài thiết lập mối quan hệ không phải chỉ với những người đã gặp gỡ Ngài trong cuộc sống trần thế của Ngài, nhưng là với tất cả những người trong mọi lứa tuổi, những người sẽ đến và tin vào Ngài và trong Giáo Hội.
Chúa Giêsu đã sinh ra để làm “Thiên Chúa ở cùng chúng ta” (Immanuel), Ngài sẽ là đấng Immanuel, Thiên Chúa ở cùng chúng ta mãi mãi.
Lạy Chúa Giêsu, Xin ở cùng với chúng tôi trong tất cả và mãi mãi, Xin Chúa mang chúng con đến với niềm vui trong cuộc sống đời đời với Ngài trong sự hiện diện của Chúa Cha muôn đời.
It is normal to think that, at his Ascension into heaven, Jesus left us. It is true that Jesus left this world but that does not mean that he left us. At the feast of the Ascension each year we have a good opportunity to reflect on Jesus' relationship with us, his enduring presence among us and within us.
When Jesus rose from the dead, he spent forty days appearing to his disciples, those who knew him before his death and believed in him and loved him. The purpose of these appearances was to bring them to understand that though he had died he was alive in a new way and still cherished his relationship with them, though it was now expressed in a new way. His ascension into heaven was part of this series of appearances, the last one and the one which would establish his relationship, not only with those who had seen him in his earthly life but all those throughout the ages who would come to believe in him in the Church. Born to be Immanuel, he would be Immanuel, God-with-us, forever.
Lord Jesus, present with us in all ages, bring us joyfully to eternal life with You in the Father’s presence forever and ever.
Saying goodbye at that point was not easy. It was easier for Jesus to say 'goodbye for now but not to worry because I am coming back soon anyway'. That is how departing parents usually soothe a crying child being left behind: that they are coming back right away and will be bringing a gift even. Often works too.
It is also a good area for reflection to imagine the different groups of people who were supposed to be joyful when Jesus left and who were to be sorrowful. It is not a difficult exercise actually. The better exercise would be to put a different twist to our reflection and ask: when it is time for us to leave, whether we have time to say our goodbyes or not, how many will be sorrowful and how many will be joyful? Scary and morbid isn't it? But all of us all are going that way anyway. It would not hurt to have especially deeper thoughts to keep us on our toes. More especially if we are not given the chance to say our goodbyes... most especially to those who will be sorrowful.
So some of his disciples said to one another, “What does this mean that he is saying to us, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” So they said, “What is this ‘little while’ of which he speaks? We do not know what he means.” John 16:17–18
How about you? Do you know what Jesus means? Or do you find that you are confused by what He said just like these disciples were? Though pride may tempt you to claim that you fully understand all that Jesus taught, the humble and honest truth is that you are probably very much like these disciples in their confusion. And that is not necessarily a bad place to be.
First, the confusion of these disciples shows they took Jesus seriously. They were not indifferent. They cared, were interested, wanted to understand, and must have had some level of faith in Jesus. Otherwise, they would have ignored Him. But they didn’t. They listened, tried to understand, discussed His teaching, thought about His words and humbly concluded that they didn’t understand.
Jesus is not critical of their confusion. He sees that they are trying and that they have some level of faith. And even though these disciples are confused, Jesus continues to speak to them in figures of speech rather than directly and clearly. One of the reasons that Jesus speaks in figurative language is because the message that He is teaching is profound and deep. It’s not something that can be quickly and easily understood and mastered. The mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven are so deep, vast, profound and mystical that the only way to begin to understand them is to first have faith. Faith does not mean you fully understand everything. Faith is a supernatural gift by which you come to believe without fully seeing and understanding. The certainty comes for God, not from your own reasoning ability. But faith always leads to deeper understanding. Therefore, as these disciples professed their faith, they also came to understand. And even though Jesus speaks in this figurative way, these disciples ultimately made the choice to believe. Later in this chapter they conclude, “Now we realize that you know everything and that you do not need to have anyone question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God” (John 16:30).
If you find yourself confused about various matters of faith, God, morality, and the like, or if you find yourself confused about the various mysteries of life itself, or your life in particular, do not be afraid to admit to this confusion. Admitting confusion is the humble admittance of the truth, and this humility will be a helpful step toward the gift of faith.
Reflect, today, upon whether you struggle at all with indifference toward the mysteries of life. If so, commit yourself to be more like these disciples who intentionally grappled with all that Jesus spoke. Do not be afraid to admit your confusion and to place that confusion before our Lord. Strive to have the gift of faith and allow that spark of faith to become the pathway for your deeper understanding of the many mysteries of life.
My mysterious Lord, You and all the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven are so deep and profound that no one will ever fully comprehend their depth, breadth and beauty. Please open my mind, dear Lord, to a deeper understanding of You so that I may profess my faith in You and in all that You have chosen to reveal. I do believe, my God. Help my unbelief. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: My Jesus, help me to silence the clamor of my thoughts, worries, and preoccupations as I enter into my heart to encounter you. May your words find fertile soil in my heart where they might germinate and grow, bringing forth fruits of an ever-increasing faith, hope, and love. Even when your words find resistance in the brokenness of my mind and heart, I want to offer you my humble desire to be transformed by you.
Encountering Christ:
1. A Little While and You Will No Longer See Me: Jesus addressed these words to his Apostles in immediate reference to his impending death and Resurrection. They were about to experience the greatest sorrow of their lives: the loss of their teacher, friend, and master; the one they had come to believe was the Savior of the world. They were to question everything that they had come to hold as true. All of their hopes and beliefs were to be shaken to the core under the shadow of the cross. For a short time, they were to be capable only of utter desolation, disillusion, and anger with themselves and those who had perpetrated Jesus’ crucifixion. Perhaps they were even angry with Jesus himself, who apparently had let them down, betraying them and betraying the hope they had placed in him. How often in our own lives have we felt that Jesus is hidden from sight, dashing our hope in him and in his promises?
2. Again a Little While Later and You Will See Me: Time and again, Jesus announced to his Apostles that his suffering and death would not be the end. He would be taken from them for a short time, but afterward, he would rise and be restored to them in glory. Death would not have the final word. Yet in the face of tremendous suffering, human nature can become blinded. Our eyes see only darkness, which seems to swallow up every present and future possibility of light. The truth of the darkness that envelops us takes on absolute proportions, acquiring greater weight even than God’s promises. During these times, we would be wise to do as Psalm 46:11 recommends: “Be still and know that I am God!”
3. In Light of the Ascension: This coming Sunday, we celebrate the liturgical feast of the Ascension, when, forty days after his Resurrection, Jesus was once again taken from the Apostles’ sight. In the light of the Resurrection, their faith had been strengthened, and as they stood looking up to Heaven, they knew that they would, in fact, be united with him once again. They were still in need of the strength of the Holy Spirit, however, to fortify their faith and sustain them in every trial. We have been privileged to be sealed by the grace of the Holy Spirit from the time of our Baptism. While we walk in the darkness of faith, unable to enjoy Jesus’ physical presence on earth, we rest in the knowledge of the Resurrection, having received the living presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus has promised that in a little while more, we will see him again, glorious in Heaven and awaiting the arrival of those who persevere in hope. In the meantime, we are called t o be witnesses of hope to those whose suffering blinds them to the greater picture of the victory he has won for us.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, as I approach the feast of your Ascension, help me to dwell not so much in your physical departure as in the promise of the life that you have prepared for me. I have been privileged to be a witness to your Resurrection, and my life is called to bear its mark. Enable me to live the moments when you seem to disappear from view in the certainty of faith in your victory, and may I be able to be a witness to hope for my fellow pilgrims here on earth as we look forward to the fulfillment of all of your promises in Heaven.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will reach out to someone in my life who is struggling with significant suffering, striving, even without words, to be a witness to hope.
1. Christ’s Royal Priesthood: The mystery of Christ’s Ascension into Heaven celebrates the mystery of his royal priesthood. Jesus is the Lord who, in his humanity, reigns at the right hand of the Father. He is the high priest of the New Covenant who intercedes for us before the Father, the mediator who assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit and gives us the hope of one day reaching the heavenly place he has prepared for us (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 132). Christ’s kingship is mentioned in the First Reading. Jesus, we are told, spoke about the Kingdom of God during the forty days between his Resurrection from the dead and his Ascension into heaven. As they gather around Jesus before his Ascension, the disciples are eager to know when the kingdom of Israel would be restored. The disciples could be referring to Jesus’ promise in Luke 22:30 which says that they will sit on thrones. In response to their question, Jesus “discourages speculation about timing (v. 7), but does describe the means by which the kingdom will be restored, namely, through the Spirit-inspired witness of the apostles throughout the earth (v. 8)” (Hahn, “Christ, Kingdom and Creation in Luke-Acts,” 185). In fact, the Acts of the Apostles tells the story of how the kingdom spreads from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
You will grieve, but your grief will become joy. (John 16:20)
The apostles were probably confused when Jesus told them that their grief would turn to joy (John 16:20). After all, he had just informed them that he would soon be leaving them (16:5). But just as Jesus prophesied, their grief at his crucifixion turned to joy when they encountered him as the risen Christ.
What Jesus says here also applies to us. We might grieve as we see the evil still at work in the world, but one day, at the Second Coming, our grief will also turn to joy. That’s when the present world will pass away and all will be made right in the kingdom of God. Just think: no more broken relationships with family or friends, no more poverty or racism or abortion, no more illness or pain of any kind.
And yet we don’t have to wait for the Second Coming to experience foretastes of that kingdom. That’s because the risen Christ is still here with us. He is present and at work every time a parent and a child resolve their differences and reconcile. When a friend is healed of cancer, it’s because Jesus is there as the source of all healing. When a woman in a crisis pregnancy receives support that will help her to care for her baby, Jesus is walking with her and giving her strength. In good times and in bad, the kingdom of God will continue to break through because Jesus hasn’t abandoned us this side of heaven.
Yes, this life is a mixture of light and shadows. But Jesus knows what it’s like to walk through both. And he lets his disciples—all of us—know ahead of time that we will face our own ups and downs. But he also tells us it’s not the end. If the grief that he experienced in his passion and death did not have the final word, neither will our own.
So today, whatever might be troubling you, hold fast to Jesus’ promise. Believe that the glimpses of the kingdom of heaven that you see and experience in this life are only a pale reflection of the joy that awaits you!
“Jesus, I will hold fast to your promise of eternal joy.”
Jesus often did or said things that appeared strange, radical or even contradictory to the disciples. Even if he assured the disciples that he was coming back again, bidding farewell in the above gospel reading was a puzzle to them and worse, Jesus was not helpful in his explanation. Instances like these of course ideally would give anyone the opportunity to exercise the virtue of faith. If Jesus actually said he would resurrect, the disciples would not understand it because in the first place they never even thought he was going to die. Nobody had resurrected before aside from those whom Jesus himself brought back to life. So then who would be able to bring a dead Jesus back to life? But primarily, how can the anointed savior himself die? This was why when Jesus actually died, the disciples started to have doubts as to whether they had chosen to follow the wrong messiah.
Saying goodbye at that point was not easy. It was easier for Jesus to say 'goodbye for now but not to worry because I am coming back soon anyway'. That is how departing parents usually soothe a crying child being left behind: that they are coming back right away and will be bringing a gift even. Often works too.
It is also a good area for reflection to imagine the different groups of people who were supposed to be joyful when Jesus left and who were to be sorrowful. It is not a difficult exercise actually. The better exercise would be to put a different twist to our reflection and ask: when it is time for us to leave, whether we have time to say our goodbyes or not, how many will be sorrowful and how many will be joyful? Scary and morbid isn't it? But all of us all are going that way anyway. It would not hurt to have especially deeper thoughts to keep us on our toes. More especially if we are not given the chance to say our goodbyes... most especially to those who will be sorrowful.
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