In the classic comic strip, Shoe, irascible Shoe is at the counter trying to attract a woman sitting at the next stool. “Listen,” Shoe says, “I don’t mean to be a pest. You say the word and I am out of here.” She responds, “Why that is very sweet of you.” She then says, “Commitment.” When she turns around, the entire place is empty.
Fortunately for us, that didn’t happen when Jesus spoke much the same message to the disciples shortly before he ascended into heaven. His ascension became a moment of commitment for the disciples. They could have gone back to their past lives: fishing, collecting taxes, whatever, but they didn’t. Jesus had entrusted them with the mission to go forth from Jerusalem to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” Since then, the Church has done just that, living up to its name, “Catholic,” which means universal.
Little did the apostles realize what was in store for them when they asked Jesus, “Are you going to restore the kingdom?” Indeed he would, but not in the manner they ever imagined. The Church has since then become the most widespread faith in the world. What has drawn so many to the Catholic faith is that the Church continually shows us how to best live our lives, bringing about God’s kingdom, for example, safely guarding and respecting all life from conception to natural death and caring for our planet.
Like many of you, I am a “cradle” Catholic, baptized as an infant because my mother was intent on raising her children in the Catholic faith. As a young adult, I made the personal decision to remain Catholic, inspired largely by my father, who became Catholic while stationed in Korea a year before he died.
My father’s family was not Catholic. Growing up, I assumed that his family had been Protestant for generations. While in the seminary, I was surprised to learn that I had distant cousins who were Catholic and that my great grandfather left the Church when he remarried after being widowed. Is that the work of the Holy Spirit that a century later, I, his great grandson, would become a priest?
While I was growing up, my father rarely went to church. I never asked him what prompted him to become Catholic but the change I saw in him inspired me to remain Catholic while in college and become involved in campus ministry. Never underestimate the impact your faith has, not just on your family and friends but also on future generations.
Although this feast brought Jesus’ earthly mission to a close, his final words were more of a commencement address than a farewell discourse. In effect, he challenged the apostles to go forth and make a difference in the world around them by proclaiming the good news to every creature.
What he charged then is the same mission Jesus entrusts to us today. He isn’t sending us out on our own to stand on some street corner in Langley, thumping a Bible and preaching to anyone who would listen. The promise of the Father that Luke mentions in our first reading is the Holy Spirit, who empowers us at our baptism and confirmation to be witnesses to the faith we profess. We do this best by striving to live our faith in its entirety, adhering to Christ-centered moral values, caring, loving and respecting others, summed up for us as the corporal works of mercy.
A popular folk song that I first heard in college at Mass sums up our mission well: “They’ll know we are Christians by our Love.” Setting an example by loving others, being patient with those who annoy us, forgiving those who have offended us, working side by side to create a better world by striving to respect all life from conception to natural death and all peoples regardless of their gender or race are examples of how we can effectively proclaim the gospel message that God loves us unconditionally. Act toward others just as we hope Christ would act toward us at our last judgment. After all, actions do speak louder than words. St. Francis said to preach the gospel and use words if necessary.
There is the notion in education that we never truly learn a subject until we teach it ourselves. For good reason, Jesus is calling on us to proclaim the good news. Doing so, we better know what being Catholic entails. If you need a refresher course, pick up your bible during the week and read a chapter from one of the gospels. Witnessing to Jesus is the mission entrusted to us, but for that to happen, we must first strive to deepen our relationship with the Lord and better understand what he is asking of us as his followers.
I think of the Ascension as the moment in a relay race in which Jesus passed the baton on to the disciples, which in due time has been passed on to us to pass on to others. Your personal testimony and conviction evidenced by your love and commitment to Christ, could very well make a lasting impression on someone in your life, just as my father did on me when I was a teenager.