Day 038: The Ascension Gives Us Our Battle Plan
Forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus ascended into Heaven. He left his followers without His presence but not without hope and a plan. He entrusted the Apostles and those who would follow them to carry out that plan until He comes again. The Ascension was not an abandonment but God’s willingness to let His Apostles bring His Word to the world. This Commission did not end with the Apostles. Jesus knew he would be entrusting the call to generations beyond those who walked with Him.
Today, that duty falls to us. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Ascension Thursday. For just as a general gives his soldiers commands on how to win their battles and then trusts his subordinates to fulfill those orders, so does our Sovereign King give His Warriors commands on how to win our battles and deliver messages of Justice and Divine Mercy, of forgiveness and redemption, and of Hope and Love. The question is whether He can trust us to fulfill those orders, especially as the war between good and evil heats up.
In Luke 18:8, Jesus asks if the Son of Man will find faith faith on Earth when He comes again with good reason. We live in an age of chaos, division, and the decay that reaches our Church, American values, family, and the self. History has shown challenging times tempt citizens to comply when they most need to stand out. Many will go along to get along. They are taught to not rock the boat or make a fuss. They are told to draw attention to themselves only through mindless, shallow sharing on social media. We are encouraged to share about vacation plans, and fancy dinners but forbidden to share Truth behind the Biblical Marriage, the Grace of staying in a suffering marriage, or the beauty of infertility and unexpected pregnancy. We are told to stay in our corner even though our corner keeps shrinking.
This has never been the command of our Sovereign King, the one we will meet face-to-face and pray for Mercy from one day. Instead, Ascension Thursday is Catholicism’s D-Day. It is where we begin to understand fully what is meant by our Lord’s Command to, “Go out and preach the Gospel.”
This was not a request or an, “If it isn’t too much trouble…” This was an entrusting of faith in us and for us. Our King, Our Lord, Our Savior gave us our orders. He trusts us to fulfill them.
Go out and proclaim the gospel.
Love God above all.
Love our neighbors as ourselves.
Be humble as Christ teaches.
In this time of prevalent evil, Ascension Thursday gives us our marching orders. This is the time for the faithful to storm the beaches. This is the time for us to speak and stand firm. This is the time for us to connect with a purpose greater than our own and to find meaning in all we do.
I am blessed to live in a part of the country, which still considers Ascension Thursday, a holy day of obligation. If you are not, so fortunate, you are not excused from Jesus‘s command to be humble warriors for Christ. Maybe your battle includes requesting your diocese resumes the honor deserving of this Feast day.
Ascension Thursday reminds us that this is not the time to cower in fear, to comply, or to lose sight of Absolute Truth. This is the time to be Warriors for Christ. It is our time to storm the beaches, whether those beaches are our Churches, schools, town halls, local neighborhoods, or Beloved families, with Love and Absolute Truth.
While we are at it, we better be sure to storm Heaven with our prayers.
God Bless…
Gratitude Journal – May 18, 2023
Thank You Lord, for…
- It’s Thursday in a five day week
- Reading chapters early tonight
- Getting a quote for the calculators.
- Getting a 13 minute workout done between classe
- Warped on a cold day
- living in a part of the country were holy Thursday is still a holy day of obligation
- My boys are and see who came to mass with me
- Father’s homily who inspired this message.
- M & R taking C to practice baseball
- Having chicken to take to him for her dinner tonight.
- Having soup ready for our dinner tonight.
- Falling asleep on the couch.