20 May Ascension Sunday Ascension Day doesn’t get as much press as Christmas, Easter and even Pentecost, despite it’s move in Ireland from the traditional 40th day after Easter (last Thursday) to the Sunday. It’s a day, a story that can make us uncomfortable for the questions it raises. Essentially it states; “Well, that was nice, now where do we go from here?” Ascension Day tells us that if we’re looking for Jesus, we need a new way of seeing, a new way of following, which we have come to call faith. Faith is not having a position or policy on things, it’s about moving forwards. In the fifth century, St. Augustine wrote this about Ascension Day: “You ascended from before our eyes. We turned back grieving, only to find you in our hearts.” In other words, if we’re looking for Jesus, our faith tells us his presence will be discovered in the community that follows him, that gathers at that table. Yes, that same parish community we find fault with, the one full of hypocrites, where there are absurd little meetings, decisions and outer and inner skirmishes. Not perfect by any means, but perfecting all in his love. This day says that the story of Jesus is not about the past but about the future. Without the Ascension, Jesus would join others among the greatest of history. But our living well in the tensions of today, means that the story of Jesus becomes a story about the future, yours and mine. A future bright and secure.
(Comments to Tom at tomascox@eircom.net )