Feast of the Ascension of the Lord 2020
Parish of Holy Cross—St. John the Baptist
Midtown Manhattan
“Why are you standing there looking at the sky?”¹
Now what?
How often in your lifetime have you been stymied, befuddled, overwhelmed before an enigma or event that unexpectedly befell you? Standing suddenly before an inscrutable, opaque reality, without a clue as to its meaning or how to proceed? Intimidated. Stumped. Panicked.
Now what?
If the apostolic witness is to be trusted, the earliest disciples’ experience of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection was often such an event. Early in their encounter with Jesus, the disciples experienced a sense of excitement and exuberance. Here was a new teaching – one with authority and power, not like the instruction of scribes and pharisees that had grown so stale and listless.² Jesus then drew them to a mount with a new teaching that announced a bloodless revolution in G-D’s power. A revolution revealing those assumed to be shameful to be, rather, clothed in an honor woven by divine power. Blessed are the poor, the meek, the mournful…” ³
They marveled at the power that radiated from his being. Healing a shamed woman hopelessly hemorrhaging, Peter’s mother-in-law’s fever, the deranged daughter of a Canaanite woman – conspicuously not a member of the covenant made with Moses!4 He drew his closest disciples to yet another mountain where his glory radiated, linking him to Moses and Elijah – fulfillment of the law and the prophets. And yet, even on that glorious height, early hints of danger and doubt crept in as Jesus uttered cryptic comments about future tumult and hostility.5
Then, at last, Jerusalem. Jubilant entry. Palms. Praise. Turbulence in the Temple. A final supper gone terribly awry, and yet creating an enduring eucharistic communion. Betrayal. Denial. Sentence. Torture. Public shaming. Execution. Silence. Shattered faith.
Now what?
Disarray. Disciples hiding. Disciples fleeing. Recriminations. Suspicions. Locked in fear.
Now what?
Jesus bursts through locked doors. Shalom. He steps out of the shadows on the road to Emmaus. Burning hearts. He cooks up a sunrise breakfast on a seashore. Revelation. Finally, on yet one more mountain, he commissions his disciples to go out to all the world bearing the fullness of his very own authority and power. And then …
He vanishes from their sight.
Now what?
A dizzying affair. Twists and turns. Remarkable accomplishments. Stunning reversals. Events none could anticipate. A whirlwind. Where to look for guidance? How to move forward?
Why are you standing there looking into the sky?
Returning to the Father, the Risen Jesus commissions the disciples to embark on a decidedly earthbound affair. Their gaze directed not skyward, but earthward. Their voices to be trained on those around them. Witnesses to an indestructible life in G-D’s power as revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, who now reigns both in the heavens and on earth.
The Book of Acts narrates the earliest disciples’ gradual rise to the task, maturing in their vocation. Yet, in the embrace of the Spirit, they did learn to become effective witnesses to the life indestructible of the Risen One who defeated death and its long shadow. Witnesses to those around them who had more than their own fair share of “now what” moments: illness, crushing poverty, Roman occupation, loss of a child, shattered faith, faded hope and so much more.
Now what?
Baptized disciples of Jesus Christ, we, too, are commissioned, here and now, as witnesses to the life indestructible revealed in the crucified and risen Jesus of Nazareth. Gospel witnesses to those with whom we share this current calamity of biological siege, financial ruin, psychological stress and social strain. In brief, we, disciples of Jesus Christ, inhabit a distinctive role amidst the human family’s response to this global “now what” moment.
Now what?
At this juncture of jeopardy, the path forward necessarily demands sympathetic attention to the roiling anxieties experienced by so many around us. The threat of physical demise alongside the loneliness spawned by “social distancing” erodes the mental balance of so many of us. Tragically, resort to suicide is in increasing evidence among us. How might the gospel of Jesus Christ inform our response to these needs? What personal solace? What compassion?
Now what?
This galloping health crisis confronts us with the unavoidable fact that its burdens are anything but evenly shared. The disparity between those who enjoy ample access to ongoing healthcare and those who do not manifests in the yawning socio-economic chasm between those who recover from this pernicious disease and those who succumb. A gap implicating societal views as regards ethnicity and race. From a gospel viewpoint, what resources and insights might we offer in the public debate about healthcare? What public policy measures and structural adjustments ought we support and pursue?
Now what?
Financial ruin encircles us. Par for the course, those most imperiled enjoy the least resources to ride out the storm and, eventually, to rebuild both a life and a living. Small “mom and pop” businesses under threat of extinction. A slew of enterprises running with slender operating margins on the verge of collapse.
In our own backyard, think of the many restaurants here in Hell’s Kitchen and upper Chelsea. If, and when, reopened, they will be forced to reduce capacity by as much as 50 percent. Is it possible to survive? What of the lifelong efforts of their owners? What of their employees shorn of significant wages and tips? What of the help hidden away in cramped and scorching kitchens? Please. Do not raise the issue of documentation. Not in this urgent time. Please.
Now what?
Our predicament can be catalogued far more exhaustively. Food supply chains. Mounting social unrest. Entrenched political divides. Dispute over medical wisdom vs. financial strain. Feel free to add any number of issues that catch your attention these days.
Increasingly, we find ourselves imperiled and panicked. The kind of dread in which the Risen Jesus first appeared to set his terrified disciples free from their fear. Shalom. Peace.
This is not an invitation to a Pollyanna-ish avoidance of reality. It is an invitation to fully embrace reality with faith and hope in the presence and promise of the Risen One. Release from paralyzing panic. A way forward.
Time to roll up our sleeves. Much hard work lies ahead. Profound thought, meticulous analysis crucial to forging our future. Spirited discussion regarding the kind of public policy that ought to guide that future. Unquestionably, we will be different – forever changed. In all this, as disciples of the Risen One, we have gospel insight to bring to all those public debates, as well as a personal, compassionate touch for all individuals in need of mercy and healing.
Now what? Time to witness to the truth of G-D’s victory in Jesus Christ.
“Why are you standing there looking at the sky?”