On Thursday we celebrated the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord which launched the ministry of the apostles. Jesus gave the apostles a foreshadowing of the gifts of the Holy Spirit yet to come. He commissioned them to spread his gospel throughout Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria... to the ends of the earth. He was then taken from them, lifted up, and was gone from their sight.
In his wake, Jesus left much to be done. His plea for evangelization in Biblical times, of spreading the Good News would not be accomplished in one day, by one person, in one part of the world. And fast-forward 2,000 years... what part can we play in this seemingly enormous task of evangelization? The cliché, “Rome wasn’t built in a day!” comes to mind.
There are all sorts of ways to build up the Body of Christ on earth. We can do our small part, in our small space and time, by means of sharing the Church’s mission with those who may not be familiar, by caring for the poor in Jesus’ name, by loving and giving back, by sacrificing. Love is manifested in the unselfish sacrifice of Jesus, as he became our Living Bread.
Why are you standing there looking up at the sky? It’s time to get to work! The mission is set before us. It is up to us to complete the work He began here on earth!
