A reflection on the readings for May 12, 2024 — The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
Today, we are celebrating the feast of the Ascension. With today’s feast we are nearing the conclusion of the Easter season in our liturgical calendar, on Pentecost.
Today we contemplate Christ’s Ascension into heaven. We reflect on the new mission he proclaims to his followers: go out into the world and proclaim the Gospel. We ponder how Christ suddenly disappears from their midst! To some of the disciples it may have seemed like he was leaving them alone. In reality, his presence and his message remained with them. In fact, the work had barely gotten started! It was time for his disciples to spread the Gospel to all nations. The Apostles had the opportunity to be with Christ for three years — they socialized with him, they heard him talk, they saw him perform miracles, they ate with him. Now it was their time to start new adventures. The life of the early Church was about to be born.
There was only one thing more that they needed before carrying out this mission: to receive the Holy Spirit. We will celebrate that event next week.
Back in 2009, Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures released an animated film that became very popular that year, winning two Academy Awards: Up.
The opening of the film shares the story of Carl and Ellie, a couple who meets as children who both admire a famous explorer and adventurer, Charles Muntz. Muntz ends up being discredited after presenting what he says is the skeleton of an exotic bird from Paradise Falls in Venezuela, but which experts deem a fake. In order to restore his good name, Muntz goes back to Paradise Falls and vows never to return until he proves the existence of this bird.
Not believing his critics, and inspired by the life of Charles Muntz, Carl and Ellie develop an adventurous spirit and dream of going on similar expeditions. As the years go by, Ellie keeps a scrapbook of her adventures. Their main meeting place is Ellie’s “clubhouse” — which is an abandoned nearby house — and she dreams of moving it someday to Paradise Falls. They eventually marry and move into her clubhouse. They are unable to have children — at one point Ellie suffers a miscarriage. Together they decide to plan and save for a trip to the city of their childhood dreams, Paradise Falls. For many years, they can never quite afford it, and they grow old together. Finally, years later, they finally buy their tickets. But it is too late. Ellie falls ill and is hospitalized. In her final moments, Ellie gives Carl her scrapbook before she dies.
The neighborhood around him changes. Developers construct high-rises around the little house. Carl remains in his house and refuses to move. Finally, a court orders Carl to move into an assisted living facility. But rather than leave his home, Carl decides to fulfill Ellie’s dream instead. He attaches thousands of balloons to his house and tries to fly it to Paradise Falls. He soon discovers an enthusiastic young Boy Scout named Russell has accidentally become a stowaway in his floating home.
I don’t want to give away the entire plot of the film, but after a series of adventures and mishaps, Carl and Russell navigate the house to South America and have adventures in the jungle, filled with talking dogs, exotic birds, and a coldhearted villain.
At one point, Carl feels that he can’t go on any further. He is alone and unmotivated and demoralized. This is when he opens up Ellie’s scrapbook and decides to look at its closing pages for the first time.
Carl discovers that Ellie had filled them with photos and memories of their life together, highlighting the everyday adventures they shared. She ends the scrapbook with a note thanking Carl for the wonderful adventure of their life together and encouraging him to go have a new one.
This revelation inspires him to continue embracing new experiences. It gives him readiness to move forward.
Today’s first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. This is the second part of the narrative written by St. Luke. The first part is the Gospel of Luke, in which he describes the ministry of Jesus. In Acts, Luke tells the story of the early Church following the Ascension of Christ. Acts begins, “In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen”.
This is a message of mission. The Acts of the Apostles shows us the blessings and struggles that the early Church had to experience. If we pay attention, we will see that it wasn’t an easy beginning. Nevertheless, the mission had begun and they knew Christ was with them.
Our second reading beautifully adds another piece to this message. We hear a blessing for those at the start of the journey, the adventure: “Brothers and sisters: May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory.”
Just as we might ask for a blessing before an important event in our life (a test, a new job, a soccer game, a new car, a new house), this blessing is being given to those starting a new adventure in life: proclaiming the word of God.
Immediately following this blessing, today’s gospel reading presents us with Christ sending us forth to evangelize (“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”). He promises them that signs “will accompany those who believe.” And according to Mark, the promise is fulfilled: “They went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.”
Our Lord encountered death in Jerusalem. It was also in Jerusalem where Judas betrayed Christ. It was in Jerusalem where Peter denied our Lord as well. Yet, it was also in Jerusalem where Christ defeated death. Remember, our journey with God will come with challenges, with betrayals, with tragedies. But even in the face of hardship and suffering, Christ is calling us to keep his Church alive and moving. He tells us not to “depart from Jerusalem.” In other words, to look for the Lord will come with tragedies that will hit us either individually or as society. Yet, it is in tragedy that a new chapter can be written.
It was Jerusalem where miracles happened; where promises where fulfilled; where the impossible came to be; where death became life; where humanity moved from darkness into light; where love won. It was in Jerusalem where a new chapter, a new adventure, began. It was in Jerusalem where the early Church was formed and where sharing the Gospel began. In the same way the Father resurrected his Son, the Son will come to our aid because he loves us.
In the movie Up, when Ellie’s scrapbook reached its end, it concluded with a call for Carl to begin another set of new adventures. Today’s Feast of the Ascension is not telling us that the gospel is “closed.” Instead, this is where the great new adventure for the Church begins. And this new chapter asks for our participation. It is time for us to continue filling in the pages of the life of the Church.
Image: Adobe Stock. By Saulo Collado.
Father Bernardo Lara is a priest of the Diocese of San Diego and pastor of three Southern California parishes: Sacred Heart and St. Margaret Mary in Brawley and St. Joseph in Westmorland.
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