Salt of the Earth, Light of the world

The Feast of the Ascension celebrates the last physical manifestation of Jesus to his apostles before his final return at the end of time. We could even say that it celebrates Christ’s new way of presence on earth. For indeed, if Jesus returns definitively to his Father, this does not mean that he now abandons us; it merely shows that he plans to change his way of of being present among us.  

For if the Gospel is to be preached to all creatures – to all existing now, and all those who will exist till the end of time – then Christ must be present to them in a way suitable for this. To this purpose, he has chosen to be present in many different ways: through witnesses inspired by his Spirit; through the Eucharist; through the teachings of the Church; through the hearts of Christians, where he finds a home.

In these different ways, Jesus can be made present to each one of us and to every generation of people. But, if he had continued to exist physically on earth, his presence would have been limited to a place and a time. With the Ascension, Jesus chose to give up his former way of being bodily present in a given place, in order to be henceforth present to each one of us.

There’s an ancient legend about the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. According to the legend, when Jesus reached heaven, his body still showed the wounds of his crucifixion. His hands and feet still bore the mark from the nails. His side bore the mark from the spear. His back bore the stripes from the whip, and his head bore the wounds from the thorns.

When the people in heaven saw these marks, they fell on their knees before Jesus. They were astounded to see how much he had suffered. Then the angel Gabriel rose up and said to Jesus: “Lord, how greatly you suffered on earth! Do all the people on earth know and appreciate how much you went through for them and how much you loved them?”

Jesus replied: “Oh no! Only a handful of people in Palestine know that. The rest haven’t even heard of me.  They don’t know who I am. They don’t know how much I suffered, and how much I love them.”

Gabriel was shocked to hear this. Then he said to Jesus, “How will all the rest of the people on earth ever learn about your suffering and your love?

Jesus said, “Just before I left, I told Peter, James, and John and a few of their friends, to tell the rest of the world for me. They’ll tell as many people as they can. Those people, in turn, will tell other people. In that way, the whole world will eventually learn about my love for them.”

Gabriel looked even more confused now. He knew fickle people are. He knew how forgetful they are. He knew how prone to doubt they are.

So he turned to Jesus and said: “But, Lord, what if Peter, James, and John grow tired or frustrated? What if they forget about you? What if they begin to have doubts about you? And even if none of these things happen, what if the people they tell become frustrated? What if they forget? What if they begin to have doubts about you? Didn’t you take these things into account? Don’t you have a back-up plan – just in case?”

Jesus answered: “I did take all these things into account, but I decided against a back-up plan. This is the only plan I have. I’m counting on the people they tell not to let me down.”

More than twenty centuries later, Jesus still has no other plan. He counted on Peter, James, and John, and they didn’t lt him down. He counted on the people they told, and they didn’t let him down. And now Jesus counts on us.  

The Feast of the Ascension is one of the most important feasts of the liturgical year. It’s the day on which we celebrate Jesus’ return to his Father. We might compare the Feast of the Ascension to the passing of the baton from one runner to another in a relay race.

On this day over 2,000 years ago, Jesus passed the baton of his work to Peter, James, and John. They, in turn, passed it on to the people who came after them. They, in turn, passed it on to us. And now it is our turn to pass it on to others.

Practically speaking, what does this mean? Does it mean going out to preach about Jesus, as Peter, James, and John did? Does it mean climbing up soapboxes in shopping malls and market places and yelling to everyone about Jesus? It could mean this for some of us.

But for most of us it means something much more basic than this. It means something much more fundamental. It means living out Jesus’ teachings in our personal lives. The way to begin preaching Jesus to the world is to begin preaching Jesus to ourselves. There’s an old Chinese proverb that says:

“If there is RIGHT in the soul, there will be BEAUTY in the person. If there is beauty in the person, there will be HARMONY in the home. If there is harmony in the home, there will be ORDER in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be PEACE in the world.”

The way to begin preaching Jesus to the world is to begin living Jesus in our lives. Once we begin to do this, the message of Jesus will begin to ripple our across the world. And if enough Christians do it, that ripple will turn into a tidal wave, and that tidal wave will change the face of the earth in a way we never dreamed possible.

This is the message of today’s feast. This is the challenge that today’s reading hold out for us. Jesus is counting on us.

Let’s close with these words of Jesus to his followers in the Sermon on the Mount. In the light of what we have just said, they take on special meaning.

Jesus says: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?

It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden… Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”