Reflections
“God
mounts his throne amid shouts of joy.”
This
week we celebrate the Ascension of
our
Lord, who was taken up to heaven
to
be seated at the right hand of the Father,
far
above every principality, with authority
over
every nation, as our 2nd
reading tells us.
(Ephesians
1: 20-22)
With
such an awesome God on his throne,
what
hope do we have as mere human beings
that
we will ever be able to approach Him?
How
far above us can this Jesus be, if He is
taken
up to heaven and has all things put
beneath his feet?
Power
is often associated with arrogance and
brutal
treatment, but our God uses his power
to
work miracles, and bring about healing.
And his power is expressed by his love, by
which
we are raised up with Jesus. He
is risen,
and
is seated at the right hand of the Father
in
heaven. Knowing this, “We shout with joy,
and
we praise Him,” as
our psalmist says.
Though
He has ascended, fortunately Jesus
leaves
with us a way to share in his divinity,
through
the Holy Spirit which he gives to us.
His
power and presence remain within us,
so
long as we repent from our sins and believe
in Him.
After
Jesus' Ascension,
the disciples began their
active
ministry, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
That
same power is given to us – we too are called
to
ministry, to go into the world and proclaim
the Gospel! And
for that we are inspired to praise
the Lord; as
the psalmist says, “Clap your hands,
shout to God with
cries of gladness; sing praise to God!”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. As per the Psalm and the readings this week, our Lord has been
raised up so high above us. How do you reach Him, how do you build
a personal relationship with Him?
2. The psalmist encourages us to clap our hands, and shout to God with cries
2. The psalmist encourages us to clap our hands, and shout to God with cries
of gladness, because God mounts His throne. Speak of how you are raised up
with our Lord Jesus, as He ascends to sit at the right hand of the Father.
Our Savior and Lord has indeed been raised so high above us, but the beautiful genius of the plan is that Jesus is still always with us. I see it in two big ways: through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity... and also through the Eucharist.
ReplyDeleteAs we approach Pentecost, the image of being on fire for the Lord is becoming clearer. We each have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit -- but we are more in tune with the Spirit's groanings and promptings as we walk closer to God.
Regarding the Eucharist, we know that the Word became flesh and that we receive Him at every Mass; we are literally in communion with Him when we accept the Precious Body and Blood, also referred to as "communion" for this reason. We ingest His very flesh so as to be united with Jesus and in turn with God the Father. Hopefully, the presence of Jesus within us helps us to become more like Him. At the same time, we are encouraged to approach his throne with boldness and confidence in our prayers, like a child approaching his parent with a concern or desire.
I thank God for the compassion and perfect mercy of His design.
When I look upon the image of the ascension of our Lord Jesus, who is now seated at the right hand of the Father, it is awesome beyond words. Who could possibly be able to approach Him ? But out of His love He promises us He will send the Holy Spirit, His advocate and comforter, who will guide us to the truth.
ReplyDeleteSince His spirit is within me, my body becomes a temple of God, His dwelling place. And also because of my belief in Jesus as the son of God, He makes all things possible, so that now I have access to Him. No doubt I also will be raised up with Him, through Him, because of His victory over death for me.
Now I am able to approach Jesus by professing my faith, saying "He is the Lord," using my lips to express what is in my heart. Not only by worshiping and praising Him, but also by receiving the Eucharist, His body and blood, I am able to have a close relationship with Jesus.
Sing praise to Him with gratitude!