Posted by The WORD in other words (2018) by Fr Atilano Corcuera SVD – Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay City
Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord – B
Fr. Guillemette narrated a story that when Jesus ascended to heaven, he was met by the angels all eager to see the body of the Son of God. The angels saw the wounds all over the body of Jesus and could not understand how God could suffer such inhuman punishment.
At one time, an angel asked Jesus how he survived such indignity in the hands of human beings. Jesus accordingly said, “For the sake of the kingdom.”
And when the angels came to know that God’s kingdom was left in the hands of the apostles, they could not believe it, knowing how frail humans were.
One angel asked, “Lord, you have given everything for the kingdom and left it to weak mortals. Suppose these so-called apostles fail, don’t you have a contingency plan?”
Jesus answered, “No, I don’t have a contingency plan.”
Ascension reminds us that the spread of God’s kingdom is now in our hands. The kingdom which Jesus suffered and died for is now left to us. If we fail, the kingdom of God fails; if we succeed, it succeeds. God does not have a contingency plan!
And yet we are not alone in our human capabilities to bear witness to God’s good news, mercy and love. Even if Jesus had ascended to heaven he promised to be with us. The Lord “worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.”
Come to think of it, Jesus did not leave a contingency plan, precisely because he is still with us, in his words, in the sacraments and in his Body the Church.
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