I know I'm over an hour late, but yesterday, we celebrated the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord into His rightful place at the Right Hand of the Father. Now, for most of those who are not followers of Christ, this concept about Jesus leaving His followers may be an almost confusing concept. For Christ to walk with His apostles for three years, to appear to them after He rose from the dead, and then just to leave them after forty days since Easter may seem to some as a betrayal. However, if we look at the end of Gospel of St. Mark and the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, we see that this was a happy time for Christ's disciples. And while it was joyous, it also brought forth a new challenge.
The apostles understood that Christ had to ascend back into Heaven to send the Holy Spirit into world. Not only was that fact a cause of joy to the eleven, but also the realization that God the Son would be with them and would guide them at His proper place.
Also, it challenged the apostles to live for Christ as He lived for them, leading to eleven of the twelve apostles to spill their blood for their Master as He did for them. While we may not be called to die for Christ, we must still die a little for Him in our daily lives. Our lives must reflect Christ to others, in the way we treat others, in the way we show God honor, praying our rosary, saying grace before and after meals at the restaurant, etc. We must decrease in our personal selves so that the reign of Jesus Christ, Sovereign King may reflect through us.
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