Pie in the sky?

"Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up at the skies? This Jesus who has been taken from you will return, just as you saw him go up into the heavens." (From today’s First Reading, Acts 1:10).

Stop gazing up there, and start gazing down here. In fact, if you do not find the Risen Christ down here, you will not find Him up there either. The Ascension meant a Christ letting go of his physical presence, which was contained and limited, so that he could be spiritually omnipresent in all of creation, as it was in the beginning, and for all ages to come. From limited, time – bound physical presence to unlimited, timeless Spiritual Presence. This is the ultimate meaning of His ascension. In Trinitarian language: God the Father created the world. God the Son redeemed it. God the Holy Spirit dwells in it.

Many of us keep looking up there as our future destiny, whereas our life’s destiny of love and service is down here, with the Risen Christ as our companion and Lord. "The Eleven went forth and preached everywhere. The Lord continued to work with them throughout and confirm the message through the signs which accompanied them." (From today’s Gospel Reading, Mk. 16: 20).

As the homilist, Rev. William Maestri, puts it: "The temptation is to be preoccupied with ‘getting to heaven’ and leaving earthly concerns to non-believers. Heaven is played off against the concerns of this world. Heaven is where God is to be found. Heaven is eternal. Heaven is a place of bliss. The earth, by contrast, is of passing glory. It is but a stop on the way to heaven. Hence, it is best not to get involved in the things of the world…. The concerns of the poor, powerless, oppressed and wretched are of little interest. The poor will get their pie in the sky when they die. For now, their consolation must be in their faith." (From Grace Upon Grace)

This is pious rationalization, a spiritualized escape from an active involvement in relentless efforts toward a more just and humane social order. We cannot and must not be led into passivity, inactivity, and complacency. Once again, let us remind ourselves that we are called by the Lord to be agents of change and not victims of the status quo. This is the most significant legacy that we can pass on to the next generations. We ourselves may not see the fruits of our efforts, but we can keep sowing the seeds – and even just for this, our life will be worth it.

Let us continue to support whatever positive moves and efforts our three branches of government are doing – the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. Let us continually pray for all our leaders, that the Lord may draw them to Himself and lead them where He wants our country to go at this point in our history.

To end this homily, allow me to share with our readers a brief summary of the policy statement of our Jesuit Social Apostolate 2006 entitled "A Call to Heroic Citizenship."

"Moved by those who suffer, by those who struggle and by the Spirit, we dedicate ourselves to building a heroic citizenship through the promotion of good governance, asset creation and redistribution for the poor, environmental stewardship and cultural regeneration; all these with a special concern for Mindanao."

Promotion of good governance means that our Jesuit social centers "will work to ensure that governance is truly an exercise of democratic power towards authentic human development with a preferential option for the poor." Asset creation and redistribution means, on the other hand, that "where assets have been inequitably distributed, we will struggle to ensure that the poor will receive their just share." Assets refer to financial, like income, savings, and credit; physical, like housing and tools; natural, like access to land, water, and forests; human, like health and education; and social, like family and community.

The efforts toward environmental stewardship and cultural regeneration are equally significant. Our people’s capacity for self-critique and self-transformation can be activated and maximized.

Last but not least is the political, economic, and cultural empowerment of the tri-people of Mindanao, i.e., Muslim, Christian, and Lumad. "Through dialogue of life, dialogue of action and religious experiences…. In such ways of interfaith and intercultural engagement, mutual understanding, respect and solidarity of Mindanao’s tri-people will emerge."

Lord, be it done unto us, according to your will. Amen.