Today is Ascension Sunday

It is Ascension Sunday today and the Catholic Church has ordained this Feast of the Lord’s Ascension as one of the important events in the life and times of our Lord Jesus Christ. Also today, the Vatican is celebrating the 47th World Communications Day as it is the day when Catholics are asked to reflect on the final message of our Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples, after which he was taken up to heaven. The theme for year’s World Communications Day is “Social Networks: Portals of truth and faith; new spaces for evangelization.” Today’s gospel reading comes from Luke 24:46-53.

“46[Jesus] said to [his disciples], “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day 47 and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.

49 And [behold] I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” 50 Then he led them [out] as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. 51 As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. 52 They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 and they were continually in the temple praising God.”

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Close your eyes for a while and imagine yourself as one of the disciples with our Lord Jesus Christ, who was giving you his blessings when all of the sudden, the Lord rose up from the mountain and straight into heaven until the clouds covered him from their sight. What a great sight to behold especially in ancient times when flying was only for the birds.

With the Ascension of our Lord, his mission here on earth has been completed. This all started as prophesies by prophets from as far away back to Moses to John the Baptist. Then came the Annunciation of the Birth of our Lord, which was completed with the Blessed Virgin Mary’s “Fiat” and we read about his birth in Nazareth where shepherds and animals paid him homage. Then the flight to Egypt and their return to Nazareth until after the finding of our Lord in Jerusalem, our Lord had his hidden life.

Of course, when Jesus finally came out for his ministry, he preached far and wide in Palestine and the Jordan. Then after the predictions of his cruel death, he overcame what was thought to be impossible by rising from the dead. But clearly, he appeared only to his disciples so they will be witnesses to his Resurrection and today they are witnesses to his Ascension.

You may want to know why the Vatican chose Ascension Sunday as World Communications Day. It is written in today’s scripture passage wherein our Lord Jesus Christ said, “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” This is the good news of the Gospel… that our Lord Jesus Christ came down from heaven to sacrifice his life for us sinners.

Christ’s resurrection and eventual ascension gives us hope that God really does care for his own creation despite how much we turn our back against the Lord he is always there ready to forgive us. So our task as disciples of Christ is to preach the good news to all the nations of this earth. Few people realize that while the Catholic Church is 2,000 years old, it was one of the first to adopt the new technology of radio in order to preach the gospel.

The Vatican’s message for World Communications Day 2013 apparently was prepared by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Allow me to reprint the Pope’s main message, which is based on the theme “Social Networks: portals of truth and faith: new spaces for evangelization.”

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, “I would like to offer you some reflections on an increasingly important reality regarding the way in which people today communicate among themselves. I wish to consider the development of digital social networks which are helping to create a new “agora”, an open public square in which people share ideas, information and opinions, and in which new relationships and forms of community can come into being.

These spaces, when engaged in a wise and balance way, help to foster forms of dialogue and debate which, if conducted respectfully and with concern for privacy, responsibility and truthfulness, can reinforce the bonds of unity between individuals and effectively promote the harmony of the human family.

Today, the Vatican has embraced all kinds of technology, from radio, television and yes, now they are in social networking sites and yes, even Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was the first Pope to have a Twitter account. That I write Sunday columns is also my own way of evangelizing our readers.

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