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May 16, 2021St. Pope John XXIII said that “prayer is the raising of the mind to God. We must always remember this. The actual words matter less”. On this Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, a lesser-known prayer comes to my mind. It is usually said silently by a deacon or a priest before consecration. “By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” Why is such a beautiful prayer silent? I do not know.
Jesus Christ, whose ascension we celebrate, lived His earthly life to its fullest. His self-knowledge and divine nature allowed Him to express all of his potentialities. Jesus also knew the potentialities and weaknesses of His followers. He continues to challenge believers to “go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” As Jesus sent His disciples, He commissions us to “preach” in words and deeds. Jesus does not call us because of our credentials but He knows our potential. Once we accept the call, we can develop our God-given potential with the help of the Holy Spirit. The grace of God manifested in Jesus helped the disciples in their Christian journey of ongoing conversion. They stumbled and failed. Except for Judas Iscariot, they picked themselves up every time they fell short. They trusted Jesus’ words even when they did not understand. They heard Jesus enjoining ‘them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father”… the Holy Spirit.’
Our Savior called us on the day of our baptism when we received the Holy Spirit. He is calling us today. Am I paying attention? Are we listening? Or are we “looking intently at the sky” waiting for the “Second Coming?” We do not have to wait until we are perfectly ready to act on God’s call. Once we let go and let God, He will use us to the best of our abilities. Who knows how the skills we possess will contribute to proclaim the gospel? The evangelists, the authors of the New Testament and many others used their skills to “proclaim the gospel” in their day and age. One of them named Matthew, inspired by the Spirit, used his pen as a gospel writer instead of collecting taxes. A pen or any tool, in the hands of believers, was used and can be used by God to proclaim the Good News.
Let us raise our minds to God and surrender to Him, as we approach the Eucharistic Table, to “share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” AMEN!
