My Seven-Minute-Homily: Ascension of the Lord, year C
Acts of the Apostles 1, 1-11; Letter of St. Paul to Ephesians 1,17-23 and the Gospel of St. Luke 24, 46-53
We don’t have to kneel much while attending Sunday. People just kneel during The consecration time, just about 5 minutes. Not too long ago, people had to kneel down almost during the whole Mass celebration. I come from a very warm country where Catholic People love to attend Sunday Mass very much. The Church is always packed for Sunday Mass celebration. However, as I said the weather is so hot. The Sunday Mass attendants liked to stand at the back of the Church, in the foyer or at the entrance door. Especially during the time of homily giving, many men go out, not too far from the church, just seating right on the steps and enjoy a cigarette too.
Not any priest likes seeing people attending Sunday Mass in this way. Once I heard a joke from a priest like this. Before giving the homily, priest said: After we died, we go to heaven’s gate and get line in waiting for St. Peter checks us in. St. Peter keeps the key of the heaven. He can let people in or out. St. Peter won’t ask you any question. He will ask you to show your knees for him to check. For those who have knees with a soft skin and hair on it will be kicked out right away. This shows St. Peter that these people did not go to church much or they went to church but they did not kneel at all. For those whose knees covered with hard skin show that they went to church very much and they always stayed the inside of the Church especially they kneeled during Mass celebration.
The priest wanted to send this message to people who was seating on the steps and enjoying a cigarette. People laughed loudly with the joke. However I did not see any better change after this joke has been told. People, especially men still wanted enjoy relaxation a little bit during Sunday Mass celebration.
Today we celebrate the ascension of the Lord. Jesus Christ was lifted up to heaven before the eyes of his disciples. This makes us wonder why did Jesus Christ leave his disciples for Heaven? What does Ascension of the Lord mean to us? The catechism of the Catholic Church defines that Heaven is where God and saints live. Heaven is an everlasting life. Heaven is en eternal life. Heaven is the final and biggest reward for those who are faithful to God. Heaven is where people will be satisfied completely. The presence of God fulfills all desires in people.
Why the Risen Lord did not stay with his disciples on earth for the Evangelization? It will be much better if he stayed with them and directed them for this mission. It is really bad when he left them alone for many struggles and persecution when they tried to achieve the mission of Evangelization that he ordered them to do.
No, when the Gospel says, “Jesus withdrew himself from his disciples and was carried up into heaven”, the Gospel doesn’t mean that Jesus left his disciples for heaven, for a perfect life and Jesus abandoned them for many struggles and persecution on earth. The ascension of the Lord is considered as a final step of salvation. Salvation begins with Jesus’ birth in a form of man like we are. Salvation was performed by preaching the Good News, by healing the sick, by restoring to life for the dead. Salvation was shown by dying on the cross, by rising from the dead and finally by ascending into heaven. These stages make up salvation for human.
This is exactly the way we live. This is also the goal we try to reach. Jesus Christ is considered as the first born of human creation. He shows himself as a perfect model for all of us. All of us were born on earth. All of us have listened to the Good News preached by Jesus Christ. All of us have received the healing and reconciliation. All of us have received the Body of Christ as the food of life on the journey to heaven. All of us will die one day and finally all of us who believe in Jesus as the resurrection and the life will rise again from the dead for Heaven, for everlasting life with God and all Saints. So the ascension of the Lord is considered as a foreseen way that we will be in the future. The ascension of the Lord encourages us to follow Jesus Christ as a model of human life.
What should we do to have heaven at the end of life? We don’t need to kneel down a lot in Church so that we can show our bold knees covered with hard skin to St. Peter so that we can get into Heaven. Actually heaven is a reward. A reward is given to someone who has been won after fighting. Yes, we will have heaven as a reward given by God for our fidelity with faith. Jesus Christ ascended into heaven after he has died and rose again from the dead. I mean that Jesus also received a reward of Heaven after he has been faithful with his mission. As Christians, as the followers of Jesus Christ, we have to follow Jesus, our forerunner so that we would have heaven at the end of life. Actually we were born not for challenges. We don’t intend to live for persecution. But challenge and persecution are always around human life, especially Christian life.
We live like everyone does but keep in mind that we are on the journey of life. Our destination is heaven. When we celebrate the ascension of the Lord, I won’t say that life on earth has no value and nothing. I won’t tell you that just fix your mind and your eyes to heaven. No, Jesus lived on earth, loved people on earth and worked very hard to help people on earth so that they know that they have eternal life expecting them in heaven after the life on earth. My message is do not glue yourselves permanently on earth. Everything won’t last forever on the earth. We should live, should work and should serve people on the earth with love and with our enthusiasm but remember always that we are going to everlasting life in heaven. Amen
Acts of the Apostles 1, 1-11; Letter of St. Paul to Ephesians 1,17-23 and the Gospel of St. Luke 24, 46-53
We don’t have to kneel much while attending Sunday. People just kneel during The consecration time, just about 5 minutes. Not too long ago, people had to kneel down almost during the whole Mass celebration. I come from a very warm country where Catholic People love to attend Sunday Mass very much. The Church is always packed for Sunday Mass celebration. However, as I said the weather is so hot. The Sunday Mass attendants liked to stand at the back of the Church, in the foyer or at the entrance door. Especially during the time of homily giving, many men go out, not too far from the church, just seating right on the steps and enjoy a cigarette too.
Not any priest likes seeing people attending Sunday Mass in this way. Once I heard a joke from a priest like this. Before giving the homily, priest said: After we died, we go to heaven’s gate and get line in waiting for St. Peter checks us in. St. Peter keeps the key of the heaven. He can let people in or out. St. Peter won’t ask you any question. He will ask you to show your knees for him to check. For those who have knees with a soft skin and hair on it will be kicked out right away. This shows St. Peter that these people did not go to church much or they went to church but they did not kneel at all. For those whose knees covered with hard skin show that they went to church very much and they always stayed the inside of the Church especially they kneeled during Mass celebration.
The priest wanted to send this message to people who was seating on the steps and enjoying a cigarette. People laughed loudly with the joke. However I did not see any better change after this joke has been told. People, especially men still wanted enjoy relaxation a little bit during Sunday Mass celebration.
Today we celebrate the ascension of the Lord. Jesus Christ was lifted up to heaven before the eyes of his disciples. This makes us wonder why did Jesus Christ leave his disciples for Heaven? What does Ascension of the Lord mean to us? The catechism of the Catholic Church defines that Heaven is where God and saints live. Heaven is an everlasting life. Heaven is en eternal life. Heaven is the final and biggest reward for those who are faithful to God. Heaven is where people will be satisfied completely. The presence of God fulfills all desires in people.
Why the Risen Lord did not stay with his disciples on earth for the Evangelization? It will be much better if he stayed with them and directed them for this mission. It is really bad when he left them alone for many struggles and persecution when they tried to achieve the mission of Evangelization that he ordered them to do.
No, when the Gospel says, “Jesus withdrew himself from his disciples and was carried up into heaven”, the Gospel doesn’t mean that Jesus left his disciples for heaven, for a perfect life and Jesus abandoned them for many struggles and persecution on earth. The ascension of the Lord is considered as a final step of salvation. Salvation begins with Jesus’ birth in a form of man like we are. Salvation was performed by preaching the Good News, by healing the sick, by restoring to life for the dead. Salvation was shown by dying on the cross, by rising from the dead and finally by ascending into heaven. These stages make up salvation for human.
This is exactly the way we live. This is also the goal we try to reach. Jesus Christ is considered as the first born of human creation. He shows himself as a perfect model for all of us. All of us were born on earth. All of us have listened to the Good News preached by Jesus Christ. All of us have received the healing and reconciliation. All of us have received the Body of Christ as the food of life on the journey to heaven. All of us will die one day and finally all of us who believe in Jesus as the resurrection and the life will rise again from the dead for Heaven, for everlasting life with God and all Saints. So the ascension of the Lord is considered as a foreseen way that we will be in the future. The ascension of the Lord encourages us to follow Jesus Christ as a model of human life.
What should we do to have heaven at the end of life? We don’t need to kneel down a lot in Church so that we can show our bold knees covered with hard skin to St. Peter so that we can get into Heaven. Actually heaven is a reward. A reward is given to someone who has been won after fighting. Yes, we will have heaven as a reward given by God for our fidelity with faith. Jesus Christ ascended into heaven after he has died and rose again from the dead. I mean that Jesus also received a reward of Heaven after he has been faithful with his mission. As Christians, as the followers of Jesus Christ, we have to follow Jesus, our forerunner so that we would have heaven at the end of life. Actually we were born not for challenges. We don’t intend to live for persecution. But challenge and persecution are always around human life, especially Christian life.
We live like everyone does but keep in mind that we are on the journey of life. Our destination is heaven. When we celebrate the ascension of the Lord, I won’t say that life on earth has no value and nothing. I won’t tell you that just fix your mind and your eyes to heaven. No, Jesus lived on earth, loved people on earth and worked very hard to help people on earth so that they know that they have eternal life expecting them in heaven after the life on earth. My message is do not glue yourselves permanently on earth. Everything won’t last forever on the earth. We should live, should work and should serve people on the earth with love and with our enthusiasm but remember always that we are going to everlasting life in heaven. Amen