ASCENSION:

GOOD, BETTER, BEST

INTRODUCTION

The title of homily is, “Ascension: Good, Better, Best.”

This Sunday in this diocese we celebrate the feast of the Ascension - the leaving of Jesus - the heading of Jesus into eternity - post resurrection - as pictured in the mural painting up on the left of our front wall here at St. Mary's.

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The Early Church had begun - with Christ in a new and different dimension - as well as his disciples - beginning to see themselves in a new way - now in newer leadership roles - adjusting - figuring what’s next.

When I read today’s readings, the theme that hits me, is adulthood. We’re now on our own.  Jesus says, “Goodbye!”

It’s like graduation - now get moving.

He sends his disciples forth. He’s tooled them. He’s taught them. He’s educated them. He trained them. Now go into the whole world and bring my Good News to all peoples! [Cf.  Ephesians 4: 1-13]

TWO OF MY FAVORITE EXAMPLES

I have two favorite examples that get into what’s going on here. I have used both of them many times not only with high school kids, but also with little kids as well - and I think all get the message.

The first is the story of the mama bear and the two baby bears. I saw this on TV somewhere along the line. It might have been on Discovery Channel or Animal Kingdom.

The opening scene shows Mama Bear leading her two little ones out of a cave or den. It’s time. She pushes them forward for a good distance. They come to a tree - which she makes them climb up. As they are clawing their way up the tree, she starts to walk away. They immediately start downwards. She comes running back at them and growls. They start climbing the tree again. This time they get a bit higher. Not seeing mama they come down again. Mama Bear who was hiding behind a bog rock comes running back towards them again and growls. Once more they climb the tree - this time higher. Not spotting mama they start down again. Watching all this from a distance mama growls again - while shaking her paws at them, “Get back up that tree!”

And back climb that tree. The screen gets dark. Mama Bear disappears for good.

Obviously, I couldn’t tell this story on Mother’s Day.

Next, the TV screen, which was dark,  becomes light. It’s morning. It’s sunrise. Down from the tree come the 2 little cubs and head for where they came from - but mama’s gone. End of the movie.

The second story - which is the same story. Once more I love to tell this story to kids and young people. It’s a story that happened to me on the N subway train - in New York. My trip was to go from 59th Street Station in Brooklyn to 42 Street Station in Manhattan. That’s 6 or 7 stops. Sometimes the N train stops at DeKalb Avenue.

It’s around 11 AM. I walk to the subway and get on the N Train when it comes into the station. It’s not crowded. I take a seat.

At 36th Street, the next stop after 59th Street,  in comes a father and a son - a little boy. At first the kid is sitting on his father’s lap - but he wants down.  I’m watching this - just sitting across from the two of them. The little boy wants to stand.  His father puts him down on his own two feet. He’s knee high to his father. The train is moving and shaking. He frees himself from his father’s grip. He’s laughing, smiling, shaking with the roaring train  - standing on his own two feet - his hands like Rocky on the top of the Philadelphia Art Museum steps in Rocky #1.

 

Then the train starts to brake and slow down - because the next stop is almost here: Pacific Street. To prevent himself from falling - he runs back to the safety of his father’s knee. The train stops. He relaxes. By now different people are observing these two - a father and the son. It’s a story as old as humankind.

The train starts moving again. He shakes himself free of his father and goes out into the freedom of standing on his own two feet in the center of the train. Once more, as the train brakes and shakes - as we are coming into Canal Street Station, he runs back to his father. He does this all the way to the 42 Street Station  where I got off.

As I walked away,  I wondered if this was a parable of life.  

Is this the human hope for independence  - but sometimes I’m scared?

Dependence. Independence. Dependence. Independence.

Others add interdependence - a combination of both.

Is this the story of marriage, family, relationships, work, life?

Life: birth, dependence, independence, interdependence, dependence - no wonder they call them "Depends" …. till death do we part.

TODAY’S FIRST READING

Today’s first reading is from the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles. It’s addressed to Theophilus - which most say is to us - that is,  if want to be a lover (PHILOS) - of God (THEOS).

It begins with the comment that Jesus gave instructions through the Holy Spirit - gave proofs that he was alive after his sufferings and death.  Then he leaves them - pictured as going up to the heavens. Then today’s first reading ends: “Why are you standing there looking at the sky?”

Translation: get moving - like the two bears, you’re now on your own. Like the little kid on the train, don’t we all have the desire for freedom - as we move along on the train of life - station to station?

Ascension: Good, Better, Best

The title of my homily is: "Ascension: Good, Better, Best."

Isn't that the journey of life: to become good, to become better, to reach our best?

Wouldn’t  that be a good morning prayer? “Lord, today, help me to do good. Lord, help me to be better. Better, Lord, today, help me to do my best.”

Wouldn’t  that be a good evening prayer? “Lord, looking back on today I thank You for the good I did - for the better I did - for the best I  did, today.”

In fact, isn’t it a good night prayer, to pick out the best thing we did that day - and go to sleep saying, “Thank You Lord, help me to do some good again tomorrow - to have a better tomorrow - to do the best I can do tomorrow - at least in one thing.”

Good, better, best. That’s very simple. It’s not too complicated.

But we also know we can do: bad, worse, worst.

CHRISTIANITY

Christianity is realistic. Sometimes we do our worst. The Prodigal Son or Daughter in us - sometimes messes up. We want independence and we blow it - and the message of that story is: “We can come crawling back to the Father’s embrace.”

Christianity is also unrealistic. The best we can do is to lay down our lives for our family and for friends. “Greater love than this no one has, but to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Jesus did just that! He gave his life for us. It’s the Mass. It’s this sacrifice. It’s this call to give of self everyday. Isn’t that’s when we are at our very best.

Life!

CONCLUSION: WHAT ARE OUR ROCK SOLD FOUNDATIONS?

The little kid on the subway train had his dad to run back to. The 2 little bears had what they were trained by their mama to go by. What are our rock solid foundations to help us move into our future - with security and strength?

One last example.

As you might know, Broadway now has  another revision of Arthur Miller’s Play, Death of a Salesman. Years ago I saw it with Dustin Hoffman in the lead. I also saw it in college and I saw it in a movie. Each time it moved me big time.

As you know the main character in the play, Willy Loman, a salesman, finds himself without any security. His whole world has caved in on him. Maybe he felt like those two little bears - without a mama. Maybe he felt like that little kid on the train - but there was no daddy to run to and lean on.

What made me think of this was an article I noticed about the play in yesterday’s New York Times. The question was asked whether Arthur Miller was picturing Willy Loman as Jewish. Then like so many people, he had distanced himself - as second generation - from his religious roots and cultural background  - into becoming simply an American. Then when he was getting older - then when his family had changed - then when he had lost his job - he had nothing to run back to.

The paper quotes Mike Nichols - who is directing the new revival - in an interview this month, “Willy has no forebears. He’s not from any country. He has no holidays of any religion. So you have to assume Miller’s making a point. We who are struggling to sell enough have to drop everything — religion, nationality, family. There is nothing except, as Willy puts it, being known and being well-liked.”

That last sentence grabbed me: is that the goal of life - to be known and to be well-liked?

For some, maybe yes. How about us? Where do we want to ascend to? What’s good, better, best for us?

Aren’t we here,  because we know there’s more?  There is the good, the better, and the best. We can keep on ascending to higher and higher values. Don’t we come here to Church to hear just what the disciples and apostles heard - before they were sent into the world with Good News and to make our world good, better and best?  Don’t we then leave church not just to go in peace, but to keep growing - keep going forth to avoid doing bad, worse or worst, but to do good, to do better, to do our best - each day. Amen.