ASCENSCION

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Ascension.”

In the 1990’s the Catholic Church - as well as other Christian Churches moved Ascension Thursday to this 7^th Sunday after Easter. Some Catholic dioceses did just that; some dioceses didn’t.

I really don’t know the WHY of all this.  

I assume it was to make things easier. I assume that people were missing out on the feast - so some pushed to have it moved to this Sunday - so people would reflect upon the Ascension of Christ into heaven.

Somewhere along the line I found myself saying that I don’t like the word, “obligation” - as in “Sunday Obligation” - as well as, “Holy Day of Obligation”  and somewhere along the line I discovered nobody really cares what I think.

Yet when I heard my sister Mary say: “I wish the Catholic Church would change their wording to “Holy Day of Opportunity,” I said to myself, ‘I like that!’”

So I cared what someone else said in the halls of public theology.  I also cared when I’ve heard various people say, “I wouldn’t want to be at something that you had to come to by obligation or else you’re in trouble. I’d rather be at something I’d want  to be at.”

Yet those who skip celebrations or obligations or what have you - sometimes get looked down upon.

Guilt gets results - obligation works. At Mass, and family get togethers, there are people there with  an unhappy face on. They are there because they feel a have to - as opposed to a want to.

DOWN SYNDROME USHER

I once heard a wonderful - and funny - story.

In a parish in some city in the Midwest there was this neat young man with Down Syndrome.  Every Sunday he went with his parents to Sunday Mass - and in time his dream was to be an usher.

Finally, he got his wish. The rest of the ushers said, “Why not? It’s tough getting ushers at times - especially during the summer.”

So this young man was made an usher and he loved it - and everyone in the parish got to love him.

Surprise! The collection went up - and it was noticeable.

He would push the basket into the benches he served….  This was before “Faith Direct.” If someone didn’t put some money into his basket -  he would hold it - there - right in front of a person - and gesture with the basket, “How about some green?” He would also say at times, “Uh, Uh, Uh” with the basket at the person. It was usually a visitor or a “once and a whiler” this happened to. The regulars loved it - and would joke about it outside of church after Mass. And they too added to the collection.

Shame, shake downs, guilt, works. 

Obviously wanting to be generous - to support the church - to help others - or what have you is a much better attitude and motive and outlook.

I was at some banquet or fund raiser once and people  were going around selling 50-50’s - those tickets with the numbers on them. One ticket stays with the seller for a later on drawing. The other ticket with the same number on it goes into the buyer’s pocket. Felling guilty or I better make a contribution to the cause,  I said, “Give me ten.” The seller said, “They are 100 dollars apiece, Father.” “Ooops,” I said, “Give me one.” I thought they were a dollar each.

Obligation works…. In public view works….

THE HUMAN ASCENT

In his book, The Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski in talking about evolution, said, “Among the multitude of animals which scamper, fly, burrow, and swim around us, man is the only one who is not locked into his environment.”  Bronowski continues, “His imagination, his reason, his emotional subtlety and toughness make it possible for  him not to accept the environment but to change it. And that series of inventions by which man from age to age has remade his environment is a different kind of evolution - not biological, but cultural evolution. I call that brilliant sequence of cultural peaks The Ascent of Man.”

THE DECENSION AND ASCENSION OF CHRIST

There is a key Christian Life text in Paul’s Letter to the Philippians.

As you know some of Paul’s letters were with us before the gospels.

Philippians is one of them - dated back to the 50’s.

Philippians 2: 5b-11 gives us an early Christian hymn  - which means it’s even earlier - which says Christ was God - and he emptied himself of his being God and became one of us - and he descended even lower and became a slave for us - and then even lower - he was killed  - on a cross - for us - because of us - us at our lowest - and because of this obedience - this choice by Christ to lift us from our lowest - God exalted him - raised him up - Ascension - so that everyone will see him as our savior - redeemer - our God. That’s the kind of God we have.

And that’s not the way we people are at times. At times we step on others. We stand on others. We put others down - so we can look higher - bigger - better than the other guy or gal.

Just look around! We brag. We boast. We want to look bigger and better than others: with house, with car, with cash, with Botox, with clothes, with kids with better marks, smarts, looks than your kids.

Life is according to Paul and Christ - is lowering ourselves so others can rise.

I find myself hearing another tell a story - and I got to top them - ascend higher than them.

Decension, listening to others, letting them shine in a conversation is what Christ is about. Hey he didn’t start till he was almost 30 and his mother dragged him into his start - at a wedding in Cana of Galilee.

Isn’t that what Jesus kept saying, “Lessen that ego - empty that self - wash feet - put out the garbage - empty the dishwasher - empty yourself of self-importance -  help your neighbor - hold doors - deflate yourself - let your hot air out - and you’ll sail through the air better like a Tom Brady football - and you’ll win the Super Bowl of Life.

CONCLUSION

So why come to church? Why pray?

Answer: Become quiet and to learn this evolution.

Or as Octavio Paz - the Mexican poet -  put it, “Solitude lies at the lowest depth of the human condition.  Man is the only being who feels himself to be alone and the only one who is searching for the Other.”

And Paz capitalizes that word “Other.”  

The Other is God - and life is all about our ascension - our ascent to God the Father - as Christ showed us with his life.