Ascension is a Reminder of Ongoing Renewal. 06/01/25. Chi

I want to begin by reminding everyone that renewal, the ministry of active transformation of lives and the entire world, is ongoing. Today’s celebration of the Ascension invites us to pause and reflect on the final earthly moment of Jesus’ visible presence among His disciples. As the Book of Acts (1:1-11) recounts, Jesus did not simply vanish; He rose in glory, blessing and commissioning His followers with a promise of abiding presence. The promise of the Holy Spirit, an event accomplished during the first Pentecost, assures us that we are never left alone, even as we await His return. This reassurance means that, as we celebrate today all over the United States and elsewhere, the Lord ascended not to abandon us but to draw all creation upward with Him. His departure marks not an end, but the beginning of the Church’s mission empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ response to the disciples’ question about restoring Israel, reechoed in the Book of Acts before his Ascension, reminds us that God’s plan unfolds beyond our understanding and expectations. Even when it seems uncertain, Jesus offers clarity by reinforcing that we will be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. The Ascension becomes a call to movement, not stagnation, and a commissioning to carry Christ’s presence into the world. We are not passive observers in this divine mission, but active participants. Jesus’ parting gift to his Church is the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to live and proclaim the Kingdom of God in every corner of our lives.
Today’s feast becomes a source of hope and strength as we prepare for Pentecost, primarily through our novena prayers. The celebration of Jesus’ Ascension reminds us that our true home is with Him, where the Shepherd is, and that His promise to return to us will be fulfilled, come what may. In the meantime, we wait with joy, not an idle waiting, but a waiting filled with love, service, and anticipation. He has not left us orphans. He walks with us through the Spirit alive in the Church. Let us live all the time with love so that, through us, God may continue to renew the face of the earth.