As the Easter season draws to its close this coming Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of Jesus’ Ascension which coincides also with the SE14 Weekend. J In this Gospel reading, before Jesus was taken up into heaven, He appeared to the eleven disciples on whom He gave the Great Commission, wherein He conferred to them His power and authority as His very first Church to continue His mission of making disciples of all nations.
Matthew’s message for his intended audience (comprised of Jews) was to reassure and to exhort them to be unwavering in their faith. The Great Commission carried with it Jesus’ promise that “the risen Christ comes to his Church, to remain with it all days until the end of this age.” (from Kingdom for All: p. 256). Ascension marks the time when the disciples could no longer see Jesus physically, but this gospel passage reassures us that Jesus continues to be with the Church spiritually.
Just as Jesus commissioned His eleven disciples who “worshipped but doubted”, Jesus’ message was also meant for these Jews who comprised the early Church then and may have faced also a lot of fears, doubts and uncertainty themselves.
As we bring this message in the light of the Singles Apostolate, we see how it very much applies to our very young community, which was born 9 years ago. We are all called to the mission to “make disciples of all nations.” In the Catechism for Filipino Catholics, it says, “As Catholics we are privileged to receive the Lord’s charge of bearing witness to the Faith and to the Christian way of life as a service to our brothers and sisters, and as a fitting response to God.”
In spite of the many fears and doubts we may have about our young community, Jesus has promised us that He remains with us and will stay faithful until the end until we have finished the race and fought the good fight of faith.
This is the message of Ascension: The mission to make disciples of all nation is given to all – to those who may be strong in their faith, as well as those who doubt and waver. To the latter Jesus reassures us that though we no longer see him, his presence continues to be with us. This culminates in the sending of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday.
As we raise the flag of “Mission Possible” in our apostolate, dear Single, how can you contribute to the mission that Jesus has given us make disciples of all nations? You need not go to a faraway land; who are the people within your reach who you can convert to a disciple?
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