A Call to Maturity
In the concluding verses of Matthew’s Gospel, we encounter a profound moment of transition. The eleven disciples gather on a mountain in Galilee, standing before the risen Christ. Here, Jesus delivers the Great Commission, instructing them to make disciples of all nations, before making a final, enduring promise: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
As we reflect on this passage and the mystery of the Ascension, we are invited into a vital shift in our spiritual lives. The Ascension is not a departure, but a transformation. The ascension calls us to deepen our faith in Jesus’s new presence among us. He is no longer bound by physical geography; instead, He permeates our reality through the Holy Spirit.
Embracing this new presence means letting go of spiritual complacency. It urges us to abandon any clinging to false expectations about the Lord immediately returning to resolve our world’s problems. Jesus has entrusted the active healing of the world to us. This scripture recalls to our minds that we must work together to achieve the plans the Lord gives us. We are called to be His hands, His feet, and His voice in a fractured world.
Crucially, we do not undertake this mission in isolation. This passage stresses that it is as the Church community that we now experience the Lord’s continued presence among us. When we gather in worship, serve the vulnerable, and break bread together, Christ is tangibly there.
Living out this commission is not about passively preserving the past, but actively engaging the present. It urges us to courageously interpret Jesus’ teachings for our own changed societies. The Gospel must be a living, breathing word that speaks directly to the unique challenges, joys, and complexities of our modern lives.
Ultimately, the Ascension is not a conclusion, but a commencement. Today is truly the celebration of the call to maturity as Church. We are no longer waiting on the sidelines; we are empowered co-workers, guided by grace to build the Kingdom of God here and now.
Fr Stephen Berecz
