HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (Year B)

May 12, 2024

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First Reading

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (1:1-11)

In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for "the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

When they had gathered together they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He answered them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth."

When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven."

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9)

(R)God mounts His throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.

All you peoples clap your hands, shout to God with cries of gladness; for the Lord, the Most High, the awesome, is the great king over all the Earth. (R)

God mounts His throne amid shouts of joy; the Lord, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise. (R)

For king of all the Earth is God; sing hymns of praise. God reigns over the nations, God sits upon His holy throne. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians (1:17-23)

Brothers and sisters: May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of Him.

May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in His inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of His great might, which He worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at His right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.

And he put all things beneath Christ's feet and gave him as head over all thing to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (16:15-20)

Jesus said to his disciples: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. The will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

Most of us know the story of the "RMS Titanic", the ship that sank on its very first trip across the Atlantic Ocean on April 14, 1912. One of the passengers on the ship was a Baptist preacher from Scotland, by the name of John Harper. With his daughter and niece, he was travelling to the US, where he had been invited to preach. After the ship struck the iceberg and began to sink, people started scrambling for lifeboats. Harper immediately made sure his niece and daughter also got into a lifeboat to safety, but apparently he made no attempt to save himself. Instead, he was heard shouting to people to let women and children get on the lifeboats first and at the same time going from one person to another, sharing the Gospel of Jesus with whoever would listen.

Four years later, at a meeting of the six survivors out of the 2,200 plus people, a young man recounted how the last words of Harper changed his life. He reported that as he had climbed on a piece of debris, Harper, who was struggling in the water near him, shouted out, "Are you saved?" The young man did not answer, and a moment later Harper drifted away on the waves. A few minutes later when the current brought the two men together, Harper again asked him, "Are you saved?" This time he replied, "No". Harper then shouted out louder, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved," and then slipped under the waves for the last time. Right there and then, the young man decided to turn his life over to Christ.

This dramatic story, of course, never made it into the movie. Fictional stories with imaginary worlds such as the epic love story of Jack and Rose in the movie "Titanic", are more appealing to us than real stories like God's immense love for humanity since creation. In his Gospel John says, "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life," John (3:16). While Jesus was on the earth, He spread this message through teaching, preaching, healing, signs and wonders, and He wanted the same message to be made known to all the peoples of the earth after His death and resurrection. That's what we hear in today's Gospel, Mark (16:15-20).

Addressing His disciples for the last time before his ascension into Heaven, Jesus assigned them their work until He comes again and reminded them of a few things. What Jesus told the disciples is just as applicable to us today. First of all, Jesus told them that the whole world needs the Gospel. He said, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature," Mark (16:15). The Gospel, which means "Good News" is that though the whole of mankind has fallen into sin and corruption, forgiveness of sin and gift of eternal life are still available to us through the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Basically, human beings everywhere are the same: sinful, wicked, corrupt, ignorant, faithless, ungodly, and heartless, and they are in both primitive and modern societies. There are people around the world, regardless of race, colour, ethnicity, gender, age, belief, or other status, who are spiritually separated from God and are in need of reconciliation. Although the Christian faith has spread to every corner of the globe today, there are lots of people who do not yet know Jesus. Therefore, all of us Christians are under the command of Jesus to share the good news of salvation freely on all occasions without hesitation, reluctance or fear, to all people: men, women, old, young, rich, poor, weak, powerful, and others, without exception and without exclusion. At the same time, we don't have to go far to find people who need to know the good news of Jesus Christ. Rather we can find people in our own families, workplaces, and neighbourhoods who need to hear about Jesus, and give them the opportunity to come to know and experience Him for themselves.

Secondly, Jesus told the disciples of all the benefits and consequences of believing in the Gospel. He said, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned," Mark (16:16). Jesus didn't say simply "whoever believes", but whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved." By saying this, Jesus pointed out the necessity of baptism for salvation, either by actual reception or at least by desire. But then a question may arise as to how Jesus assured the thief on the cross that he would go to paradise with no mention of baptism.

At the core, the invitation to baptism is a call to respond to Jesus by surrendering to His Lordship and His Church, His Body on earth. In other words, baptism is a response to salvation. When we are baptized, we publicly acknowledge that we choose to follow Jesus Christ and believe in His sacrifice for our sin. In the case of the thief on the cross, he simply repented and believed. He could not get baptized in water, nor did he need it, because grace was enough to save him. However, it does not mean that baptism can be neglected. One must receive baptism, when it is available. Because when it is received reverently and prayerfully, a special blessing is given by God. That is, having been forgiven of all our sins both original and all personal sin (cc. 1263), we are united with Christ, who died for our sins and rose for our justification, so that we might have eternal life. So, while our faith in Christ is what saves us, we undergo a water baptism as an acknowledgement of our death in Christ. Whereas condemnation will come only to those who don't believe and therefore are not saved.

Thirdly, Jesus told the disciples of the supernatural abilities and blessings that would accompany those who believe in Him. He said, "In my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover," Mark (16:17-18). Just as Jesus said, these signs did follow the early believers, especially the Apostle Paul, as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. For example, Paul cast out demons in the name of Jesus, Acts (16). The believers spoke and understood in new languages on the Day of Pentecost, Acts (2). Paul spoke in tongues more than other believers. But he tells us in his first letter to the Corinthians (12, 14), that he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to man but to God. He goes on to make clear that speaking in tongues is an act of praise and thanksgiving unto God for his magnificent works among human beings, as a sign to unbelievers. Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake but suffered no harm at all, Acts (28). We also read examples of people being healed with the laying on of hands. Such an experience happened to Paul himself. He was blinded on the Damascus Road while he was a persecutor of Christians and subsequently was healed at the hands of Ananias, Acts (9).

The one sign that has been misunderstood by many is: "If they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them." Here, Jesus was not saying that a true believer can safely consume poison but rather He was assuring them of His protection if they inadvertently drank it. In ancient times, one of the commonly used methods to kill people was to poison their food or drink. So, Jesus promised them that if they accidentally drank poison, they would have the power to survive. Mark concludes the gospel by saying: "They went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs," Mark (16:20).

So ultimately, Jesus wants us believers to know that when we bring the Gospel into the unbelieving and hostile world, He would empower, protect and heal us in times of illness, harm, danger, distress, and uncertainty. Let us, therefore, step out in faith to share the gospel with everyone we meet, knowing that we are supported and equipped by Christ's authority and power. Let us encourage those who believe in the Gospel to receive baptism as soon as they understand what God has done for them. Let us also be assured that God continues to perform miracles in healing and protecting all those who trust and believe in Him.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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