I wonder what the disciples felt when they were present to Jesus' ascension. In my own reflections, it may seem that this second separation was more difficult than the first. At the foot of the cross, they experienced a whole mixture of human emotions with which we would be familiar, fear, shock, anger, rejection, and anxiety. These emotions drove them into hiding and withdrawal. Yet in the midst of these all too human responses, Jesus walked into their midst and proclaimed peace and reconciliation. It was these initial resurrection encounters that called the disciples to a deeper appreciation of His life.
However, there was a sense in which the second withdrawal was necessary so that an internal conversion of the heart could take place. It was this liminal space between the Ascension and Pentecost in which the womb of expectation was born in each of them. No longer was their life called to be one simply of observation of the life of Jesus but rather a participation in proclaiming the Good News. They were called to be people who responded to the life for which they were chosen. To proclaim that this changed how they would live in the world and what they were prepared to live and die for.
We are faced with the same choice as the People of God. We can either see ourselves just as observers of holy things and holy people or we can to an appreciation that we are transformed into life through daily prayer and action. In this way, the sacramental life is not an action that we receive or something that is done to us but rather an invitation to participate in a new life. Our participation and response are central. We are not spectators called together on Sundays just to go through the motions but rather people who are commissioned to live that Good News in daily life. In this way, the Holy Spirit transforms ordinary lives into an extraordinary witness of God's love for the whole of creation.
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