I have had a number of arguments over the years about how much meaning in a sentence is determined by the tone that is used. Some people think it’s a low percentage, while others say that the way something is said gives a sentence more than half of its meaning compared to the words that are actually used. I’m sure the parents of teenagers are keenly aware of variants in tone when their children are asked to take out the trash or do their homework.

When we are reading the scriptures, we don’t have the luxury of being able to hear how things are said, so we often have to rely on context to truly understand what is going on in the text. In today’s first reading for the Solemnity of the Ascension,
the words of the angel speaking to the Disciples have ramifications that reach far beyond the simple words themselves. He asks “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." One imagines that this question had the tone of “Why are you still here? Go do your job!”

Again and again Jesus told His disciples that he would go and prepare a place for them, and then He would return and take them to Himself.
But the Disciples need this reminder after Jesus’ Ascension because there is great urgency in the Mission that they are now called to carry out.

After His resurrection, Jesus spent many days with His disciples to instruct and guide them in the work of leading the Church and spreading the Gospel. Now that He has gone before them, there is no time to waste in getting down to what is our fundamental mission in life: to grow in holiness and to bring others along with us.

These past few weeks we have had the opportunity to reflect on the central mystery of our Faith: Jesus’ death and resurrection. Now that we celebrate His going forth from us to the Father, we reflect on our mission to go out into the world and make disciples of all nations. Next week we will celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit being poured out on the Church, equipping us with the graces we need to live out this call in our lives. As we draw to the end of this Easter season, may we always ask God to pour out His Holy Spirit upon us and fill us with zeal for carrying out the mission of spreading the Gospel, making disciples, and becoming saints.

Prayers always,
Fr. McCullough