Matthew 28: 16-20
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Carry Forward the Mission
Jesus ascends because he can. He has accomplished what he came to do and now leaves the continuing work of transformation in the hands of those he has taught and trusted, with the gift of the Holy Spirit. His departure is not absence; it is confidence. He trusts the disciples—and through them, all of us—to carry forward his mission, to speak of God’s love, and to live as witnesses to God's reign.
The Ascension is a lesson in trust and empowerment. Jesus does not cling to the mission he began; he includes us, in the Spirit. His leaving opens space for his disciples to act, but not just to act – to act like him.
Because he can, Jesus ascends—but in ascending, he invites us into the ongoing work of God’s reign here on earth, accompanied and empowered by his Holy Spirit.
—Fr. Martin Connell, SJ, serves as dean of Arrupe College at Loyola University Chicago.
Prayer
Christ, you entrust your mission to us and empower us with your Spirit, not as spectators but as witnesses shaped by your life. Grant me the grace to act with confidence and freedom, carrying your love into the world as you would. Amen.
—Fr. Martin Connell, SJ