Nicole Berlucchi, Writer on a Mission

Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission,
and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month.

For the month of October the “That We May Imitate What They Contain and Obtain What They Promise” series will take a daily look at one mystery of the Rosary and how we have the opportunity to imitate it and rejoice in what it promises us.

Today, we look at the second Glorious Mystery of the Rosary: The Ascension.

When they had gathered 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.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olives, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. Acts 1:6-12 (NABRE)

The Ascension is where we encounter the Risen Lord leaving the apostles behind on earth for a mission. He shows us that we are a commissioned people and reminds us that asking how to be a part of the solution rather than when He will present a solution is one step closer to glory.

1. Recognize when you are asking the Lord for a timeline for things to be the way you want them to be. I find it interesting that they use the plural form as if they collectively asking the same question all at once, but it is more likely that many voices or maybe simply hearts were asking with the same need. When, Lord? When is this going to be as it should? When will things be normal? When will I feel peace? When will I feel settled? The proper question is never when but instead as we have heard in other mysteries how. How are you going to restore the kingdom? And you know what the answer is going to be—YOU! Which leads me to my next point of imitation.
2. Be prepared for you to be a part of Jesus’ answer. Jesus tells the apostles the time is not for you to know, but I am going to give YOU power and you will be my witnesses TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. That is His answer to you. Witness to Him. Focus on Him. Keep turning back to Him. When things are uncertain, when things seem disordered, when things are not going as planned and your world feels upside down, ask for Jesus to give you His Spirit so that you might focus not on controlling what is happening around you but instead how you might influence what is happening around you.
3. Jesus sometimes speaks to us and seems to disappear. Imagine the apostles in this instance, Jesus tells them they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. I suppose they kind of have an idea of what this is like from the times they went out to preach and heal on His behalf, but still it must have been a shock to see Jesus lifted up and taken from them. Maybe they were awaiting more details. Maybe they thought He was temporarily leaving and was going to reappear from the cloud, but instead the angels are there basically telling them to move on. He was here. He gave you your mission. Why are you standing around? We can witness best to Jesus when we listen and obey. If he has given us a mission but then seems to abandon us, let’s remember it has happened to the greatest saints—the apostles, Mother Teresa, St. John of the Cross. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by feeling abandoned. Instead lean into the Lord.
4. Don’t get lost. The apostles journey back. In other accounts of the Gospels it says they went away praising the Lord or that they went straight to the Temple to praise the Lord. It’s important to remember we are disciple with a mission. Jesus may not have ascended right before our eyes but He continuously asks us to go out and make disciples of all nations. We do this by sharing our faith with others, by sharing how Jesus has impacted our lives, by inviting others to pray, to the sacraments, and to go to Mass, by loving them with His love and by showing mercy like He does. You are on a mission—get moving!

When we bear witness to Jesus, we are teaching others all there is to hope for in the Christian life. We are showing them the way to follow Jesus to reach our ultimate home, heaven. Our following and witnessing to Jesus helps grow the fruits of this mystery: hope and longing for eternal life in our lives. Our lives should reflect the hope of Jesus–that there is something greater at work than our own actions, but that His spirit moves in ways that draw us closer to eternal life.

Visit Tribe of Many Arrows on Etsy. These images are used with their permission, and I am grateful for these beautiful creations accompanying my reflections this month.

If you missed last week’s reflections, catch them here:

The Joyful Mysteries: Annunciation, Visitation, Birth of Jesus, the Presentation, and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple.

The Sorrowful Mysteries: Agony in the Garden, Scourging at the Pillar, Crowning of Thorns, Carrying of the Cross, Crucifixion.