Today is Ascension Sunday.
In the global Church calendar Ascension is on the Thursday of the sixth week of Easter but local dioceses, or whole provinces, are allowed to move it to the seventh Sunday of Easter in order for more people to be able to attend the celebration. That’s the case in Springfield and all the dioceses on Illinois, All of Alabama and Mississippi too.
In today’s second reading Paul tells the Ephesians “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.” Note all the commas and only one period. That’s quite a mouthful for the lector who proclaims it.
Paul is writing to us as well. We need to understand the greatness of God through Christ and the everlasting nature that greatness. As Christians we can get complacent about all this but, if we reflect on the events of the Easter season, the resurrection and Ascension especially, we should be almost speechless. In awe as it were. That holy awe is the fear of the Lord we hear about Confirmation. Approaching Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit comes back to assist us upon Jesus returning to Heaven, we will see the circle of Easter come complete. We sometimes hear about proper disposition. That is, we, the recipients of God’s graces, should be ready and desiring of receiving them. That allows them to be most effective. I think this holy awe as I call it is an important part of what Paul calls the eyes of the heart. In other words, do we see properly?
We all know things can get in the way of proper spiritual eyesight. Our self interest, the difficulty of following some teachings, sin, etc. Like so many other things we find that our fallen nature works against us. Near the end of Paul’s hymn to love, in 1 Cor 13, he says “For now we see in a mirror dimly…” That clouded vision isn’t cataracts, though it might be thought of in a similar way. Once you have the cataracts removed you see much more clearly, brighter and distinctly.
So, with great anticipation about the great feast to come next week, let’s pray that the eyes of our hearts may offer clarity and that we will more fully understand the greatness of our God in all three persons. That clarity will help us to grow in awe and appreciation for Them and, perhaps, allow us to grow closer to Them.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.
I hope you have a great week.
Peace, Bob
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