Ascension

So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,was taken up into heaven (Mk 16:15-20).

Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.

This is called "missio ad gentes". The Franciscans, Dominicans, and Agustinians brought the Gospel to these islands (the modern-day Philippines). They were chaplains to the Spanish conquistadores and missionaries to the natives. Today Filipinos have become missionaries. Filipino Salesians, for example, are in Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, Thailand, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Taiwan.

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Faith and baptism leads to heaven. Unbelief leads to hell.

But what are we to believe in? The Good News. What is the Good News? For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son so that those who believe in him may not perish but have everlasting life.

Baptism is a necessary sacrament. It is not optional. Perhaps this is why it is the easiest to administer/celebrate. You need water. Water is plentiful on earth. Anyone can administer it, even an unbeliever, provided his intention is to administer it according to the intention of the Church. The words are easy to recall: "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

These signs will accompany those who believe....

These signs are miracles. Miracles are said to be events that defy the law of nature.

Acts 20:9 reports that "a young man named Eutychus who was sitting on the window sill was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. Once overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and when he was picked up, he was dead." But St. Paul raised him to life.

St. John Bosco was a miracle worker. Among his "minor" miracles was the multiplication of sacred hosts and chestnuts.

Some people have the gift of healing. Fr. Corsie Legaspi is one of them. I heard the testimony of a young man who was a member of a boy band. Fr. Corsie healed him of cancer.

Lessons

So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God.

A priest was once giving a homily in a children's Mass. He asked the children who among them wanted to go to heaven. All raised their hands. He then asked them how you get to heaven. One answered, "By being good." The priest said: "No." Another said: "By being obedient to your parents." The priest said: "No." No one seemed to be able to give the right answer. In the end, the priest had to answer his own question. "In order to get to heaven, you must die." If you think about it, he's right.

But of course, it's not enough that you die. You have also to make sure that you are dead to sin, too. As St. Paul said: "As to his death, he (Jesus) died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as (being) dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

The solemnity of the ascension reminds us that there is heaven. But to get to heaven, we need to die to sin. That is not an easy thing to do. For it is a daily struggle. But we are not alone. In Christ Jesus, our Lord, we can do everything.