Ascension of the Lord - A
What a wonderful tradition we have in New Orleans to gather together annually on the first Sunday of May to pray in appreciation for our police, firefighters and emergency response personnel who risk their lives to protect ours. It provides us an opportunity to pray for those from their ranks who have offered their lives in active service and for the safety of these brave men and women as they continue to serve. At the end of this Eucharist we will experience a poignant moment as we hear a police whistle and a fire gong alternately break the silence and then the solemn bugle sound of taps. We will remember Thelonius Dukes and Nicola Cotton of the New Orleans Police Department killed in the line of duty. We also remember former Superintendent Warren Edward McDaniels of the New Orleans Fire Department.

We do this as the Church celebrates the Ascension of the Lord. Sometimes we may forget how integral this mystery is to our faith. The Lord Jesus, during the forty days after his resurrection prepared the Church for appreciating how he wanted to continue his presence and activity among us through the sacramental mysteries. He mandated baptism just before he ascended. He promised confirmation as he asked his disciples to await in Jerusalem the descent of the Holy Spirit. His first act on Resurrection Sunday was to give the authority to forgive sin in his name, thus instituting the sacrament of penance and reconciliation. He celebrated what had to be the first post-resurrection Eucharist with the disciples at Emmaus.

But for these sacramental mysteries to be inaugurated Jesus needed to return to his Father and send the Holy Spirit. So the Ascension marks, not a departure, but a new graced way for him to continue to live in our midst. The Ascension was the transition from his historical life among us to his continued risen presence and activity in his Church. It made possible the transition of focus from the Lords' physical body to his mystical body, the Church.

Please note that the disciples were not saddened, but rather gladdened by the Ascension. They returned rejoicing. They no longer feared death. Belief in the immortality of their souls and their bodies was now firmly established!

The disciples recognized and the Apostles began to teach that the Risen Lord is with us, actively present in his sacred word, substantially present in the Eucharist, mystically present in our baptized brothers and sisters, pleadingly present in the face of the poor. So, our celebration of the mystery of the Ascension of the Lord challenges us to address these questions in our own personal lives. Do we really hear and heed his voice in Sacred Scripture, traditioned and authoritatively interpreted in his Church? Do we really surrender ourselves to him in sacrificial love when we encounter him in the Eucharist? Do we really reverence him in our brothers and sisters? Do we really serve him in those in need?

St. Paul's prayer, found in today's second reading, seems particularly appropriate as a concluding prayer: 'May the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, resulting in knowledge of him. May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call.'