As he finished, a Muslim man approached him and said: "You must admit: we Muslims have one thing you Christians have not, and it is better than anything you have." The missionary smiled and said, "I should be pleased to hear what it is." The Muslim went on, "You know, that when Muslims make pilgrimage to Mecca, to the burial place of Muhammed, we have our founder’s coffin, his body to venerate to embolden us. But when you Christians go to Jerusalem, your Mecca, you find nothing but an empty grave."
The Missionary replied, "Ah ha! But that's just it, and it makes all the difference. Mohammad, the founder of Islam, is dead, and he is in his coffin. But our Leader has risen from the dead and returned to heaven."
As Christians, we don't just believe in a philosophy or a theology, we believe in a person, a Savior, a God who is alive and who has brought our own human nature into heaven.
There is however an ancient monument on the Mount of Olives. When Christ Ascended into heaven, he left his footprints in the rock of Mount Olivet. You can visit this spot, or see an image of Christ’s footprints on the internet. Our faith isn’t based on wishful thinking, but on real events which we have received from the apostolic tradition.
The reconciliation of humanity and divinity was pleaded for and longed for in ancient Israel. From the Old Testament we know of an ancient Jewish practice which foreshadowed the Ascension. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem Temple. He would pass through a huge, thick, ancient curtain into the Holy of Holies symbolizing the throne of God in heaven. There the High Priest would offer the sacrifice of atonement, pleading to God to forgive the sins of humanity which separates man from God.
In his Ascension, Christ goes to the true eternal Holy of Holies, the inner chamber of the universe, heaven itself. Christ, who is both the atoning sacrifice and the priest, He has brought fallen, and now, redeemed humanity to heaven.
The Ascension is the stamp of guarantee that humanity is redeemed, and has a place in heaven. And no other religion makes that claim. And this is why we are bold as we go out into the world to proclaim the Gospel. The Gospel isn’t based in wishful thinking. It isn’t based in fairy tales.
Christianity isn’t man’s best attempt at religion. It isn’t man’s word about God, it’s God’s word about man. God Himself offers the Divine Guarantee, that following Christ leads to everlasting life.
And so bearing witness to Christ, to his message and the power of his goodness: this is our primary mission on earth. Before he ascended, Jesus didn't say, “Enjoy yourselves. And if you have time, go to church once and a while.” No! He said, "Go be my witnesses to all the nations."
We are each called to witness in different ways. God calls some to witness as priests. He calls some to consecrate their lives as full-time missionaries. Others are called to be leaven in the world, transforming culture from within, either as humble workers or as great leaders. But each of us God tasks to bear witness to Him by allowing the Christian faith to permeate every dimension of our life, ever relationship. And, until this mission becomes our highest priority in life, until it becomes more important than sports, than bank accounts and stock markets, more important that receiving the adulation of our neighbors for a fine-kept lawn or a new car, until the Gospel is our highest priority we will experience an interior restlessness that nothing will cure.
For, we were created to live in friendship with God, and that means sharing in God's projects. And his project in this fallen world is "that repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached in Jesus’ name to all the nations". May we grow in our faithfulness to this mission.
On this Ascension Sunday we also honor our mothers on this Mother’s Day. We thank our Mothers for all of their sacrifices, with flowers and chocolates, cards and kind words, praises and prayers. But we acknowledge that the best way of honoring them is by becoming the people God made us to be; for they bore us in their wombs, that we may become bearers of God’s Word to all nations, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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