Homily 494 | Ascension | Year B
Today Jesus ascends to heaven and leaves his apostles on their own…. and this is a good thing.
Every pilot remembers the day that they first “solo” in a airplane. You’ve spent weeks with your flight instructor next to you in the right seat, watching and learning. You’ve taken the controls and maneuvered the airplane. But you always had your instructor right next to you as a sort of safety blanket if anything went wrong. Then comes the time to solo.
I remember well the day of my first solo (pictured above). After a few practice takeoffs and landings, my flight instructor and I taxied back to the hangar. He got out of the airplane and told me I was ready… ready to solo. I closed the door for the first time on an airplane with just me in it. I taxied back to the runway, did all my checks… and then took off. As we say in flying, takeoffs are optional; landings are mandatory. Fortunately, I was able to both take off and land. It was a great feeling. Nothing brings a sense of confidence like piloting an airplane alone for the first time.
On today’s feast of the Ascension, Jesus metaphorically gets out of the airplane and tells his apostles, “You’re ready… now go do it.” Christianity is not a spectator sport. With the power given us in our baptism, we are called to go out and “do it.” We are to go do the same things Jesus did: teach, heal the sick, maybe even raise the dead. We are not meant to sit back and watch.
As Jesus sends us out “on our own,” he also promises us that we are not alone. Just like air traffic control is always there on the radio to lend a pilot a little help, so Jesus goes with us. In a mysterious way, now that Jesus has ascended, he is actually more present to us now than when he was physically on earth with the apostles. Today, he sends us. He gets out of the plane and says, “You’re ready… ready to solo.”