“Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” (Acts 1:11) This is from tomorrow’s Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (celebrated at Mass this Sunday) and is one of my favorite lines in scripture. In thinking about why it’s a favorite, I found it somewhat challenging to articulate because it’s such a powerful image and moment. The act of the Ascension was of course life-changing for the witnesses, and it is for us, too.
I picture the Ascension itself to be a peaceful, beautiful moment of wonder. It must have been breathtaking and inspirational yet with a feeling of loss and uncertainty when, looking up, these ‘Men of Galilee’ could no longer see Jesus. Perhaps they are standing in awe, taking in the moment of just being still. So much had happened before the Ascension. So much more is to come. What were they thinking in this moment in-between? The mission with Jesus physically by their sides has concluded; their mission to ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature’ (Mk 16:15) is beginning. In the reading, Jesus just told them they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit soon. He instructed them to ‘be my witnesses’ (Acts 1:8) to build the Body of Christ, but He also left them with more than a few unanswered questions. Yet in faith, they will proceed with great devotion, knowing, as they were told, that Jesus will return.
I relate the Ascension to the beginning of a new (or maybe renewed) faith and trust in God; the moment in-between what has happened and what comes next. We have those moments, those times of pause and prayer when we are ‘standing there looking at the sky.’ Pivotal moments perhaps filled with both awe and uncertainty. Decisive moments when we ask the Holy Spirit to work in us. Moments to be still and seek guidance, so what we do is for the greater glory of God.
Like the Apostles, we have been given the instruction to continue the mission of Christ, to be witnesses, to proclaim the gospel to every creature. Our journeys of faith may lead us to more moments of standing and looking at the sky. In those in-between moments, may we always find the grace, hope, and strength of the Holy Spirit and in faith, proceed with great devotion.
Journeying to Grace 