Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus. We recall Jesus’ return to his Father in heaven. The end of Matthew's Gospel is used for this feast. Jesus' last words to the disciples.
This got me thinking about a conversation I had with a friend. She was just notified that a relative had an accident and the prognosis is grim. By a strange coincidence, the two spent time together last weekend. They shared laughter, talked about family memories, and enjoyed each other's company. Neither imagined that the words they spoke would be the last they would share. As she recalled their time together, I heard her grasping for even the slightest recalled phrase or spoken word. It was important to her to remember. What we say to each other matters, most especially when the words are our last.
Christ must have known this human attachment to words. That's why I believe these last few lines he spoke to the disciples were not your average goodbye. Within them, I believe he intended to leave a lasting impression to carry them and us through many lifetimes.
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
In other words, Everything that happened here was for a reason. Don't hold these times selfishly for yourself. Go tell others. Let them in on the gift. Let's face it. These disciples have gone through a lot to get to this point on a mountain in Galilee, a whirlwind of change in just three short years. Leaving behind families, jobs, and communities, they followed a traveling preacher. They watched him perform miracles and transform lives but also witnessed him being ridiculed, arrested, humiliated, and killed. In their grief they suffered. In his Resurrection they marveled. Now what do they do with the rest of their lives? Jesus chose his words carefully. Don't let this end here. You are changed forever. Go out and change others.
While his first words were for their heads--a kind of job description, the last were for their hearts.
“And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
These are the ones our humanity struggles with most. The disciples' must have, too. For as we know our friends and family members, they knew Jesus. They knew the sound of his voice. They could see the lines on his face when he smiled. They knew the melody of his laugh and the rhythm of his sigh. They must also have known the struggle people have to remember these things once a loved one is gone. So again, Jesus spoke the words they, and we, needed to hear.
He reminded them, I will always be with you. No longer confined to time and place, I am forever a part of you. Like for us when we come together with family to remember a loved one, the disciples would remember Christ in their shared experiences. But he was offering them more than just that. Jesus would remain a living presence in the community of the Church that they would build and grow in the world. He would remain a Real Presence in the Eucharist, and stay forever a companion to all who opened their hearts to him. He would forever be a part of their lives and come to be a part of ours, as well.
I am with you always--comforting last words that are really just a beginning.
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