Br. Jack Crowley

Ascension Day

Luke 24:44-53

Back in my twenties, I taught English as a second language. I had the pleasure of meeting thousands of people from around the world. There was one particular summer when I had a group of students all from Germany, and I think they spoke English better than I did. Frequently, they would show up early to class and we would get to talking before class started.

One morning, out of the blue, one of the German men asked me if my grandfather had been in World War Two. I could see the other students stiffen up a bit. I smiled and said yes. I told him I had one grandfather who was a Marine and served in the Pacific, and my other grandfather was in the Air Force and served in Europe. I asked the student about his family’s experience in the war, and he nodded and inhaled and proceeded to tell me that in World War Two his grandfather was in the Air Force as well. There was a long, awkward silence as our eyes met, and then we both kind of nodded at each other with a knowing smile and looked upward, as if to say: here we are – our two grandfathers flew against each other in a world war, and their grandsons are in a classroom together speaking a common language. Now certainly, we did not achieve world peace in that classroom that morning, but some progress was made.

I think we have all had moments like that, when we look skyward and know something greater than ourselves is at play. Something greater than ourselves is at work. The comedy and tragedy of our life, the joys and challenges, the ups and the downs, somehow coming together full circle – and we can look up in wonder.

Tonight we celebrate the Ascension of our Savior Jesus Christ. Every year on this date, I always spend more time than usual looking upward. I try to put myself there with the disciples, imagining Jesus lifting up his hands, closing my eyes, Jesus blessing me, and when I open my eyes, Jesus has ascended. I am often reminded of the feeling I have gotten when someone close to me who is advanced in age has passed away peacefully, and I have this overwhelming sense of peace imagining them floating off to the next adventure.

One of the great challenges of our lives is how to stay in touch with this feeling of ascended glory. To hold in one hand the truth that God is gloriously shaping our lives, and to hold in the other hand the truth that there is suffering in the world and we will go through times of desperation. We are caught somewhere in the middle, holding these two truths, waiting for an answer.

So the question becomes: how then do we live with these questions? What do we do after the glow of the Ascension has faded? What do we do when it feels like we are just left with one another?

First, do not be embarrassed by any feelings of confusion, fatigue, anger, angst, anxiety, or boredom. When we look down from the heavens and meet the world in the eye, we are all going to have different reactions day to day, moment to moment. When we see the concrete realities before us – or in our monastery’s case, when the concrete is being jackhammered outside our door – it is natural to have a reaction. We are human, after all.

Second, soak in your desire for God. Hold fast to those memories of intimacy with God, times when it felt like everything made sense, times when it felt like you could see God so clearly it was as if God were standing right in front of you. Those memories will sustain you when the well goes dry.

Third, look for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is present in every moment. Look for the Holy Spirit in every situation in your life. If you cannot find it, at least be open to it. Jesus promised his disciples they would be clothed with power from on high. Allow God to dress you with that power – to dress you and address you, to call you and send you where you need to go, whether that be a literal place or a state of mind.

Fourth, always remember that we have one another. That could be a good thing and, or, a bad thing. For better or worse, we are all stuck on this earth together. We must ask ourselves: what on earth should we do, and what should we do on earth? Do we want to express ourselves with bombs and bullets, or do we want to learn a common language? Do we want to heal generations of trauma, or do we want to continue the insanity of violence? Do we wish to work together, or do we wish to drift apart?

One thing I learned in all my years in the classroom is that deep down, people really do want to work together, but fear gets in the way. Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of being betrayed, fear of being abandoned – all these fears add up and calcify, leaving us hardened, a stiff-necked people unable to loosen up and join in. Sometimes all it takes is a smile, a nod, a wink, an exhale, a lifting up of the head, and you can communicate so much with so little.

Always remember that the forces that pull us together are stronger than the forces that push us apart. Deep down, we all want to be reconciled, we all want to learn multiple languages, we all want to understand what someone else is saying – and those tongues of fire inspire us all.

Finally, always remember that after the Ascension, the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy. Never lose touch with joy. Find it at the core of your being and let it flow. I wish you a glorious Ascensiontide. Amen.