Waiting for someone you deeply love and care about to die can be a life shattering experience. As we care for a dying loved one, we naturally start to imagine life without the physical presence of that loved one. Our physical bodies “make flesh” our love, our laughter, our joy and our sadness. When the person we Love passes away into the realm of after life, we grieve, we cry. But as time goes on, we realize that our relationship with the one we had such a significant relationship with in this life....continues!!!!!! That person is alive, in a way not confined by the body.
Jesus is preparing his disciples for the moment he leaves them, Ascends, back to his Father. The Ascension is Jesus’ way of showing the disciples, us, that life continues, we continue, after death. How can we be assured of this? Only through the presence of the Holy Spirit, the One sent by Christ to help us believe that He is still with us, but in a new way.
Yes, the Ascension is the awesome Feast that reminds us of the beauty and power of God’s Love, His love that transforms our death into life that will never end. The Spirit is our “Advocate” Who speaks to the Father and Son on our behalf. The Spirit’s “ advocacy” draws us into the life of the Trinity where we get glimpses of all those who have gone before us.
As we wait in sorrow and apprehension for someone to pass from this life into the next, the Spirit will be our constant companion, leading us out of sorrow and into joy, joy that our significant relationships live on and are even healed if necessary. Yes, we can even experience forgiveness and healing in relationships that were very difficult and complicated in this life. It’s never too late.
Peace,
Fr. Frank