Ascension: the Feast of Transition

It’s easy to think of the Feast of the Ascension as the Feast of Goodbye. I have tended to picture the scene like this: Jesus slowly rises up to heaven while he waves to his loved ones below, “So long, farewell, auf auf Wiedersehen, goodnight; I hate to go and leave this pretty sight.” They respond in harmony, “Goodbyyyyyye!” Goodbye, Jesus. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

As I pray with these readings now, though, I find that my attention is less on Jesus and more on his followers and their reactions. They stare up at the sky for a minute, but then they get busy. In the first reading from Acts, right upon the ascension, angels appear and ask the disciples why they’re looking at the sky. So, they stop staring and return to Jerusalem and their praying community. In the Gospel, before he ascends, Christ tells the disciples, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” As soon as he disappears from view, they do just that. They resume the work that Jesus had done, which is the same work they did with him, only now they’re in charge. They’re still his followers, but they must become leaders too and assume responsibility for carrying out the ministry. This makes me wonder if the Feast of the Ascension is not so much one of goodbye but rather a Feast of Transition.

Whether we like it or not, and mostly I don’t, life is all about transition. It’s the same for Jesus and his disciples. Jesus has to step aside so the disciples can carry out the work of building the kingdom. In fact, Jesus has been preparing them all along for this moment. Over and over throughout the Gospels he tells them about his suffering and death and resurrection, letting them know that they’d eventually be on their own. He’s been teaching them what to do and how to heal, preach, and teach in his name. Early on, he even sends them out to do the work themselves, maybe a kind of trial run. It’s like he’s donned a pair of dad jeans and he’s teaching them how to drive. Although this transition to adulthood is natural, it’s not easy. In a passage we heard this past Tuesday from the Gospel of John, Jesus acknowledges that the disciples will grieve, but he assures them that he must go in order for the Spirit to come. They need the Holy Spirit in order to do the work of Christ in the world. Also, he never really leaves them, even after he ascends, because he’s still present working through them. He just needs to move out of the way so his followers can grow into the leaders God has called them to be.

This transition from dependence to autonomy plays out in our lives too. Once children are grown, parents have to step back and trust them to make decisions and live their own lives. In the workplace, as new employees grow and mature, leaders gradually give them more responsibility, mentoring them as they come into their own. I’ve noticed this movement in my community too, as members transition into leadership roles while leaders step away and assume other roles.

I remember a moment years ago when I saw this transition very clearly. It was at a funeral for one of our legendary leaders, one whom the community held with a kind of reverence. I was looking around the chapel, studying sisters’ faces, sisters whom l, as a younger member, looked up to. I saw not only grief, but also a kind of orphaned look, like our sister had somehow deserted us. What will we do without her? As I sat reflecting, I knew that we would go on despite this loss. She had stepped out of leadership years ago but had continued to be a supportive, inspirational presence to all of us, including the sisters who had already assumed leadership roles in our community. We could honor her and continue to be inspired by her, but also support and inspire each other. We would continue to move forward like we always did, with the guidance of the Spirit. Other sisters would move into leadership, and we would look to them to guide us during hard times, good times, and pivotal times. Each of our leaders has done that, has been the person we needed with the gifts we needed for particular times and circumstances. That’s the movement of community. That’s the movement in families too. It can be a difficult transition, probably on both sides. Sometimes there’s grief, but it’s how we grow.

The movement of the disciples as they transition to leading the newly forming community, and eventually a church, is ours too. As grown-up disciples in the faith, we also must step up and step out to do the work of love and service that Jesus started. Christ tells us to go out into the whole world. That has a new significance now that the pandemic is easing, doesn’t it? We’re called to (carefully) emerge out into the world, a world full of suffering and need. We have a whole lot of proclaiming to do. How is God calling us to serve now? How must we respond as grown-up disciples to this call?

Sister Leslie Keener, CDP

Sister Leslie Keener, CDP is the director of God Space, a community-building spirituality ministry in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. She’s a Sister of Divine Providence with a Masters in Ministry and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction and Retreats from Creighton University. She directs retreats, meets with people for spiritual direction, and serves as the vocation director for her community. She also serves on the Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International. She enjoys music, dancing, meaningful conversations, and this present moment.