Francis at the audience: "In times of trial we must remember that we are not alone".Catechists: an indispensable service in the ChurchOn the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, the Pope led the recitation of the Regina Coeli, once again from the balcony of the Apostolic Palace. "Today, in Italy and in other countries," the Holy Father began, "we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. The Gospel passage (Mc 16:15-20) - the conclusion of Mark's Gospel - presents us with the last meeting of the Risen One with the disciples before ascending to the right hand of the Father".
A joyful farewell
"Normally," Francis commented on the Gospel of the Ascension, "the scenes of farewell are sad, they cause in those who remain a feeling of loss, of abandonment; however, this does not happen to the disciples. In spite of their separation from the Lord, they are not disconsolate; on the contrary, they are joyful and ready to leave as missionaries in the world".
The Pope reflected on this striking scene: "Why are the disciples not sad? Why should we too rejoice to see Jesus ascending into heaven? Because the ascension completes Jesus' mission in our midst. In fact, if it is for us that Jesus came down from heaven, it is also for us that he ascends".
"Having descended into our humanity and redeemed it, he now ascends into heaven, taking our flesh with him. At the right hand of the Father sits already a human body, the body of Jesus, and in this mystery each one of us contemplates our own future destiny. It is not a question of abandonment, because Jesus remains forever with the disciples - with us - in a new form".
A new presence
The Pope delved into the meaning of the Lord's new presence after his Ascension into Heaven: "And what is this new presence of the Lord after his Ascension? We see an important aspect in the commandment that he gives to his disciples before taking his leave: "Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to all creation" (v. 15). Jesus continues to be in the world through the preaching of his disciples. The Evangelist tells us in fact that, just after having seen him ascend into heaven, "they went out and preached everywhere" (v. 20). We know that this happens after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. With this divine power, each of us is entrusted with the task of bearing witness to Jesus in the time between his resurrection and his final return".
"This mission," Francis emphasized, "may seem disproportionate to us, too great in relation to our poor strength, our limits and our sins. And in fact it is so. But the Gospel says: "The Lord worked with them and confirmed the word by the signs that accompanied it" (v. 20). Evangelization, however arduous, tiring and beyond human capacity, will be as true and effective as each one of us - and the whole Church - allows the Lord to work in and through us.
Instruments of the Spirit
"This the Holy Spirit does: he makes us instruments through whom the Lord can work. Thus we can be the 'five senses' of the body of Jesus present in a new way in the world: to be his eyes, his hands, his ears and his voice, his taste and his smell."
"Thus, also through us," the Pope concluded, "Christ can see the needs of those who live forgotten and excluded; touch and heal those who are wounded; hear the cry of those who have no voice; speak words of tenderness, of hope; sense where the unpleasant odor of sin and the sweet perfume of holiness are."
