Today is the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. After having finished his mission on earth, Jesus ascended into Heaven, where he had come from. However, before his ascension, he said three things to his disciples: Repentance for the forgiveness of sins, Preaching the gospel in his name to all nations, and sending the promise of his Father. After Jesus finished his mission on earth, he asked the disciples to continue the mission on earth, which is to preach Jesus' name to the nations and repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and he would send the Holy Spirit to guide and assist them in their mission. In the same way, he asks us to repent for the forgiveness of sins and to preach in his name to all nations.
Are we observing the command of Jesus? In order to preach Jesus' name to the other, we are called to repent for forgiveness. This means that we need to humble ourselves so that we may be able to accept our mistakes and try to change our life for the better. We are encouraged to ask God for forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation, and to become what God wants us to be.
To preach the name of Jesus is our priority task as Christians. To proclaim the Good News to others is not only a task for priests, religious, and missionaries. Instead, every Christian, who is a follower of Christ, is called to witness to the Lord in the world. To preach the name of Jesus to others means to share the love of Christ, to show our love to them and our love needs to put into practice, not just in words. Perhaps, we may ask ourselves how much we love others. This is because love characterizes the follower of Christ. We are called to love others especially those who are poor, and broken-hearted in society. Through the act of love, we preach the name of Jesus to the other because to preach is to love.
Lastly, God does not let us journey alone; He sends the Holy Spirit to be with us in order to guide and lead us towards the fulness of truth. The Holy Spirit is always with us, and we need to ask him to guide us in the way so that we may be able to do the will of God, not our own. May this Sunday gospel be the way of our living as Christians, who are humble to accept their mistakes, to ask for forgiveness, and to be better persons as true children of God. We are called to love others, especially those who are in need and difficult situations. Let us keep on asking the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we may be able to do the will of God in our life.
Have a blessed Sunday.
