Acts 1, 1-11
In this key moment of the church, Jesus is passing the torch to his disciples who have only begun to accept the reality that He is still alive. What a monumental act of trust, and a glorious moment ! To me, it seems as if God is acting as both the leader of new a worldwide enterprise, who trusts in delegating to others, and as the big brother who is encouraging his brethren to focus on the work at hand. The passage highlights the key idea that Christianity is not a religion of contemplation and mysticism alone, but also a call for action and movement. The two angels remind us of those summer camp instructors who spur the kids forward, calling them to move, to go forth, to go and do it, whatever is it they have to do. To believe in one’s self. Note that this is the same Jesus who earlier, gave the command for the disciples to wait in Jerusalem before going out and beginning the mission! Therefore, this call to action is enabled by the sending of the Holy Spirit with them. This is an important detail because without the Holy Spirit, it would not have turned out the same way.
If this passage acts as a memento to the early days of the church, we should take a moment to reflect on what this means for us. In a day where parishes stand tall on every corner of the city, sometimes it can feel like ‘things are already done by others’ before. But is this true?
As catholics, when we participate in the life of the church and receive the Holy Spirit at our confirmation, we are also called to go forward and build the church.
Perhaps, the mission for each one of us is to know and put into practice this message for all the people we are going to meet and for all the people we already know in our distinct lives. We all know people that are going through hardships, and others who are lonely and suffering. We all take part of activities that put us in contact with other people who have not met Jesus or received the good news in their lives.
This key passage is a reminder of the ‘spirit’ and ‘fire’ of the very first moments of the church, and we should do well to keep this attitude of action and good-news sharing every day of our lives.
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