ASCENSION DAY

By John Santosuosso

It seems to me that Ascension Day is a pretty hard sell today, even to most Christians. In desperation some churches have flown balloons in an attempt to encourage the faithful to get enthused about the event. I cannot say that does much for me, and the balloons, whether in the air or on the ground, are a potential threat to wildlife. I must admit I was surprised to see a rather full church on an Ascension Day at the Basel Minster in Basel, Switzerland, but I suspect for most Europeans Ascension Day is seen as a time for an extended weekend at the beach or some other vacation spot. Most Americans seem totally oblivious to the day.

Well, it is not difficult to understand why. The Gospel lesson for that day is always Luke 24:44-53. Luke uses the best language and understanding that would have been available to a first century Christian. He should not be criticized. He depicts Jesus leaving his Apostles and passing through the clouds, while ascending to Heaven. Actually, he does not mention the clouds. They are frequently added by artists in their conceptions of the Ascension. Whether you have clouds or not, this is a rather difficult idea for many twenty-first century beings to accept. Is Jesus just wandering around in the sky waiting until his triumphant return? I recall my seminary Greek professor Dr. George Edwards acting out this scene by portraying a Jesus hiding among the clouds, since no one, including astronauts, is supposed to see Him until his triumphant return to earth. Dr. Edwards could also do a pretty good imitation of the Old Testament angry God salivating.

No, he was not ridiculing Jesus, Luke, or anyone. What he was trying to demonstrate was the need to realize we do not live in the first century. What may have made something understandable then can be completely alien now. If Ascension Day is to make sense today we need to see it in a different way. I think we once had the key, but we did not realize it.

When Rome held the Vatican II Council meetings in the 1960s, it made what probably seemed at the time to be a very minor, subtle liturgical change. Vatican II decreed that the Paschal candle would remain lit at all services until after the Feast of Pentecost. This made sense. After all, the liturgical season of Easter does not end until the conclusion of Pentecost. This change was of course adopted by Roman Catholic congregations, and many Protestant churches that made use of the Paschal candle soon followed. However, we may have lost something.

Before Vatican II the Paschal candle was extinguished on Ascension Day either at the end of the Gospel lesson or more often at the point in the reading when Jesus is taken up into Heaven. I only ever witnessed this once. It was in the Anglican Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Hamilton, Bermuda. I was not prepared for this. It had a most powerful effect on me I have never forgotten even though the event was almost thirty years ago. All of sudden as the flame was extinguished it was as if Jesus was gone. He was not there. That experience must have happened to the Apostles. There had been the visions of Jesus, the assurance of the Resurrection. Then they stopped. Despite the promise of the sending of the Holy Spirit, things were now drastically different. Jesus was really gone.

When seen this way, Ascension Day is a probing into the life of every Christian. We have the mountain top experiences. Maybe it is falling in love, or a momentous professional accomplishment in our career, or holding a grandchild. There are countless examples. At such times there seems to be a thin spot between Heaven and earth. God has blessed us. The presence and love of Jesus is very real. Unfortunately, that is only part of the story. When we were young perhaps in Sunday School or youth meetings we were encouraged to sing songs like "Everyday with Jesus is Sweeter than the Day Before," or "Are We Downhearted? No, No, No!" There may have been times when it was difficult to be that cheerful even at an early age. As we get older we often see tragedy around us in the form of illness, financial crisis, the death of a loved one. The candle has gone out. Jesus seems gone. We are experiencing what that great mystic St. John of the Cross appropriately called, "the dark night of the soul."

John knew the darkness firsthand. On several occasions he was kidnapped and thrown into prison. There was no reason to be optimistic or feel that Jesus would come to minister to him. Yet, John writes it was at those very moments that God did come to him. In the darkness when hope is lost is when we are sometimes most open to letting God flow into our hearts and direct our lives. Our pride is gone. Our resistance is down. We are open to the love of God. John warns this is no "things always happen for the best" experience. Rather it can be a very painful one as the Spirit of God seeks to overcome the darkness we have encountered.

In her book, "Learning to Walk in the Dark," Barbara Brown Taylor has conveyed a similar message. Our lives are not always going to be lived in the light. The candle goes out. The darkness comes. Jesus seems to have left. We have to learn to walk in the dark, to have courage, and tear down our defenses. In her classic, "Guilt Is the Teacher, Love is the Lesson," Dr. Joan Borysenko describes the experience as while we are still in darkness we walk toward the light no matter how slowly our walk may be, no matter how dim the light. We have to get out of our own way and let the Spirit of God flow into our souls.

So for me, what is the lesson of Ascension Day? It is a simple one. At times the light is going to go out. Pain and tragedy will come. Jesus seems far away. Difficult as it may be, walk toward the light. Our Lord will walk with us even when we can neither hear nor see Him.