16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:16–20 ESV – Bible Gateway
The Ascension is one occasion where the First Reading for the gives us the details since they do not reference it in any of the Gospels. It is the Acts of the Apostles that this event is told. The passage used is from the end of the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus gives the disciples, and all of us, the Great Commission.
From the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture for the Gospel of Matthew:
Placing the final scene in Galilee, Matthew brings the story full circle. This is where it all began, where Jesus grew into manhood (2:22–23), where the first apostles were recruited (4:18–22), and where the message of the kingdom first sounded forth (4:12–17). Readers have anticipated a return to Galilee since the prediction in 26:32 and the instructions given in verses 7 and 10. Galilee, the launching point for the Messiah’s mission to Israel, is now to become the take-off point for a mission to the whole world (v. 19).[1]
At the end of the 40 days Jesus stayed with them, they returned to “they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away.” (Acts 1:12)
It seems remarkable that it explicitly says some disciples (the eleven), that some doubted. Later on, after 40 days added to the years they spent with him, they are still asking questions as to restoring a political kingdom. (Acts 1:6)
More remarkable is how we still don’t fully answer this call to “make disciples of all nations” wanting to outsource it to others more capable.
From Peter Kreeft:
Christ explicitly connects our command to evangelize with his own authority. He says, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore,” go out and convert the world. Keep your eyes on me, he says, on my authority, not yours; not on your own fears and inadequacy, or other people’s resistance and rebellion, but on my authority, the authority of my truth and my love.[2]
John Bergsma makes this distinction:
Let us consider this catechetical mission a little more closely. The words of the Gospel do not say “teaching them all that I have commanded you,” but rather “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” It’s like the difference between a course in hydrodynamics and a course in swimming. You ought not to learn simply the theory of the buoyancy of bodies in water, but you must learn how to swim! We have sadly neglected this. With good intentions, we have taught many people about Christianity but not how to live the Christian life.[3]
There is such a gap between what we are called to do and what we do. Speaking from personal experience, this call is rather daunting when we have any inkling of the weight of it. The call overwhelmed some of the Prophets as I understand it now. A total change to their life that was not a call to personal comfort. We think first about the areas where we are lacking and can’t see that God can be exalted even in our weakness. Our brokenness is no barrier to this call. I am preaching to myself here because I am more willing to offer excuses than to offer myself more fully to Christ. St. Thérèse of Lisieux said, “You cannot be half a saint. You must be a whole saint or no saint at all.”
The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible has these notes on this passage:
28:19 Go therefore: Christ’s commission to evangelize and catechize the world fulfills God’s covenant oath to Abraham that “all the nations” would be blessed (Gen 22:18; Gal 3:8). His outline for the Church’s mission is threefold: (1) Evangelizing all nations involves more than winning individuals; it entails the conversion of entire cultures. Every area of life must be brought under the Lordship of Christ and in line with the gospel. (2) The administration of the sacraments is essential to the Church’s mission and our response. Baptizing new converts is the first step in a long process of sanctification and participation in the life of the Church. (3) The transmission of all that Christ taught necessitates the assistance of the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church to proclaim the gospel infallibly (cf. Jn 14:26). See note on Jn 16:13.
The Sacrament of Baptism incorporates Christians into the divine family of the Trinity as children of God (cf. Gal 3:26, 27). The single name of the Father, Son, and Spirit reveals the unity of God’s inner life and the oneness of his nature. This expression has become the normative baptismal formula for the Church (CCC [[849 (CCC)|849]], [[1122 (CCC)|1122]], [[1257 (CCC)|1257]]).[4]
Brant Pitre elaborates on the importance of the Ascension:
it is important to recall that the Ascension is a distinct event from the resurrection of Jesus. Sometimes these can get blurred in people’s minds. It is very important to remember that the resurrection is the reunification, the reunion, of Jesus’ body and soul into a new glorified state, and that happens on Easter Sunday. However, the Ascension, which takes place 40 days later, is, as the Catechism says, “the irreversible entry of Jesus’ humanity into divine glory.” So it’s a distinct event in terms of time, but also in terms of significance. And third and finally, as we will see in a minute—this is really important—the Ascension of Jesus is a bodily event. It’s not just the ascension of his soul into heaven—like our souls might go to heaven after we die—it’s the entry of his soul and his body into glory, as the catechism says in paragraph [[663 (CCC)|663]], Christ is “seated bodily at the right hand of the Father.” That’s what we mean when we say in the Apostle’s Creed, “he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.”[5]
When Jesus gave us this mission, he knew how weak we were and that we would have to learn over and over we can do nothing without him. Our self-reliance will betray us time and time again. It is only when we fully see ourselves as unprofitable servants that we are opened up to glorifying him and making disciples. Here he reminds us he is with us “always, to the end of the age.” Else, where he reminds us that the Father loves us and the Holy Spirit has been sent to us as another advocate. We fail when we think we are all alone—nothing could be further from the truth—in fact, the Truth is seeking us.
From the Catechism:
CCC 659 “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.” Christ’s body was glorified at the moment of his Resurrection, as proved by the new and supernatural properties it subsequently and permanently enjoys. But during the forty days when he eats and drinks familiarly with his disciples and teaches them about the kingdom, his glory remains veiled under the appearance of ordinary humanity. Jesus’ final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory, symbolized by the cloud and by heaven, where he is seated from that time forward at God’s right hand. Only in a wholly exceptional and unique way would Jesus show himself to Paul “as to one untimely born,” in a last apparition that established him as an apostle.p[6]
Sources
- The Gospel of Matthew (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture)
- Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings Cycle A
- The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A – John Bergsma
- The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible꞉ The New Testament
- Catholic Productions, Commentaries by Brant Pitre
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition
- Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
- The Gospel of Matthew, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, Edward Sri and Curtis Mitch ↩
- Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings Cycle A, Ascension ↩
- The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year A, John Bergsma, Ascension ↩
- Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament ↩
- Catholic Productions, Brant Pitre, Year A, Ascension ↩
- Catholic Church. (2000). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed). United States Catholic Conference. ↩
