Ascension Sunday 2021 – 16 March, Halston Street
Before every Olympic games, the Olympic flame is lit in Athens and a torch lit from that fire at the place of the first Olympic games. This torch is then carried around the world from Athens to the host country and city. At the opening of the Games the same flame from Greece lights the Olympic flame in the stadium. This is a very powerful ritual. The tradition, history, emotion, pride and anticipation is handed on from one person to the next – through village, town and city until it reaches it’s destination. The powerful symbol of the Olympics travels from person to person – one person handing it on to the next.
Today we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. This event can been seen in two ways: firstly, it could be seen as the end of the story – the conclusion of Jesus ministry on earth – the last stop on the journey. It could also be seen as just the beginning of the journey as the torch is passed on to the Apostles who in turn passed it on and it was passed on and on and on until it reaches us here in Halston Street today. The same flame of faith passed from person to person, never going out.
I’m inclined to relate more to option two – that the Ascension is a beginning. You see, Jesus is into new beginnings – I came so that you may have life and have it to the full. Today’s Gospel from Mark begins with a command – ‘Go into the world and proclaim the Good News to every creature’. The Good News is the flame of faith we carry inside – the flame that was ignited at our Baptism – the flame that is fanned into life by our prayer, the sacraments and our relationship with Jesus. We are the torches that carry the flame of faith and the Holy Spirit is the one that passes the flame from person to person. When we begin to think in terms, we find ourselves losing the desire to judge others and ourselves – we begin to feel connected to something greater than we are – part of something greater than we are. We become community.
If we turn on the news or open a paper these days, we can’t escape the images from the Holy Land. The images of rockets flying through the air – the devastation this causes – the bodies of children caught in the rubble. You might ask what has this to do with Ascension Sunday or what has this to do with us? The answer is simply that it has everything to do with the Ascension and even more to do with us. Palestine is the land that Jesus walked – when we hear today’s Gospel it is a story of that land, and that people. The flame of faith has come to us from there and because of that, we care connected, as humanity to the suffering of others. The message of today’s Gospel is not alone a global one – it’s a Universal message – that’s what Catholic means, Universal. If the message is Universal, then it means that nothing is separate from it. Whenever there is violence it comes from a mindset that believes it has all the right answers and that their message is the end of the story. The message of Christ, the message of Gospel, the message of peace – is always the beginning of the story. Let us pray hard for peace in the Holy Land, the land of Jesus, of our ancestors in faith.
Let’s go back to that image of the Olympic torch for a moment. The goal of the Olympic Movement – if you look at their website – is to contribute to building a more peaceful and better world through sport practised without discrimination and in a spirit, which requires mutual understanding and a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. In the Christian context this is very similar to what is called the Good News – summed up by Jesus in one command – Love one another. The flame of faith that we carry is the flame of love, peace, friendship, compassion and solidarity in and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us do all we can to keep this flame alive in our hearts and in our world.
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