Make Christ Present in the World

This Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. The Ascension does not mean that the Lord abandons His people, but rather that He remains ever-present among them. The Evangelist Matthew places the encounter with the Risen Lord—and the scene of the Ascension—not in Jerusalem, but in Galilee. His intention is to emphasize a theological aspect, suggesting that the mission of the Apostles also begins in Galilee, just as Jesus’ did. Let us remember that Galilee was a despised region, viewed with suspicion and distrust by the Jews. Yet it is there that Jesus began His ministry, and it is there that He desires the Apostles to do the same.

On the other hand, in the Scriptures, mountains are regarded as places of God’s manifestations. He appeared to Moses and Elijah on the mountaintop. And the Evangelist Matthew frequently employs this mountain imagery. He places Jesus on the mountain whenever He imparts a fundamental teaching—such as the Sermon on the Mount—or performs crucial acts, such as the Transfiguration and the multiplication of the loaves to feed the multitude.

Therefore, the sending forth of the disciples into the world constitutes a decisive moment. Everyone who has encountered the Risen Lord and assimilated His message on the mountain receives the strength necessary to carry out this mission.

The Church—you and I—is called to make Christ present in the world. And this call to evangelize—to carry and share the love of God within our own environments—is accompanied by God’s promise: “Do not be afraid; I am with you.”

The promise of the Risen Lord to His disciples could be no other: “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the world.” As an intercultural Catholic community, let us embrace this invitation and go forth to transform our homes, workplaces, neighborhoods, and every place we visit. Today, it is our turn to do this; let us not be afraid.

May the Lord give you his peace.

Fr. Lalo Jara, OFM
Pastor, Mission San Luis Rey Parish