Homily for the Ascension of the Lord, Year C

 

Ascension, Year C
ACTS 1:1-11

PS 47:2-3, 6-9

HEB 9:24-28, 10:19-23 or EPH 4:17-23

LK 24:46-53 

Right after I was ordained a deacon, I had my first baptism in Denton. She was about 2 years old. All was going well until daddy hoisted her over the baptismal font. Little one stayed still…until I started to pour. Then she wiggled…water in the eyes, the ears, and up the nose. After that, she was having nothing to do with me! Not even for pictures afterward. Nevertheless, one of my favorite things to do as a priest of Jesus Christ is to preside at baptisms. I believe it is a good time to recall why we baptize infants as soon as possible after they are born. Many parents have their babies baptized soon after birth, believing that the point of infant baptism was to remove Original Sin, which many see as some kind of stain on the soul of the child that prevents them from entering heaven. Other parents have their child baptized because it makes them a member of the Catholic Church and the parish community. There are elements of truth in both, but they are an incomplete understanding of what happens in the Sacrament of Baptism.

Original sin is quite different from personal sin, which is when we choose to act against the will of God. Original sin means that because of the personal sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, we are born without sanctifying grace, which is the gift of His life that God freely gives to us. Sanctifying grace is infused into a human soul by the Holy Spirit and enables us to become holy. (CCC 2023) Until the windows to the soul are washed by the waters of Baptism, the Holy Spirit cannot flood us with the light of His grace. The Sacrament of Baptism restores God’s gift of sanctifying grace to the child and restores their destiny – the gift of eternal life.

When the priest or deacon baptizes, he uses the words of Jesus Christ found in Matthew 28: “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Again the Greek text reveals something profound that the English translation loses. Our Lord says ‘eis’, not ‘en’ when He says ‘in the name of the Father. . .’ En means to speak on behalf of, like when an ambassador speaks in the name of the President. But eis means to be immersed into, to be inserted into the very name of God. In Baptism, we are inserted into the being of God, we are immersed into the life of the Holy Trinity and the eternal exchange of love between the Three Divine Persons. Just as in marriage when husband and wife become one flesh and form a new reality, so too does the baptized person become a new reality because of that total immersion into the life of God. The baptized child truly becomes part of the Body of Christ at the deepest level of their nature. They become a son or daughter of God the Father. Therefore, we baptize infants because we want them to participate fully in the divine life of their creator – to be open to the sanctifying grace that will help them grow in love of God and of neighbor, leading them to heaven. The earlier someone is baptized, the earlier the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying grace can begin work in their lives.

But what about after Baptism? We all know the reality of personal sin – sins we personally and willfully commit. We all have times when we reject the will of god and turn away from Him. We fall. Sometimes, we destroy the life of God within us – we reject His sanctifying grace entirely when we commit mortal sin. We reject our status as children of God and instead embrace the prince of this world. In our second reading from Ephesians, we heard that Jesus Christ has all power and authority over every spiritual power. He shared this power and authority with His Church, most especially in the Sacraments. In the Sacrament of Confession, we are given spiritual deliverance and healing that restores the gift of sanctifying grace and our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our sins are forgiven when we confess them sacramentally. But there is a catch – we have to do our part to cooperate with Jesus in the Sacrament. The essential message of our Gospel reading today is the preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins to all the nations. The Good News of the Gospel is that sins can be forgiven! But today, many people are offended at the idea they may have sinned. It is hard to lead these people to repentance. “What do I have to apologize for? I am living the best life I can. I am who I am! Who are you to judge?” But the Gospel is clear: without repentance, there is no forgiveness of sin. The only sin that cannot be forgiven is the one that remains unconfessed and un-repented of.

Christ’s Ascension opened the way to Heaven. Having entered the sanctuary of Heaven once and for all, He intercedes constantly for us with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (CCC 667). It is only the Holy Spirit that can convict our hearts to bring us to repentance of our sins and true contrition. In these final days of the Easter Season that remain before Pentecost, let us pray for a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our Church, our nation, our families, friends, loved ones, and our selves. Let us pray for all people to acknowledge their sins, turn away from them, and begin again to live lives of holiness with the help of God’s freely-given grace.

St. Joseph Most Faithful, Pray for Us!