Commentary on the Gospel of
The words of Jesus are definitive. Go throughout the world, make disciples, be my witnesses. Because we aspire to Heaven we commit ourselves to the earth. The mission of the Church is to evangelise (Paul VI).
We cannot stay in church repeating routinely the same things. Jesus commands us rather that explaining the doctrines to make disciples that are like Him, good, simple, servants, quick to offer their lives for others, even for enemies. We will certainly weaken many times. But we preach, with thanks the indefectible presence of Jesus. “Whilst he is up there he continues to be with us. Whilst we are here we can be there with Him”. (St. Augustine). Even knowing our weakness Jesus has confidence in us that is why He sends us.
Finally through an elementary impulse of Jesus’ disciples we also always wish to ascend. To ascend is to grow, to go towards heaven. It is to flee from the vulgar, from the mediocre, the frivolous so as to fill ourselves with ideals, with dreams, utopias. It is to aspire to human fullness of the truth, of freedom, of beauty.
Only in Heaven will we encounter this fullness. So meanwhile we look to heaven where Jesus is drawing us towards what is the most noble, the humane, and the most divine.
