Jesus went up ... but where is up?

When we speak of the Ascension we have a big problem. Jesus ascended into heaven. In other words Jesus defied gravity and from our perspective went up to the skies. The problem is, where is up, and so where is heaven? The difficulty lies in the fact that we are using the language and the perspective of people who thought that the world was flat. If the earth is flat it is easier for us to explain that heaven is up there, earth is in the middle and hell is down there. Now, however, we have come to know that the earth is round. So from the perspective of one standing on a round object where is up, where is the middle and where is below? If Jesus went up where is up? Is it the up from the perspective of the Australians whose below is Scandinavia? Or is it up from the perspective of Scandinavia whose below is Australia? Confusing. So where is the heaven above and where is hell below?


I believe the angel in our first reading has a better perspective. The angel said, Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? Kon sa bisaya pa, ano ang ginatangla nyo da? In effect the angel is reminding them Jesus has left you for he has finished his mission, now go and do your own mission. Stop looking up to the skies, look at the earth instead and think of how you can bring heaven to earth. The point here is ascension is not about geography as to find out where is heaven and pinpoint its exact location in the great span of the universe. The ascension is not about gravity as to find out where is above and where is below from the perspective of a round earth. The ascension is about vocation and mission in this world, it is about spirituality of bringing about a foretaste of heaven here on earth.
Thus in the gospel today Jesus, just before ascending said, Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. He commanded them to go and make disciples.
When we pray the Our Father we say, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. We pray that God’s reign will come to our world and this shall be made possible when we do his will as it is always done in heaven.
Bal-an ko iban sa inyo nagasiling na dira sa inyo pulongkoan, ano ini ang luyag hambalon sang pari ni man. Pues klarohon ko.
Kalabanan sa aton may paminsaron nga ang aton pagtener diri sa kalibutan isa lang ka preparasyon para sa kabuhi sa langit. Gani mangin maayo ako subong, magpakabuot ako, indi ako manghalit sang iban kay kon magtaliwan na ako diri sa duta, mapalangit na ako. Iban pa gid sa aton may paminsaron man nga antuson ko lang anay ang tanan nga kasakit nga maagyan ko sa sining duta nga luhaan kay pagkatapos sini may padya ako sa langit.
But in the ascension the message is different. Yes in this world there will be trials, there will be difficulties that we need to go through, and yes because of these we will be tested kon hasta gid sa diin ang aton mabatas para sa Dios. But we are here not just to persevere but above all to flourish nga sa aton mga ordinaryo kag matag-adlaw nga mga hilikuton we can become instruments of God’s work in the world, where we can help care for God’s world and his people, where God can work in us and through us in making this world a better world, a world where God reigns, a world where his will is done as it is done in heaven. Diri ang aton misyon, and that is the message of the angel, ang misyon mo diri, himua ang tanan diri, himoa nga ang kabubut-on sang Dios matuman diri.
Kon kaisa nagakadepression man ako sa akon buluhaton bilang pari sa seminaryo. Kon kaisa nagapanumdum man ako kon ngaa ginabaton ko man ini man. Kon kaisa nagasiling man ako sa akon kaugalingon, batason ko na lang ini, wala na ko may mahimo, total anum man lang ni guro ka tuig, ina kon indi ko ma-stroke sa tunga-tunga.
But looking at this from the perspective of the ascension, I begin to see it from a different light. I begin to see it not just as a trial which I must endure so that I can reach heaven in the afterlife. I begin to see it not just as something I have to go through in order to reach heaven. In the ascension I begin to see it as a mission where God will probably use me, use my tired and arthritic body so that his will may be done on earth as it is in heaven, so that God can probably make a difference in the formation of future priests. Ngaa ginbutang ako dira sang Dios, ngaa ginbilin niya ako sa sina nga situwasyon katulad nga ginbilin lang niya ang iya mga gintuton-an sa higad sang linaw. Ngaa. Indi agod nga mag-agwanta kag mag-agunto para nga makapalangit pila ka adlaw. Instead he left me there so that I can serve his will, so that with a little effort on my part he can use me as his instrument to make a difference in the community that I serve.
Amo man ina sa inyo. Ngaa ginbutang ya gid ka da, ngaa binayaan ya ka sa sina nga sahi sang pamilya, sa sina nga sahi sang katilingban, sa sina nga sahi sang trabaho, sa sina nga sahi sang opisina, sa sina nga sahi sang pungsod, sa sina nga sahi sang apotolado kag sa sina nga sahi sang parokya? Why did he leave you there, para ano - para mag-agwanta kag mag-agunto agod nga makapalangit ka. No. You are there because with you God can make a difference. Heaven is not up there, or down under, or sideward, or backward or whatever or wherever. Heaven is where you are when you permit God to make a difference in that place, when you permit God to make a difference among the people you are with, through you. When we commit ourselves to our ordinary tasks and to our day to day responsibilities, me as a priest, you as lay people, as citizens, as mothers and fathers, when we make ourselves available for God, to be instruments of his love and compassion, then with God we could have established heaven in our midst.