Bible Study, Prayer, and Homily Resources
by Fr. Tommy Lane
It is surprising to hear the apostles in the first reading today, just before Jesus ascended to heaven, asking him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) They were hoping Jesus would do something to put an end to the Roman empire governing Palestine. They wanted self-governance and independence. Obviously, they misunderstood what type of kingdom Jesus was establishing. After the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost they would understand properly.
Jesus’ response to the apostles’ question shifted the emphasis away from their hopes to Jesus’ own kingdom:
It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Instead of the restoration of Israel, Jesus said they were to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. The apostles were so completely off-track that Jesus couldn’t answer their question and could only shift the focus to where it should be—his kingdom. The apostles were thinking of me, me, me, me, but Jesus said they were to witness to him from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. The apostles believed in Jesus of course, but they didn’t yet understand Jesus or his kingdom. They had faith but did not understand. Instead of putting Jesus and his kingdom at the center, they had themselves and their preoccupations at the center.
It is possible to make the same mistake today due to not understanding Jesus—to take society or our own desires as a starting point and try to make the Church imitate society. We see that kind of thinking all around us as people say things trying to make the Church change her teaching. Instead of trying to make the Church reflect society, we do what Jesus wants. Instead of me, me, me, me, what does Jesus want? G. K. Chesterton said, “those who marry the spirit of the age will find themselves widows in the next.” If the Church were to marry the spirit of this age, she would be a widow very quickly. Instead of starting with society or our own desires, we follow what Jesus desires and the implications of what Jesus said and did. If we tried to marry the Church to the spirit of this age, we would be like the apostles asking Jesus to restore the kingdom to Israel. Jesus deflected their question by saying they were to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.
On another occasion, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Jesus is the truth. Jesus is the measuring rod of what to do, not society. That is why Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians, “have among yourselves the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 2:5) Have the same attitude as Jesus. In the first reading, the apostles had faith and believed but did not have the same attitude as Jesus. We are not to create something new but to try to understand better what has been handed down to us from Jesus and help others to understand it better so that we do not repeat the mistake of the apostles in the first reading who believed but did not understand.
There is obviously a reason why the Church teaches what she does. If there is something we do not yet understand, we can try to grow in understanding why the Church teaches what she does. Sometimes we hear people making statements that are so contrary to the teaching of the Church. They are like the apostles: we want our kingdom, and we want it now. They believe in Jesus but do not yet understand. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, “may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We do not pray, “may your kingdom come the way I think best, may your will be done on earth according to my will.” It reminds me of the letter to the Hebrews, where we read that by then the people receiving that letter should have been able to teach the faith, but alas they still needed someone to teach them the basic elements of the faith. The letter says they were not yet ready for solid food and could only take milk (Heb 5:12).
We all have faith, and we all need to grow more in understanding our faith. People go to college and get specializations in all sorts of subjects. The most precious study of all is the study of our faith.
I conclude with a beautiful prayer in the letter to the Ephesians asking that we grow in understanding:
May the God of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
give you a Spirit of
wisdom and revelation
resulting in knowledge of him.
May the
eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the
hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in
his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing
greatness of his power
for us who believe. (Eph 1:17-19)
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2025
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for the Ascension of Our Lord
Praying for the Holy Spirit after Jesus’ Ascension 2021
Gathered around Our Lady after Jesus’ Ascension 2018
Enlightened to our calling and destiny
Year A: Students in the school of Jesus 2023
Year B: Jesus is present in his Church after his Ascension 2006
Year C: Jesus’ Ascension: Jesus with us in a new nearness 2022
Related Homilies: Waiting in prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit