Most Reverend José H. Gomez
Archbishop of Los Angeles
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles
May 16, 2021
My brothers and sisters in Christ,1
So today we also celebrate a great day in the life of the Church! The Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Heaven! Where he took his seat at the right hand of God.
In the first reading of today’s Mass, we hear that the Ascension happened 40 days after the Resurrection, after the first Easter.
And in those 40 days, as we heard, Jesus spent time giving instruction to his apostles and talking with them about the Kingdom of God. We can say that he was getting the Church ready, preparing them for this day. The day of the Ascension.
So, as I was saying, this is a day of joy! We celebrate today the whole of our Lord’s earthly life and ministry — from his Incarnation through his Resurrection, and now his Ascension into heaven.
This is what he came for. He came to show us the way to heaven. He has won the great victory for us — and for the whole human race.
So this is a day — the day of the Ascension — for all of us to think about Heaven. It is the true goal for our human life. God wants all of us to go to heaven and to live with him in immortality and eternal gladness.
But today is also a day for us to think about our mission on earth.
In the mysteries of his love, Jesus has unlocked for us the gates of eternity, and so our life now is destined for the glory of heaven. Everything we do on earth, we should do with our hearts fixed on our heavenly homeland.
But we also know that we don’t go to heaven alone. We need to bring others with us. Every one of us has that beautiful duty to help others get to heaven, too!
I’m sure that you noticed — that in both the first reading and in the passage of the Gospel — we were hearing the last words that Jesus Christ spoke on earth, as true God and true man.
It’s a beautiful message that he gives to his disciples. In the first reading he promises them: “You will be my witnesses. … to the ends of the earth!”
And in the Gospel, he tells them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”
And obviously, my brothers and sisters, as we know, these words are addressed to each one of us, too.
Our Lord is also calling us to be his witnesses and to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world.
Witnesses to his Resurrection, witnesses to everything he taught and everything he did — his miracles, and his deeds of compassion. He wants us to proclaim his love and mercy, and we can do it through our words, our thoughts, and our actions — in everything we do in our daily lives.
So Jesus is calling us to bear witness. And that is not complicated. It’s not that Jesus is asking us to do something extraordinary. Jesus wants us to be his witnesses wherever we’re at. And that means just living our faith with joy.
We are here to love Jesus and to follow his way for our lives. Jesus Christ died for us so that we can live for him, and with him. And that is what he is calling us to.
Of course we all know that the Gospel message is delivered, not only by our words, but by the example of our lives.
So that means you should try every day to love the people in your life, to serve them with a humble heart, and show mercy and forgiveness to the people around us and to everyone. To love without counting the cost, give without expecting anything in return.
This is really how, in a simple way — it’s challenging but it is a simple way — that we can be witnesses in our daily life, sharing with people the beautiful love and presence of God in our lives.
So let’s pray for that especially. Let’s pray for us to reflect on how important it is to set the goal of our life in going to heaven. And also at the same time, we are called in an ordinary way to share with everybody else God’s love for every one of us.
And as I have mentioned before, this is going to be a special year of grace for all of us in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Later this summer, we will begin a Jubilee Year to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. We hope to start it at the beginning of September.
And my prayer is that all of us in the Church, in the Archdiocese, will see this year as a beautiful moment that we have to share God’s love and salvation, and to be a light to our nation. A beautiful year to be “witnesses.”
Let’s pray for that too — that really we become witnesses of the life and teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Finally, St. Paul calls us today in the second reading to really reflect on the hope that we have in Jesus. He talks about “the hope that belongs to his call” and “the riches of glory” that we have as our “inheritance among the holy ones.”
And it is true! The hope that we have in Jesus Christ is real! We are going to heaven if we follow his way for us on earth. That’s real.
It is important for us to remember that Jesus ascended into heaven — but at the same time, he remains with us on earth. We should never forget it! He is with us always.
Jesus is here — really here and walking with you and with me — in our joys, in our sadness, and when things are difficult. We can find him in the tabernacles in our parishes, in the pages of the Gospel, in the Eucharist at Mass. So always with us.
And this will be great if each one of us, every day, or every time that we can, make a simple act of faith, maybe saying: “Jesus, I know you are here and you love me, tell me the way to go.” If we keep doing that, we will find him more and more guiding our life.
So my dear brothers and sisters, let’s get excited about our life and our mission, and about this Jubilee Year that we are going to start in just a few months.
And today as we contemplate the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us renew our goal to go to heaven and let’s bring a lot of other people with us.
And may our Blessed Mother Mary go with us in her love, and help us to renew our love for her Son, Jesus Christ, and our commitment to be witnesses to his love and salvation.
1. Readings: Acts 1:1-11; Ps. 47:2-3, 6-9; Eph. 1:17-23; Mark 16:15-20.