From the Ascension to Pentecost

The 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Mt. 28:16-21

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

With these words, from the conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel, we hear Jesus’ final message to the Apostles before he ascends and returns to his Father in heaven. While Matthew’s Gospel does not specifically mention the Ascension, the Gospels of Mark (16:19) and Luke (24:51) do speak of Jesus being “taken up to heaven.” The Acts of the Apostles speaks in even greater detail in its first 12 verses of both the “Promise of the Spirit” and the Ascension.

For many Catholics, at least in this part of the United States, when we hear of the Ascension, we may be more familiar with its two-word title, Ascension Thursday. For the second consecutive year, because of the global pandemic, we will celebrate the Solemnity (Feast) of the Ascension on a Sunday, rather than on the day that has come to be known as Ascension Thursday. I would imagine that many faithful Catholics would ask, “Why are they (the Bishops) making this change?” I am confident that many of our pastors and parish leaders have already done a good job in explaining the reasons for this change to their parishioners.

I wanted to write about this change, the transferring of the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord for two reasons:

First, I hope that I am echoing the message of our pastors and parish leaders in letting you know that Cardinal Tobin, as the Metropolitan (head Bishop) of the Province of Newark (the five Catholic Dioceses of New Jersey), consulted with the other Bishops in the state and then made the decision to transfer the Solemnity from Thursday, May 13 to Sunday, May 16, replacing the Seventh Sunday of Easter for the entire Province. The change is only for the present year and will be evaluated at an upcoming provincial meeting.

Here, I would like to share with you a few personal reflections on the decision, the reasoning for the decision and my own involvement in the consultation with Cardinal Tobin and the other Bishops of the Province. It has been truly a privilege for me to have been welcomed by Cardinal Tobin and the other Bishops of our state as their brother. I appreciate more and more every day the tremendous responsibility of each Bishop in his role and responsibility to “teach, sanctify, and govern” the Church in a particular Diocese and, together with the whole college of Bishops, in union with our Holy Father.

I believe that transferring the Ascension at this time, even for the second consecutive year, was the correct decision to make as we are still dealing with the effects of the pandemic. While we are grateful that, please God, we seem to be going in a very good direction with the lifting of restrictions and a slow, but steady return to some sense of normal, we are not yet fully back to normal.

Having said all of the above, as someone who was born and raised Catholic, I am somewhat saddened that over the past few decades, we seem to have lost a sense of or appreciation for the “Holy Days of Obligation.” The historical development and meaning of these Holy Days in the life of the Church, both here in the United States and throughout the universal Church can be very interesting to study. But I believe, even more importantly, it is something we should think about and reflect upon, perhaps asking ourselves if we could or should try to recapture some of what has been lost. I hope that this is a topic that we can continue to discuss as we move forward.

The second reason that I chose to write about the transfer of the Solemnity of the Ascension is that it is an instance of the Bishops acting as a body, collegially, in their roles to teach, sanctify, and govern. In the words of Matthew’s Gospel, quoted above, Jesus told the Apostles to “make disciples of all the nations,” by baptizing them and “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Here we can see a connection between the “final instructions” of Jesus to his Apostles just before the Ascension, and the Feast of Pentecost, when we recall the Apostles receiving the Holy Spirit and beginning their ministry. We believe that this apostolic ministry continues up until today in the ministry of our Bishops, in union with the Holy Father.

I have received a number of emails lately and there has been a significant amount of conversation in Catholic circles concerning the approach an individual Bishop or the Bishops of our country should take when Catholic politicians, including the President, govern or speak in ways that are not in conformity with the teachings and beliefs of the Church. This topic will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) next month. At this time, I would like to request your prayers for me and the Bishops of our country as we face these challenging questions and decisions. The Word of God is alive and speaks to us day by day. Jesus continues to send us all as his disciples, with the help of the Holy Spirit, that we would teach, especially by the witness of our lives.

Let us continue to pray for our Holy Father and all of our Bishops, who are instructed by the Lord to teach “them all that I have commanded you.”