When they had gathered together they asked him, "Lord,
are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He answered them, “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.”
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, “Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way
as you have seen him going into heaven.”From today's reading: Acts 1:1-11
Catholicism is full of mystery. As much as it makes us squirm to think about it, there are some things we are not meant to understand in this lifetime. There are many reasons for this, one of the biggest ones being that the human mind is finite in its capacity, and is encumbered by all sorts of baggage: ignorance, prejudice, presumption, and pride chief among them.
Trying to grasp the Infinite with the human mind is like trying to contain the ocean in a sieve. I read that somewhere ... St. Augustine said it, I think.
And yet, there are some things we are called to do, to say, and to be. "...why are you standing there, looking at the sky?" Yes, there is mystery. There is also revealed truth. We have our marching orders.
One of my Bible school teachers used to say to us, "Obedience precedes revelation. If you want God to show you more of Himself, you must follow the light you've been given so far."
Are you acting on the truth you see right in front of you? Or are you stalling out of fear or stubbornness or an unwillingness to be misjudged by others?
Better that than to be mocked by the angels. You have light enough for the next step. Don't just stand there ... march!
(Image of Dome of the Ascension from photos.com)
