Luke 24:46-53 Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord

B. Human Situation
• This Ascension of our Lord has a very similar bearing in our ordinary life as Christians
• After Jesus has suffered and died, there was so much sorrow in Jerusalem especially among his followers and disciples
• It was as if God has denied them of the glimmer of hope as the devil seemed to have won in the battle. They feel abandoned
• Then Jesus resurrected, and there was so much joy. And now, he ascends into heaven, he is lifted to the high heavens before the very eyes of the disciples
• Life in a similar way is also a struggle of ups and downs. We ascend or we go up in times of success when life is good
• Perhaps, when we have enough savings in the bank, a good paying job, promotions in the workplace, nakahuman ang mga anak sa pag-eskwela, maayo ang ilang kahimtang, naa nay mga trabaho ug makatabang na sa panimalay
• These things are counted as joys of living in a home, in a family
• But there are also times when life goes down into a pit. When we seem to descend or go down to the lowest ebb of our life
• When disasters strike in a family, death of a loved one, a broken home, a financial fiasco, a relational crisis between husband and wife, between parents and children or a sibling rivalry among children giving us both emotional and psychological distress and even health issues like we are struck with debilitating disease
• When these things happen, we feel we descend in a spiral downwards and we feel that God seems to have abandoned us forever in our wretchedness
• Ang uban mawad-an gyud ug paglaum. They lose the fervor of believing in God when life becomes so morbid and depressing
• But let us take a second look at the gospel today. What was the secret of survival for the disciples
• Pagkamatay ni Jesus, nawad-an ug paglaum ang mga alagad
• Nanago na sila, so scared that they will be arrested because every follower of Jesus is hunted by the Roman government to be jailed or killed
• Even though before Jesus died he told his disciples: the son of man will be handed over to the authorities where he will suffer and die, but on the third day he will rise again
• Pero wala na sila mahinumdum niini because they were so preoccupied with sorrow
• Then comes the resurrection; ug ang tanang kasakit nailisdan ug kalipay
• Ug gisangon na kanila ang misyon nga isangyaw ang paghinolsol sa sala sa tibuok kalibutan apan maghulat usa sila kay ipadala ni Jesus ang ES
• The disciples can only do the mission if the Holy Spirit will be sent to them. So, they are all waiting in Jerusalem as they see Jesus goes up to the heavens
• They will be the witnesses of all the things that have transpired
• So the sorrows that the disciples endure are always paralleled with hope because Jesus has promised the Holy Spirit
• That is why sa mga pagsulay nga moabot sa atong kinabuhi, kinahanglang dili gayud kita mawad-an ug paglaum
• God is always our hope that out of the unpleasant things going on there will always be light at the end of the tunnel because is with us both in the state of happiness and sorrow
• God has the right to test us of our faith through the many problems and miseries that we experience in life
• But still, no matter how terrible are the trials, it that is not the end of the world. While God is testing us, he also gives us hope at the same time just like what the disciples have experienced
• The test could be so devastating, but the more difficult it is, the stronger we emerge from the crisis