Witness

 Father Pothin’s Reflection for Ascensiontide

The Gospel. St. Jobn xv. 26, and part of Chap. xvi.

When a strong cultic leader is present, a cult thrives and grows. In the absence of such a leader, a cult most often diminishes. This is not so with Christianity. The ascension of Jesus prepares the way for the powerful and enduring presence of the Holy Spirit in the disciples who continue his ministry and witness to his risen presence.

Jesus’ last earthly gesture toward the disciples was to bless them. In response, the disciples “did him homage” and experienced “great joy.” This was not in response to Jesus’ departure from them, but was an expression of a new relationship to Him, the Risen One. Now instead of accompanying him in his ministry, they were “clothed with power from on high” to be his presence and do his ministry. In essence, Jesus’ last gesture toward the disciples was to empower them to be “witnesses of these things.”

–Fr Pothin