And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

- Matthew 28:16-20

In the readings of yesterday and the day before, we have been given preparation - focusing specifically on prayer - for today's holiday of Ascension Day. (Many will celebrate on Sunday.) As we have been reading in the Gospel of Luke, the lectionary gave us the reading on Tuesday for the teaching of the Our Father - The Lord's Prayer. Yesterday's reading focused on Jesus' teachings against undue anxiety and focus on the purely material, as He taught "Consider the lilies . . ." As we examined first the Prayer and then Jesus' teachings, we understood His focus on the kingdom and His knowledge of our needs and our worldly lives, as He taught, "But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you." We are to seek to be the bearers of the kingdom in this world, as His disciples. Today, for Ascension Day, we are given what is known as the Great Commission from Matthew' Gospel, Jesus' farewell message to His disciples.

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. This is another "mountaintop experience" and Jesus has once again drawn His disciples apart for this spectacular moment and this teaching. They are back in Galilee, their home territory from which their ministry spread while He was with them in the flesh. We must remember what it is to be a disciple of Jesus: they have lived with Him, followed Him all throughout His ministry, and in this way they have been prepared for this parting moment, again alone together.

When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. Now most of them understand Him as the Christ -- but we are told that "some doubted." An important understanding: discipleship is always an evolving experience. God takes us where we are and sees our potential as disciples. Perfection is not the requirement - that is a worldly perspective; God sees us with different eyes and Jesus, the knower-of-hearts chooses whom He will. Even now, at this parting moment after several appearances to the women and other disciples, some doubt.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." Jesus has been vested with the authority of the Resurrection, and His mission is completed as He goes to the Father. My study bible reminds us that this is the terminology of exaltation and glorification. "It manifests the power of His Resurrection, and the authority to bring human beings back to life." What we understand is that Jesus as Son has completed His saving work in the world, and returns to His place as Son with a full vesting of authority in this world as He has displaced the "prince of this world." It is an important announcement at the end of a successful mission of salvation as Incarnate Lord.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. . . " Again, we read an important emphasis on the power now vested in Christ and by extension the apostolic mission of the Church. My study bible points out that this mission of evangelizing and baptizing doesn't happen by human beings alone, on their own power, but rather through the power that has been brought and secured in this world by this saving mission: the power of the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. It notes, "The reality of the Resurrection refers not only to its historicity, apostolic witness, and necessity for faith, but also to its power in our Christian life and mission. The resurrected Son of God, living in us and energizing us, makes possible the salvation of all." What we understand is, in a sense, the completion of the teachings on prayer we have read in the past two days in preparation for this, Ascension Day. We seek to bring the kingdom into the world, and as disciples we are to be kingdom-bearers. We do not do this alone, but by the power that He in turn has vested in us to carry out and extend and expand this mission He has begun, through His power. Therefore, seeking the kingdom (as in yesterday's reading), becomes all the more potent here and now, right here in this world, in our daily lives. It infuses all that we are, do and have if we seek it.

". . . and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. And here is the affirmation: He is with us always. This is why we can seek that kingdom in the here and now, and manifest it through our lives in this world as we pray "Thy kingdom come." And, importantly, as disciples they lived with Him, and so do we. My study bible notes that Jesus' Resurrection is with us now, always present in our lives through the Holy Spirit. The life of the "eighth day" or "next day" if you will, is always present to us in the here and now, it is the kingdom that we seek and bear and live in this life as His disciples, and from which we learn in discipleship. It notes: "We know Him directly, here and now, in the present, as our Savior and our Friend . . . He is with us now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen." He has promised in so many teachings to the disciples - especially at the Last Supper - that His will is to keep them with Him always, eternally.

Matthew' Gospel now gives us the word that verifies, authenticates and vests with full power the words we have just read in Luke over the past two readings. We seek the kingdom in the here and now. We live the life of discipleship in seeking Him here and now, in the always present moment. A life of prayer definitely means that we seek this kingdom and we live its life, securing it in the world under His power; indeed in the power of the Trinity, as the words here assure us. He has completed His successful mission; now it is up to us to continue it and to be His disciples. So, how do we do that on a day to day basis? How do you call upon this power and presence that is with you always, even unto the ages of ages? We live a sacramental life, one infused with the beauty and the reality of that kingdom. How does it come to you now when you call upon it and seek it? What direction does it take you, and how does it infuse your life in the here and now? Again, I'll repeat something I wrote in yesterday's reading: Fr. Thomas Keating has said that experiences of God are characterized by simultaneous presence of awe, reverence, love and delight. Seek the kingdom, and all these things shall be added. Consider even the beauty of the lilies. The Great Commission focuses us on this power in the here and now, the Companion who is always with us, upon whom we are to always call in order to be witnesses, as disciples. He is never separate from us, and our lives are not to be separate from the kingdom. We continue to grow and learn in discipleship through His Presence to us and with us, right in the present moment, wherever we are in our lives.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." Revelation 3:20