May 5, 2005

Here’s an old joke which remains funny only when told with a good Irish brogue.

A bishop gets a call from one of his parish priests. “Bishop!” the priest frantically screams into the phone, “Something wonderful is happening in my parish! There’s a man who walked into my church this morning – and – and – he claims to be – the Lord! Your Excellency, I know you’ll think I’ve gone batty – but – but He sort of just – “appeared” – and besides, he’s tall and has long hair and a beard and a long white robe and sandals – and bishop – I’m almost positive he’s speaking Aramaic! Tell me – tell me – what should I do?”

The bishop dryly replies, “Look busy”.

I am reminded of this joke because for the Feast of the Ascension, Our Lord tells His disciples not to look busy, but to get busy! This feast, traditionally celebrated forty days after Easter, commemorates an historical event, that is, the “departure” of Jesus from the earth. After leading the eleven up the mountain, Our Lord encourages and empowers His disciples, but He also commissions them. He tells them to baptize, to preach, to teach, to heal – in short, “continue my work”.

It is so important that we know just what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Too many people think a Christian is simply “someone who believes in Christ”. Yet this is only a small part of our identity. Both the Sacred Scriptures and the saints make it quite clear – a Christian is not simply believing in Christ, but rather, living in Christ! This is what separates truly holy people from the rest of us. While we may look good, they are good – “through and through”.

In the Gospel of Saint John, Our Lord tells us that He is the vine, and we are the branches. He says, “Remain in Me”. He doesn’t say, “Come close” or “stay near”; He says, “Remain in Me.” How can we remain in Christ? We do so by going beyond the surface to the center of reality. Going the extra mile and giving more than expected is what it means to be a disciple of Christ. It means not reacting, but responding to life’s trials and traumas. It means loving people we don’t like. It means suffering without complaining and without being a burden to others. It means being grateful for what we have instead of being saddened by what we lack.

Being a disciple, a Christian, may be more than we bargained for or realized. Yet, why even attempt to live life any other way? When we, with the grace of God and our noble efforts, attempt to live in Christ – that’s when His work is done. If we are simply “card carrying” Christians, that is, Christians in name only, we may believe in Jesus, yet not live in Jesus. It matters little if one looks like our Lord; however, it matters much that we live in our Lord.

The message of the Ascension? Look busy? No – get busy!

Fr. Glenn Sudano, CFR
Community Servant, residing at St. Felix Friary in Yonkers, New York

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