“I am not afraid, because God is with me. I was born for this!” St. Joan of Arc proclaimed this going into battle, and the Holy Spirit empowers this in us at Pentecost. She is the only person of either gender to ever hold supreme command of a nation’s military forces at only 17 years old. St. Joan of Arc, whose feast day is May 30, inspired the French against the English in the 15th century. She was wounded during battle, her fame spread, and she became perhaps the most famous person in Europe. The English put her on trial, but it turned political. Joan was charged with heresy, witchcraft and cross-dressing like a man by wearing armor into battle. Yes, the court alleged that this violated divine law. She was found guilty and burned to death before thousands. Her martyrdom helped spur the French to drive the English out. A king’s trial review years later reversed Joan’s guilty verdict. Mark Twain’s favorite book he wrote was “Joan of Arc.” “I am not afraid because God is with me. I was born for this!”

The Ascension and Pentecost give hope. Our Lord ascends into heaven, commanding his disciples: “Be not afraid. I am with you always. You were born for this!” as he gives them and all of us our mission. So, why didn’t Jesus stay on earth after the Resurrection? If Jesus was really raised from the dead, then where is He?

First, Christ wanted us to have faith in things that are unseen, because it’s a greater faith. So, he ascended into heaven to increase our faith.

Second, the Ascension is a bodily event. Christ doesn’t stay here to show us our destiny and give us hope. He takes his human nature, his glorified body, up into the very life of the Trinity.

Third, God knows that it’s easy for us to love earthly things, to think that we were made for this world, and to try to find our happiness in finite things that are passing. What happens when we chase wealth, pleasure, power or honor? We can go prodigal, and the wheels can come off quickly if we try to find eternal happiness in finite worldly things. We can end up miserable, maybe from anxiety, isolation, loneliness, despair and depression.

The Ascension and Pentecost give hope. Jesus ascends into heaven to increase our faith, hope and love and to focus us on heaven and God. This week on Pentecost, we hear the final reason, when Jesus says, “If I don’t go, then I can’t send the Holy Spirit.” Jesus doesn’t abandon us. He stays with us in the Eucharist and in the Holy Spirit within us.

Catholic tradition refers to the “whole Christ.” Christ, the Head, is one with His body, the Church. St. Joan of Arc’s reply to her trial judges sums it up, “About Jesus Christ and the Church, I simply know they’re just one thing, and we shouldn’t complicate the matter.” Also, what happened between the Ascension of Jesus, 40 days after Easter, and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, 50 days after Easter? The Apostles devoted themselves to nine days of prayer, the biblical foundation of praying a novena. Novenas (the word means nine) are prayed for nine days in a row or nine weeks, like our Tuesday evening perpetual novena, which has been going on for almost 25 years.

The Ascension and Pentecost give hope. Jesus gives us all a mission to baptize, teach and make disciples. Are all our kids and grandkids baptized? Have we personally taught them our beautiful Catholic faith? Our faith can be lost in just one generation. Have we protected them from nefarious education wokeness and unplugged them from the AIpowered social media cesspool? Making disciples is overwhelming because it’s usually one-on-one. Have we recently invited someone to join us in prayer, at Mass, and especially in Adoration, as Bishop Olmsted encouraged? Our parish Cursillo family reminds us to make a friend, be a friend and bring a friend to Christ!

Jesus gives us all a mission to baptize, teach and make disciples. He is with us always in this pagan, at times demonic, world. In Lord of the Rings, King Théoden asks, “So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?” The Christ-figure Aragorn answers, “Ride out with me. Ride out and meet it.” Our mission of holiness is clear as we echo St. Joan of Arc in battle, “We are not afraid, because God is with us. We were born for this!”

In Christ,

Deacon Jeff

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