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Bishop's Homily for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

June 1, 2025

(Doidam 10 / Shutterstock.com)

Homily of the Most Reverend Larry Silva, Bishop of Honolulu
[St. Catherine Church, Kapaa (Confirmation & First Communion); St. Theresa Church, Kekaha (Confirmation & First Communion); Immaculate Conception Church, Lihue (Confirmation & First Communion)]

I suppose you are expecting me to preach today.  But if I took one of our Confirmation candidates and said, “You are going to be preaching today,” you would probably be much more nervous than you are!  You might panic and think, “What am I going to say?  I’m just a student?  I am going to preach to all these people?”  (Although one or two of you might secretly love the opportunity!)

While it is true that I am going to preach at this particular Mass, it is also true that you are now going to be commissioned to preach the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ!  Today you are given the same commission that was given to the original disciples of Jesus.  You will preach the Gospel, maybe with words, but for sure by your living witness to Jesus and his love.  You will preach the Gospel when you go to school and notice that a classmate is struggling with studies, and you reach out to help that classmate truly understand the lessons being taught.  You will preach the Gospel when you are tempted to fight with your parents or your brothers and sisters, but instead you refuse to engage in the battle, realizing that your love is all that matters.  You will preach the Gospel when you notice a friend who is depressed or very sad because there are problems at home or because your friend recently lost a loved one; and you can reach out to that friend and bring healing just by listening and being there for him or her.  You will preach the Gospel when you notice that someone is homeless or hungry, and you share some of your resources with that person because you see the person as a brother or sister in Christ.  You will preach the Gospel when your team is losing, but you still play your best and insist on being a good sport to the opposing team members.

Preaching the Gospel in church is important, but I dare say its purpose is to motivate everyone who hears to be a preacher of the Gospel, sometimes using words that explicitly speak of Jesus, but sometimes just demonstrating his healing and merciful love, which we have first experienced.

In a real way, I think this is why Jesus ascended into heaven.  Yes, of course, he went there to prepare a place for us, to open that heavenly kingdom to us who are not always angels.  But if he had not ascended into heaven, we would probably run to him to solve all our problems. He would only be able to do so much because any body can only be in one place at a time.  But he ingeniously left us so that he could return to us and give us what we need, so that as members of his Body, we can take the Gospel everywhere we go! 

From his place in heaven, Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit, who will teach us all things we need to know in order to do his work.  This Holy Spirit, which you will receive in the sacrament of Confirmation, marks and seals you as one chosen by God to be a full member of the Body of Christ, so that now Christ can be wherever you are.  And the Holy Spirit can give you the words you need to say or the deeds you need to do in order to bring Good News to a world that is so often filled with bad news.

And, there is more!  Jesus ascended into heaven, and is now the “living bread come down from heaven,” which you will receive for the first time today in Holy Communion.  Jesus wants to live in you, and not only to have himself become a part of your body, but to make you a part of his living Body, the Church, so that he will no longer be limited to space and time, but he can be in all the places that you go – that we go!

I am sure you were looking forward to this day of our Confirmation and First Communion with great joy and anticipation.  And soon it will be over.  But there should be no room for disappointment, because like those two men clothed in white who tapped the apostles on the shoulders, asking why there were standing there gazing up into the sky after Jesus, you are being tapped on the shoulder today to be reminded that this same Jesus, who ascended into heaven is the one who will kiss you on the forehead as you are anointed with Chrism, and he pours out the Holy Spirit upon you.  It is the same Jesus who will become the living bread come down from heaven to feed you and to live in you, and to make you an intimate part of his own Body.  It is the same Jesus who sends you out to be a preacher of the Good News of his love wherever you go!