Full circle: Understanding where I’ve been and where I’m going

The weekday and Sunday readings of the Easter season have been preparing us for the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost. Both these solemnities emphasize the descent of the Holy Spirit, or, rather, the outpouring of the Spirit on a community in need of encouragement and direction. As much as the readings push forward, they also invite the reader to reflect on the past. This Sunday’s readings provide a unique moment of reflection. Luke the Evangelist ends the story of Jesus in Jerusalem, the same place his Gospel account began. What can one learn from his proclamation?

This Sunday’s Gospel mentions Jerusalem twice. “It is written,” writes Luke, “the forgiveness of sins would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Lk 24:47). Then, the last two verses draw on this theme, which foreshadows Jesus’ final ascension. In fact, the last two verses of this Sunday’s Gospel reading are the final words of the Gospel of Luke: “They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God” (Lk 24:52-53). Luke began his Gospel in the temple with Zechariah’s act of worship; it ends with the disciples in the same temple, paying homage to God. 

Luke’s Gospel similarly begins and ends in joy. Gabriel’s announcement of the birth of John the Baptist brought joy to his elderly childless parents and to many others: “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord” (Lk 1:14-15). The final scene speaks of the apostles returning to Jerusalem “with great joy.” The Gospel message of Christ begins and ends with the spirit of jubilee and with praises to God in the sanctuary. 

Starting from the Jerusalem Temple, Gospel joy moves from its own center out to the nations. At the very beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, when Christ’s ascension had just completed, two divine beings appear to the Apostles and provide a clear directive. “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? (Acts 1:11). In other words, the inaugural proclamation that begins the next phase of the mission to Jesus’ disciples is a reminder to keep one’s feet on the ground and to look forward, that is, to move onward. It is as if the disciples find themselves back to the starting point saying, “Now what?” However, the pastoral implication is not only practical but timely for any age of discipleship. It’s a message that remains perennial: Keep moving forward!