Today we are bombarded by noise, noise and more noise. People add to an already highly polluted envirnoment with electronic gadgets, with head phones and ear phones. . . An endlessly loud environment. Then when someone has lost some of his sense of hearing, one hears that person speak more loudly than usual. There are now shouts. . .
Yet, we know that there are many moments in life which call for silence. In this silence, the madness of the world comes to a stop. There is no shouting. There are no sounds but there is only peace. Have you heard the silence?
There are also the moments when we are lost for words. Imagine being present at the scene of the Ascension. Our Lord Jesus is speaking and blessing us. . . Then he goes up and soon we can no longer see him. What would we do then? Imagine the wonder. Think of the silence in that magnificent moment. Joy fills our hearts for He has left us with joy and that joy no one can take away. Ponder in silence His advice that we wait upon Him in prayer for the Promised Paraclete will come and remind us of His teachings. As for Jesus Himself, He has also clearly told us that He will be with us till the end of time. . . . What place would there be for noise on this day of the Ascension?
Each person present gazes in awe and wonder as each one witnesses the glory of Christ’s Ascension. The scene painted in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles depicts them, open-mouthed, staring heavenward. Two men appear to them and say “Why are you standing here looking into the sky?”
Silence need not mean emptiness, silence can be the contemplation of glory. Yes, Jesus ascends into Heaven but He has not left us on our own. We may say that we experience His presence even more powerfully now that He has risen from the dead. The whole universe is filled with His holy presence. In silence let us continue to contemplate and to pray. . .
Come, Lord Jesus! Come in all your glory!
