Through Catholic Charities and with the help of others, we were able to do a funeral and burial service for a man named John a couple of weeks ago. John was 66 years old and homeless. His life was a struggle. He was living in abandoned houses around the city and, back in March, came to Catholic Charities for help. One of the counselors spoke with him and convinced John to spend that night in the warming center and not in some cold, dirty, dangerous place by himself, and that they would talk the next morning. John fell asleep in the Catholic Charities Warming Center and never woke up.
It was a blessing for us to conduct this funeral and burial for a man we considered our guest, but who the rest of society didn’t see. At the cemetery, in addition to John, we had the honor to lay to rest the remains of seven others who no one claimed. It was a sad reminder for us that there are many people in our world who are invisible, unknown, have no one to care for them and who’s passing from this world just goes unnoticed.
In the midst of these events, we celebrated the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. Through his ascension, Jesus shows us why caring for our dead is so important. The words of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew (28:16-20) are a source of comfort for us and especially for those who are alone, and they encourage us to go out and tell this comforting, good news.
When Jesus ascended, humanity entered heaven. His resurrected, human body entered heaven to be with his father. Because of his ascension, it’s our hope that one day, after our death, our bodies will be resurrected and will enter heaven, as Jesus did, so we can live with God forever. Jesus’ ascension shows us that even after death our bodies have dignity. Even though forgotten by society, the bodies of John and the other seven have dignity, in the hope that one day they will be resurrected and enter heaven. Jesus’ ascension gives us hope and shows us why this work of mercy of caring for the bodies of the dead is so important. Because made in his image and likeness, we have dignity.
When Jesus ascended, he left the earth, but he’s not absent. Through his Holy Spirit, he’s alive, present, and as he promised, always with us. He’s present in our living and in our death. It’s comforting for me to know that even though their passing went unnoticed, Jesus was with John and the seven, at the time of their death. The promise of Jesus to always be with us is comforting especially to those who are otherwise alone. We pray that because of his promise, they know and feel the comforting presence of Jesus in their loneliness.
Jesus gives us the responsibility and the power to spread this message, especially to the lonely. Accomplishing this mission begins with ourselves. We give the Holy Spirit permission to change our life through constant growth and conversion, allowing God’s grace to continually transform our hearts and minds to love more and be more like Jesus.
As we grow, we don’t stand around looking into the sky, but we go out. Wherever it is we find ourselves, we share this love and life we have with Jesus and with others. By what we say and do, we help those we are with to know that Jesus loves them deeply. That nothing will ever stop him from loving them. That no matter how invisible they think they are, they matter. They matter so much that Jesus died and rose from the dead, so that even after their death on earth they can have life and live in peace with him forever. Like a friend of mine said, “Just knowing somebody cares, makes all the difference.” Just imagine the difference then, when someone knows that Jesus cares and is always with them.
The Ascension of Jesus into heaven is good news. It gives me hope especially when I think of John, the seven, and others like them. No longer are they unnoticed and unknown, but we pray, are now in their true home, in the arms of the one who created them, who always loved them, and who was always with them. We pray that they are at peace and their struggles over.