Actively Awaiting

A Reflection on the First Reading for May 24th, 2020:
The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

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Acts 1.1-11

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

​"... wait there for the promise of the Father."
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Wait. To be on guard, to anticipate, to watch patiently. Awake, attentive, and lively. I am tragically impatient, prone to distraction — yet I am asked to remain, focused. I want to rush ahead, to make assumptions, to fill in the blanks and lift the veil off the unknown. It is uncomfortable, but I am listening.

There. In a location, in space and time. Maybe where I perceive chaos and uncertainty. Where my trust is tested.

For. There is a purpose to my waiting. A great reason for the order, and something to look forward to.

The. One, certain thing.

Promise. The declaration, assurance, pledge of some good. Something that will certainly be done or kept. Grounds for hope.

Of. The relationship between the part (promise) and the whole.

The. One particular person.

Father. God the Father, who created me in love and for love. The Father who keeps His promises, who is trustworthy. My protector, deliverer, and the One who knows me intimately and completely.


Christ repeats these words to us today, because the Father’s promise is not only for the first apostles. We too are called to wait, now and at many moments throughout our lives, for the Holy Spirit. He himself is the Promise and He will come and move in powerful ways.

We may think we are familiar with waiting now, amid this pandemic. Waiting for restrictions to be lifted, stores to reopen, jobs to be restored, for things to go “back to normal”. But I find myself asking God, how do you want me to wait? I have the sense that the waiting He invites me to is active, not passive, and that the Person I am waiting for does not want me to live a normal life. Even in this turbulent time, perhaps especially now, He prepares a gift for us and desires to move in the hiddenness of our hearts. We may not know how He will do it yet, but we do have a “when”. The Feast of Pentecost is fast approaching, and two Sundays from now God promises to refresh and renew the Church again. In the rest of this month of May, let us ask the Father to prepare our hearts for His promise and for us to receive the Holy Spirit – taking Mary as our model in this her month.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, please teach us to receive and intercede for us as we wait. ​




Kendra L.

Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

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