Ascension of the Lord —— Year A

甲年-耶稣升天节

Fr. Jijo Kandamkulathy CMF

甘天霖神父

Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20 （玛28：16-20）

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John,

Glory to you, O Lord!

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily： Mandate of the Church to Continue His Mission

Matthew places the encounter with the Risen Lord not in Jerusalem but in Galilee. The evangelist wants to say that the mission of the apostles begins where their Master had begun.

Galilee was a despised region. It was inhabited by diverse populations, derived from a mixture of races. It is exactly to these semi-pagans—Matthew wants to say—that now the gospel is destined. Jerusalem, the city that rejected the Messiah of God, lost her privilege to be the spiritual center of Israel.

Matthew places Jesus on a mount every time he teaches or performs some particularly important acts because the mountain reminds of God’s presence where he gives his commandments and mandate. Now, on the mountain the disciples who have experienced the Risen Lord and has assimilated his message are empowered to complete the Lord’s mission.

The remark that “although some apostles doubted” (v. 17) is confusing. How could they still have doubts if they had already met the Risen Lord in Jerusalem on Easter Sunday? From the point of view of catechesis, this detail is indicative. For Matthew, the Christian community is not made up of perfect people but of people in whom good and evil, light and darkness continue to be present. We encounter this situation among the first disciples: they have faith but they still have doubts and uncertainties.

It is possible to believe in Christ and have doubts. Faith cannot exist together with evidence. One cannot “believe” that the sun exists; there is the certainty, one can see it. The effects of its light and its heat are scientifically verifiable. In the field of faith, this evidence is impossible. Like the apostles, we, too, have a deep conviction of the truth of the resurrection of Christ, but it cannot be proven.

The second part of the passage narrates the sending of the apostles to evangelize the whole world. During his public life, Jesus had sent them to announce the kingdom of heaven with these instructions: “Do not visit pagan territory, and do not enter a Samaritan town. Go instead to the lost sheep of the people of Israel” (Mt 10:5-6). After Easter, their mission expands; it becomes universal.

The light was enkindled in Galilee when Jesus, having left Nazareth, settled in Capernaum. “The people who lived in darkness have seen a great light; on those who live in the land of the shadow of death a light has shone” (Mt 4:16). Now its light must shine to the whole world. As the prophets have announced, Israel becomes “light of the nations” (Is 42:6).

The time is decisive and Jesus refers to his authority: he was sent by the Father to bring the message of salvation. Now, he entrusts this task to the community of the disciples, giving them his own powers.

The church is called to make Christ present in the world. Through baptism, she generates new children that are inserted in the communion of the Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Spirit. It is a sublime but difficult mission; it inspires awe and trepidation in those who are called to carry it out. 

证道：疑惑不能停止信赖，福传使命走向世界！

玛窦没有把与主耶稣的相遇放在耶路撒冷，而是放在了加里肋亚。圣史想要说的是:宗徒们使命的开始，是在主耶稣使命开始的地方。

加里肋亚是一个被鄙视的地区。那里起源于种族的混合，居住着各式各样的人。恰当地说，对这些半个外邦人——玛窦想说的是——现今，福音被定义了。耶路撒冷这个城市，拒绝了天主的默西亚，失去了成为以色列精神中心的特殊荣耀。

玛窦每次把耶稣置于山上，他都会教导或是做出一些特别重要的行动，因为“山”提醒我们有天主的临在，并在那里赐下了祂的诫命和指示。现在，在山上，门徒们经验了复活的主，也吸收了祂的讯息，并被委任完满上主的使命。

这句经文:虽然有人还心中疑惑（17节）也着实令人迷茫。如果他们已经在复活主日的耶路撒冷与复活的主相遇了，又怎么仍旧疑惑呢？从教理视角的观点看，这个细节是有指示性的。为玛窦来说，基督徒团体并不是由完善的人所组成，而是有善人也有恶人，光明与黑暗都会继续存在。我们在首批门徒们中间遇到了此种境况：他们有信德，却仍旧心存疑惑和不确定性。

信赖耶稣与心存疑惑是可能同时存在的。信德不能与证据同时存在。一个人不能“相信”太阳的存在，而这是确实的，人能够看到它。太阳光和高温的影响是被科学证实的。在信德的领域，这证据是不可能的。就像宗徒们深深坚信基督复活的真理，却无法被证实，我们也是如此。

第二部分叙述的是派遣宗徒们向整个世界宣传福音。在耶稣的公开生活中，他用这些指导来派遣宗徒们宣讲天国：“外邦人的路，你们不要走；撒玛黎雅人的城你们不要进，你们宁可往以色列家迷失了的羊那里去”（玛10:5-6）。在复活节后，他们的使命拓展了，成了普世的使命。

这光是在加里肋亚燃烧起来的，那时候，耶稣已经离开了纳匝肋，定居在葛法翁。“那坐在黑暗中的百姓，看見了浩光；那些坐在死亡陰影之地的人為他們出現了光明”（玛4:16）。现今，这光必然要照耀到整个世界。正如先知们所宣告的：以色列要成为“万民的光明“（依42:6）。

时间是决定性的，耶稣提及他的权威：他是由天父所派遣，带来救恩的讯息。现今，他把这责任委托给了宗徒们的团体，并给予他们他自己的权力。

圣教会蒙召使基督临在于世界。通过圣洗圣事，她产生新的子女，并融入天主圣三的共融之中：圣父，圣子和圣神。这是一个崇高却又艰辛的使命；在那些蒙召履行这使命的人身上，会引发敬畏和惊惧。