“MAY the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call… – (Ephesians 1:18)”
What is an “enlightened heart”? This question is what we should ask one another and ourselves as we celebrate Ascension Sunday. For it seems that an “enlightened heart” is what each of us needs to move on with hope in our lives.
An “enlightened heart” is one that has witnessed the truth and the wisdom of God and now believes in their power to save and transform the world. In the case of the disciples of Jesus Christ, it was the person of Jesus—his life, death, and resurrection—that their hearts had witnessed as truth and wisdom. For this Truth and Wisdom, the disciples were willing to offer their lives in service to God and His people.
In the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus would never have moved on to ascend to his Father if he wasn’t sure that his disciples had never witnessed and believed in this Truth. He wouldn’t entrust to them the mission of his Father to go out to the whole world to proclaim and teach the truth of Gospel if he wasn’t sure that his disciples were ready to fulfill this task. He knew that they had enlightened hearts because they witnessed all that he had taught and revealed, especially the power of His resurrection.
Jesus was also confident to ascend to his Father and leave the mission of the Gospel to his disciples because his disciples were empowered by the Holy Spirit: “…in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on sick, and they will recover. (Mark 16:17).”
Indeed, a new language that the disciples had acquired was the language of the heart that would always speak of humility, gentleness and patience. It was a language would earnestly desire for love, unity, peace, and justice in all lands of the earth.
As we, disciples of Jesus Christ, elect new government leaders, may we never lose sight of the language of the heart that Jesus Christ wants us to speak to transform the world and our nations. May we–new leaders and citizens–speak this language of Jesus Christ, a language of the heart that never speaks and promotes arrogance, division, hatred, disrespect, greed, and self-serving motives!
May our new leaders and we be clothed with the power of the Holy Spirit to imbue our society with the presence of the Risen Christ and to continue Jesus’ ministry of love, mercy, peace and justice!
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From a Filipino immigrant family, Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas was ordained to the priesthood from St. John’s Seminary in 1991. He served as Associate Pastor at St. Augustine, Culver City (1991-1993); St. Martha, Valinda (1993-1999); and St. Joseph the Worker, Canoga Park (1999-2001). In 2001, he served as Administrator Pro Tem of St. John Neumann in Santa Maria, CA, until his appointment as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Los Angeles, in 2002, which lasted 12 years. His term as Associate Director of Pastoral Field Education at St. John’s Seminary began in July 2014.
