Bittersweet

One of the beautiful aspects of praying the rosary is that the exercise creates an opportunity to meditate on various passages in the Bible. What? Yes, I indeed said "passages in the Bible." Plural ... multiple passages. Although the rosary is generally associated with Mary, its reach is much broader. Sure, we recite the Hail Mary and the Our Father (Last Supper). A lot. But, more often than not, we tend to reflect on the mysteries.  There's a bunch of them that fall into several categories: joyful, light, sorrowful, and glorious. Embarrassingly, I have only committed a handful to memory. Hey, I've got a lifetime to grasp them! And should I ever accomplish this feat, there are a slew of other prayers, meditations, and biblical reflections.  The sky is the limit!

Just the other day, while the fellowship was praying the rosary as a collective group, the second glorious mystery drew me in. This particular mystery focuses on the ascension of Christ into heaven (Mark 16:19). The following thoughts were cultivated as a result.

Did Jesus consider his ascension to be bittersweet? On the one hand, he had to be overcome with Joy about returning to heaven. (I can appreciate what it is like to want to return home: the yearnings. desires, dreams, and so forth.) Likewise, he was surely content in the awareness that his goal of teaching us a new and enlightened way to live had been accomplished. Conversely, however, was Jesus disheartened in regard to leaving behind his friends and the many souls that had yet to be saved? (Though I would excitedly return home as if skipping along on Cloud Nine, there would be good people left behind in this environment that would be missed.) Factor in the great efforts spent in winning the faith of others only to ascend back to his heavenly self and watch the church struggle in his physical absence, did Jesus experience some level of grief?

Watching his followers mourn and cope must have been heart wrenching for Jesus. Even now, we continue to fumble about.

August 2011