Friday 31 May 2019

The Ascension Year C 2019


Somewhere in a fashionable enclave of the world, Milan to be precise, today is the memorial of a newly-minted saint: Paul VI canonised as recently as on 14th Oct 2018. A quote of his is pretty useful for our reflexion. He said, “Technological society has succeeded in multiplying the opportunities for pleasure, but it has great difficulty in generating joy“.

In a way, the Ascension is almost like a run-up to the Solemnity of Corpus Christi because we are celebrating the glory of the human body. However, we do not celebrate it the manner that the world does. Judging by an increased use of augmented reality, society appears to be always on the lookout for ways and means to intensify our bodily pleasures. For example, have you heard how gourmets rave about their favourite dish as fireworks in the mouth, descriptions that titillate our taste buds, tease our tongues and tantalise our thirsts.

But, understanding Saint Paul VI’s quote, we realise that pleasure and joy are not synonymous. Our mortal peril is to mistake pleasure for joy. Perhaps it is indicative of our era that we have reduced human existence to sensory perception. Not only that. Even sensory reality is in danger of being ousted in favour of what might be called mind games. VR or Virtual Reality has the capabilities to simulate immersive environments to a point that one cannot tell if what one feels is real or just an extension of one’s imagination. You could be sitting with the VR goggles and be transported into the sensational thrill of a roller coaster ride.

We have become such sensual slaves that we forget that pleasure is our servant rather than our master. Instinctively, we know that pleasure is a servant for we hear people speak of “guilty pleasures” meaning they know that the pleasure they enjoy is not what it is supposed to be. Instead, pleasure is a servant because it is a means to an end. It assists in such a way that it opens us up to the reality that is beyond. The Catholic term for a pleasure that serves is called a carnival, like the Mardi Gras festival. A feast to enjoy as we ease into Lent because the Church recognises that we are both body and spirit. Unfortunately, the form Mardi Gras has taken is nothing but grotesque licentiousness which fails to realise that we are bodies and more. If we are no more than bodies, then we might as well be animals—beings without souls.

Sadly, our culture is so steeped in pleasure that we do not even recognise this blinding and choking reality. To illustrate, try imagining drudgery. Close your eyes and observe the hordes who cross the Causeway twice daily who hardly have “free time” for leisurely indulgences and we shudder to think our lives could be such. We might even pity them for not having a “life” because their lot is bereft of enjoyment. Pleasure is our barometer of a meaningful life.

Our narrow outlook might just prevent us from appreciating the true nature of joy. It might seem impossible but one can be joyful even in the midst of suffering which brings us to this question. So what is the proper way to celebrate the body, if pleasure is not its end?

Firstly, a hard life without pleasure is not a recipe for joy. Even Jesus knows how to enjoy—they accused Him of wining and dining with sinners and sluts. But, note that bodily pleasure must lead us into joy. The body is made to rejoice in the Lord and therefore, pleasure, if anything, is never an end in itself. Instead, it is to heighten our yearning for God. The so-called sinners who had the pleasure of Christ’s company actually discovered their hunger for the Messiah deepened. Hence, we must realise that the proper care of the body is not achieved by intensifying its pleasures but rather by deepening its joy. Bigger presents, more expensive gifts, upsizing your burger, chips or soft drinks will not result in greater joy. The contrary may be true that joy often finds its greatest expression in the absence of pleasure.

Secondly, how do we deepen our joy? We must recognise that the body has been created for eternal bliss. The Resurrection is the gateway to the everlasting joy of the body. The human Body of Jesus is now with God the Father. As the preface describes, “For the Lord Jesus, the King of glory, conqueror of sin and death, ascended today to the highest heavens, as the Angels gazed in wonder. Mediator between God and man, Judge of the world and Lord of hosts, He ascended, not to distance Himself from our lowly state but that we, His members, might be confident of following where He, our Head and Founder, has gone before”.

We will all rise with Him but this resurrection is premised on one criterion. That is, if we follow Jesus Christ into His death, we shall also rise with Him in our resurrection. The meaning is pretty clear. There is a price to be paid which we often forget because we are distracted by pleasure. The cost is literally pain. Suffering is constitutive of the bodily resurrection we desire. We suffer when we resist temptation. We suffer when we control our passions. Nobody ever says “I am having a great time” when resisting temptations or controlling passions. Furthermore, we sacrifice when we practise charity. When we truly love, we die to ourselves. It is not love if there is no sacrifice on our part. This is the premium we pay for our bodily resurrection and our subsequent assumption into heaven. As Sam Witwicki would say, “No sacrifice, no victory”.

Today, the Ascension gives us a solid perspective for joy: Where He has gone, we hope to follow. Our deepest joy is to anticipate the Heaven that will be ours. This is what we aim for. However, our future resurrection must begin here and now. It is a promise but it is also a sobering call to count the cost of Heaven. As someone said, “Heaven is not a place to find. It is a decision to make”.