Reading I: Acts 1:1-11
Reading II: Ephesians 1:17-23
GOSPEL: Luke 24:46-53
Jesus Christ, Superhero!
Bam! Boom! Splat! Are these the sounds of campy superhero shows or the sounds of the baptismal sprinkling rite at Mass? The answer is “both,” because as we celebrate the Ascension, we celebrate both our “campy superpowers” and our rebirth in Christ!
Given A Special Power
The early 2000’s were great for superhero themed action movies (and things kept getting better). But back in the 00’s, Superman had flown back to the big screen after many years hiatus, Batman had a number of adventures (and lead actors), and the Marvel superheroes became all the rage. Spiderman was back for more adventures, and we even had appearances by Daredevil, the Hulk and the Fantastic Four.
The one thing that all of these great comic book heroes have in common is that their powers come with a price. There are no instruction books for slinging webs. There are no helpful guides on how to be a blind superhero, such as Daredevil. Not to mention, there are no support groups for the discrimination and jealousy that the mutants of X-Men face from the “regular” people in society who they are trying to protect. And don’t even get me started on how many shirts the Hulk must go through!
Yes, there are a few superheroes who don’t have mythic powers, but let’s consider those who do. Each of these heroes is given a special and unique power, but that power is often hard to understand. It’s hard to master and then they must decide how to use this power to deal with their difficult lives.
The same was true with the early Christians. Jesus told them, “…stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Imagine that. Power! It was something that these people had never had in their lives. But how would they use that power?
Before anyone could learn more, Jesus was gone.
The Call
The path that every good superhero or Christian must take is very similar. When Joseph Campbell talks about this, he calls it the Hero’s Journey. It is amazingly similar in every culture. First, the hero is called. Jesus was called, he called the apostles, they called others, and we are all called into ministry. It is the need to create the Reign of God on earth. Superheroes usually call it the fight for truth, justice, and liberty for all.
Along the path of the hero’s journey, the hero almost always has a wise guide to act as a mentor. Sadly, that mentor is usually killed or has to leave before the hero accomplishes his mission. In the original Star Wars Trilogy, the death of Luke’s mentor, Obi Wan Kenobi, makes the young Skywalker have to take charge and fully commit to becoming a Jedi Knight.
The same is true with the Apostles. Just when they started to get things figured out, Jesus was killed. His human journey was over, but theirs was just beginning. They wouldn’t have to go it alone, though. Just as Obi Wan Kenobi’s voice and spirit guided Luke, so too does the resurrected Christ and the Holy Spirit guide the church.
Will You Accept This Call?
It’s up to us to accept Christ’s call as bravely as those bewildered disciples did. It’s up to us to learn how to use our powers just as Spiderman did.
Being a Christian in today’s world is far from easy. One might even say it’s very much like being a mutant from the X-Men. But God didn’t intend for us to master our gifts, insights, and talents in a vacuum. As Jesus says in the gospel, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” We don’t live apart from this world – we live in the world that our Creator made. This is where the Reign of God is ready and waiting to come about.
And it does come. It comes every time we look past ourselves – past our desires. We have great power. We have great knowledge. Every superhero is tempted to save that for themselves. The supervillains use it for their own gain. The superheroes use it to help others.
It comes about every time we look past our mistakes. Every superhero has an archenemy or a weakness that could destroy him or her. We have the antidote and it’s ours to give to the world. Every time we fall, we have Christ to lift us back up again. Superheroes can defy gravity and other natural barriers. Christ defies sin and death.
The bat signal is in the sky. Danger is all around. Your spidey senses are tingling. Put on your superhero suit – put on Christ – and live the resurrection so that all may experience the Reign of God!
Life Applications:
What is one thing that is keeping you from experiencing your faith more deeply?
Who is a person that has had a profound effect on your life, but is no longer around?
What talent could you share more fully with the world?
Check out the REAL Word Podcast for Ascension Sunday (Cycle C):
Original article by Nick Popadich, 2003-2022.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.