The liturgy of the Ascension of the Lord presents us with a passage from the Gospel of Matthew, which emphasises the universal mission of the disciples.

On the mountain that Jesus had indicated to them, they saw him and fell prostrate, yet they were filled with doubt.

The Son of God sends them out to make disciples of all nations, knowing that he will be with them until the end of the world.

The Franciscan Sources recount the missionary zeal of Francis and his companions on several occasions.

We read:

“Then Blessed Francis gathered them all together, and after speaking to them at length about the Kingdom of God, the contempt for the world, the renunciation of one’s own will, and the discipline one must exercise over one’s own body, he divided them into four groups, two in each, and said to them:

«Go, dearest ones, two by two to the various parts of the world and proclaim to men Peace and penance for the remission of sins; and be patient in persecutions, confident that the Lord will fulfil his plan and keep his promises.

Answer humbly those who question you, bless those who persecute you, thank those who insult and slander you, for in return the eternal kingdom is prepared for us» (FF 366).

“Then Brother Bernard, together with Brother Egidius, set out for Compostela, to the shrine of Saint James, in Galicia; St Francis, with another companion, chose a different route; the other four, in pairs, set off in the other two directions” (FF 368).

Thus they put the Word of the Gospel into practice, without watering it down.

To all they brought the Good News of the Kingdom, proclaiming it even before they spoke, through their simple and authentic behaviour.

It often happened that they encountered rejection and harassment:

“Because of such hostility, the friars were forced to flee from various countries. 

Thus, distressed, afflicted, not infrequently stripped of their clothes and beaten by brigands, they returned to Francis with great bitterness.

They suffered such harassment in almost all the countries beyond the Alps, such as in Germany, Hungary, and many others” (FF 1475).

They endured everything so that all might come to know the Lord who sustained them in every circumstance, whether happy or not.

«And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age» (Mt 28:20b)

Ascension (year A) 7th Sunday in Easter  (Mt 28:16–20)