And no, I don't mean witchcraft.
Today, as we celebrate the Ascension, we hear Jesus respond to the questions of his disciples with, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons" They want to know the future, they wanted to know when they are going to get all that has been promised. Jesus is about to leave them and they are told "it is not for you to know."
If we named this Feast according to how the disciples felt it would have been called the abandonment. They've been promised the Holy Spirit "in a few days" but they wanted answers now, reassurance of imminent victory, the restoration of Israel.
When we say the word occult we think ghosts and witchcraft, but the occult that can scare us more than any of those things is the future. Despite our best efforts it is hidden from us, it is not for us to know.
We must live our life one day at a time, and like the people of Israel who were only allowed to collect the manna for one day, we pray give us this day our daily bread. Like a toddler we must walk one step at a time, holding Our Father's hand. Sometimes like the toddler, we let go of the hand and try to run ahead, and sure enough we fall down. The big difference is that eventually that toddler is expected to walk on his own; we are not.
We know the destination, in the Ascension, Jesus opens the gates pf heaven to us. But only the Father knows our future in this life and therefore only he can know the path. Each day we wake up, we allow him to take us by the hand, and we pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our every step, knowing that God will always give us what we need for that day.
