In the Gospel, Jesus’ last words to us -the last words before He died were, “In Your hands, Father, I commend My spirit.” After His death, after three days in the tomb, He rose from the dead. He began to come and appear to His disciples to speak to them and to offer them the sign of peace and reconciliation. He established His Church with Peter. Then He ascended into Heaven.
From that time on, we never hear directly from Jesus again. Because as we celebrate next Sunday, He sends His Holy Spirit into the Church at Pentecost. The Church becomes the Body of Christ. From that moment on, Jesus speaks only through His Church, through the gathered Body of Christ here on Earth.
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As we celebrate the Ascension, we are celebrating the reality that Jesus commissioned His disciples, He gave them His last words. The last words that He spoke are so beautiful because He says, “I will give you everything that the Father has promised you.” Then He raises His hands over them and He blesses them. As He is blessing them, He ascends into Heaven.
A blessing comes from the word “benediction.” If you are from the old-school Church, you may remember benediction is when the priest blesses the people with the Body of Christ. Benediction actually comes from the Latin “bene” and “diction.” Bene means ‘good’ and ‘diction’, like dictionary, means to speak; to speak a good word.
The last thing that Jesus gave to His disciples was to give them His benediction. He spoke the good word to them. He told them how much the Father loved Him. He told them how much He loved them. Then He told them that He would be with them always and remain with them. After His last words, after His final blessing, He ascended into Heaven. That is the last words we hear from Jesus until Pentecost and His Church begins to speak His word.
As we do this, I want you to think about the last words that you spoke to somebody. What were the last words that you said as you walked out of the house, or as you walked out the door? Were they a word of blessing, or were they a word of curse?
Sometimes, as we are getting ready to go to Mass, it is kind of crazy as you leave the house. The reality is we never know when our final time will be. Therefore, every word that we speak out of our mouths should be a blessing that comes forth from us. The words should bless other people because that may be the final words we say.
Let me give you a few examples of famous last words.
One of the most famous people ever was Elvis, right? The King. His famous last words, in a memoir in 2014, Ginger Alden, who was his then fiancée, revealed what Elvis’ famous last words were. It was 1977, and during a night of restless sleep, Presley told Alden, “I’m going to the bathroom to read.” And that was it. He died. Those were his famous last words.
Frank Sinatra, as he was dying, his famous last words were, “I’m losing it.” And then he died.
The artist Raphael was a famous painter and sculptor. Raphael’s last word when he died was what? “Happy.” And he died.
Rainer Maria Rilke, who is famous poet, said, “I don’t want the doctor’s death. I want to have my own freedom.” And he died in freedom.
Richard B. Mellon was a multimillionaire. He was the president of Alcoa. He and his brother had a long-time, on-going tradition of tag. For seven decades, for 70 years, they would play tag together and say, “You’re it.” As he was about to die, on his deathbed he called his brother over to his face, and he said to his brother, “You’re it.” And then he died.
Sir Isaac Newton said, “I don’t know what I may seem to the world, but as to myself, I seem to have been the only boy playing on the seashore and diverting myself now and then and finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than the ordinary while the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” And he died.
When Harriet Tubman died in 1913, she gathered her family around her bedside, and her final words were actually a song, one phrase that she sang before she died: “Swing low, sweet chariot.” And then she died.
The writer, T.S. Eliot was only able to whisper one word as he died, and the word was “Valerie,” the name of his wife.
Actor Michael Landon, best known for “Little House on the Prairie” and “Highway to Heaven” died of cancer in 1991. Around his deathbed, his son said it was time to move on, and Landon said to him, “You’re right. It’s time. I love you all.”
John Wayne died at the age of 72. His wife wasn’t sure if he still recognized her. If he knew who she was. She said to him, “Do you know who I am?” And he said, “Of course I know who you are. You are my love. You are my girl. I love you.” And he died.
As he was dying, Alfred Hitchcock said, “One never knows the ending. One has to die and not know exactly what will happen after death; although, as Catholics, we have great hope.”
Humphrey Bogart, who was a famous actor, said right before he died, “I should have never switched from scotch to martinis.”
P.T. Barnum of Barnum and Bailey, the last words that he spoke before he died were, “How were the receipts today at Madison Square Garden?” And he died.
Thomas Beckett said, “I am ready to die for my Lord in the blood of the church may obtain liberty and peace.”
Bob Marley’s last words to his son Ziggy, “Money can’t buy you life.” And he died.
And finally, one of the most recent famous people that died was Steve Jobs. For those of us that know him or have an iPhone or anything like that, we know what he has given to us. But he was not known for being a very faithful man. He was kind of an Atheist and could be kind of a tough guy to work for. He was a perfectionist. And as he was breathing his last breath and his family was gathered around him, after making it through the final night, his brother said he began to slip away. “I watched this man, this man who I had seen as being so strong. This man who had achieved so much in life, taking his last breath. This man that had had the capacity for wonderment, and the artist ideal of wonder.” Steve’s final words were only monosyllables. He looked at his wife. He looked at his siblings. Then all of a sudden he looked past them into the distance and he said these three words: “Wow! Wow! Wow!” And then he died.
Think about your loved ones. As we celebrate Mother’s Day, maybe it was your mother. What were the words that she said before she died? What were the words of our loved ones before they left? And ultimately, I want you to think about what will your last words be? Because the reality is, the words that we speak and ultimately are our last words, are kind of a summation of our life.
For P.T. Barnum, his who life’s focus was the circus. As he was dying, he wanted to know, “How were ticket sales today at Madison Square Garden?” Our last words express what is most important to us.
Jesus’ last words to His disciples was a blessing. Before He left them, He extended His hands and He blessed them. He said, “I want you to know that the Father will keep His promise to you. I love you. You are my beloved. And I will give to you My Holy Spirit.” After that, He ascended into Heaven. We would never hear from Him again except through the Church.
And now you, Church, it is up to you to be the voice of God. It is up to you to leave the last word in this world. It is you who will speak the words of blessing. It is you who will say the good things to the people that you love. Your words are the words of Christ. Your words can bless not only those that you love, but bless the entire world. Just remember, you never know what your last words may be.
