Today we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. It is the culmination of the glory of the resurrection. In our proclamation of the Apostles Creed, we affirm, “He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty!” In the New Testament, the ascension of Christ marks the end of forty days during which the risen Lord was especially close to His disciples and thereafter, together with his whole humanity, entered the glory of God. Sacred scriptures express this incident through the images of ‘cloud’ and ‘heaven’ or ‘sky’. Like the Incarnation and the resurrection, the Ascension is an enormous Mystery of our faith that we will never be able to comprehend completely. Pope Benedict the XVI talking about the ascension said, “Man finds room in God”. It signifies that through Christ, humanity is welcomed into God’s life and presence. The phrase emphasizes that drawing closer to Jesus and entering into the communion with Him allows humans to enter Heaven and find a permanent place in God’s embrace. Jesus Christ is now with the Father and from there He will come one day to judge the living and the dead. Christ’s ascension into heaven means that Jesus is no longer visible on earth, yet He is still present to us. Jesus’ bodily return to His Father signified the completion of His earthly ministry and the beginning of a new phase of His reign in glory.
The forty days are itself symbolic of our life’s journey, and during this period the disciples experienced in many ways what Jesus promises to all who believe in Him, “I will be with you till the end of time”. We recall another promise He made: “When I am lifted up from the earth I will draw everyone to myself”. (John 12:32). It also symbolizes the hope of eternal life for believers, as Jesus’ ascension promises a place in heaven and His continued presence with us through the Holy Spirit.
The feast of the Ascension reminds us that the goal of our life is the same as His. The Second Reading reminds us of the ‘hope which His call holds for us’ and the ‘life of glory which we are to inherit’. Everyone who believes in Jesus is called, like Him, to enjoy undistracted communion with God forever. Paul speaks of the glorified Jesus as ‘the head of the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills the whole creation” (Ephesians 1:23). This verse uses a powerful metaphor comparing the church to Christ’s body. Just as a body is the physical manifestation of an individual, the church is the visible and functional representation of Christ on earth. Today we thank God especially for the Church, for it is there that Jesus continues to dwell in a special way, drawing us to Himself. As today’s preface reminds us: “Christ has passed beyond our sight, not to abandon us but to be our hope”. He is the head of the Church; where He has gone, we hope to follow”. In the meantime, we are to be the very extension of Christ and continue the mission He has already started.
The feast of the Ascension can be seen as the passing of the baton in a relay race. The critical moment in a relay race is the passing of the baton from one runner to another. A winning team will always have certain crucial elements working together in their favor. Overall, it comes down to good teamwork; all are one team working in unison, committed and dedicated together to achieving the goal.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, before ascending into heaven, passed the baton to His apostles. Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The Apostles in turn passed it on to the people who came after them (the Church Fathers and the First Christian Communities) – and they in turn passed it onto the people who came after them. They in turn pass it on to us, and now it is our turn to pass it on to others. Acts 1:8 “you are my witnesses”. It remains an unbroken chain of links to this day.
We witnessed the latest conclave when the white smoke was seen announcing that we have a Pope. After 2000 years, this One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit has called Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost to be Pope Leo XIV. He has now been chosen to be the 267th Vicar of Christ, the supreme pontiff, the successor of Peter to guide and lead the Church which is the body of Christ.
From the incarnation to the Ascension, we can see a perfect circle coming to completion. I tried to list it with seven words starting with Letter ‘C’, (7Cs).
- He Came (from Heaven-the Incarnation)
- He Called (Chose his disciples and called them to follow Him)
- He Consecrated us (by His baptism of the Holy Spirit)
- He Conquered evil (by His paschal mystery)
- He Commissioned us (to conquer the world in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit) - He has Ascended to His Father and is now in perfect Communion at the right
Hand of God the Father - He will Come again in His Glory.
Happy Feast Day of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we ask for the Grace to participate in the Mystery of Christ that we may be made worthy of His promises so that we may be able to transcend all earthly limitations and be totally transformed with
and in Christ.
Father Jaya Kumar Francis, MSC