Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today, we celebrate a momentous event in the life of our Lord, the Ascension. Forty days after His glorious Resurrection, Christ, having completed His earthly mission, ascended to the heavens in the presence of His disciples. This event marks the end of His physical presence with us, but it is not a departure, for He remains with us in spirit and in the sacraments of His Church.
The Ascension teaches us several profound truths. First, it shows that Christ, in His human nature, has been exalted above all things. He ascends into the very glory of the Father, affirming the divinity of His person. As He goes up, He does not leave us orphaned but promises the coming of the Holy Spirit, who will guide us into all truth and strengthen us to live as His faithful disciples.
This feast also points us forward to the second coming of Christ. Just as He ascended into heaven, so too will He return in glory to judge the living and the dead. The angels, appearing to the apostles as they gazed up into heaven, remind them — and us — that the Christ who ascended will return in the same way.
The Ascension also reveals to us the destiny of all believers. Christ, the Head, has ascended, and we, His body, are destined to follow Him into the eternal presence of the Father. We are called to lift up our hearts and minds to heavenly things, not clinging to the fleeting concerns of this world but striving toward the heavenly Jerusalem.
Let us, then, with joyful hearts, give thanks to God for the Ascension of our Lord. Let us live in hope, knowing that Christ reigns at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us, and that we too are called to share in His glory. May we be strengthened in faith and be made worthy of His heavenly kingdom.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
