Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:17-23; Luke 24: 46-53
“To leave is to die a little” – This is what we experience when we leave a house, a community, a country. A place full of memories – when we say good-bye to our children/friends leaving home. It creates Distance between friends – something in us dies. But out of these deaths, the new can be born.
The solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension invites us to reflect again on this mysterious event and its context, on the very last words that the risen Christ left for the disciples before ascending to heaven as narrated by Luke. The Ascension of Christ is a pivotal event in the work of Christ, and it speaks to us on several levels. St. Luke made two important points; Jesus is the one eternal High Priest who with his passion passed through death and the tomb and ascended into heaven. He is with God the Father where he intercedes for ever in our favour (Heb 9:24). Luke also said that having seen Jesus’ ascending into heaven, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem “with great joy”. Precisely because, with the gaze of faith they understood that he has been removed from their sight, Jesus stays with them for ever, he does not abandon them in the glory of the Father support them, guides them and intercedes for them.
The first reading tells us that we are not to spend time gazing up to heaven awaiting Jesus’ return. We have work to do from the Lord. In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that the apostles were left behind to continue the work of Jesus. That is our work today. We should be doing the work the Lord has commissioned us to do. The second reading describes Christ as raised “far above every principality, authority, power and dominion.” He is not to be identified with any political party. He is far above them. He is not to be identified with any administration or regime. His is far above them. He is not to be identified with any culture or generation. He is far above them. The risen Lord is greater than each and all of these principalities, power and authorities put together. His grace, His truth and His salvation are for everyone. They are not the possession of any one era, culture, country or party.
The Ascension of Jesus reminds us of some very important truths. First, we should not become preoccupied with identifying signs of Christ’s return. Second, we do not possess Christ. He possesses us and we belong to Him and His mission. Third, the Church is not an end in itself. Its purpose is to hold up Christ for the world to see. The Ascension was not a departure ceremony but a new kind of presence, one that lifts up human nature to the very throne of heaven. Today we too can be part of Christ and His work. Through our union with Christ, who is with us still, we are lifted up with him to the right hand of the Father in heaven. What a joy! The Ascension is not a farewell, but transition to new and deeper intimacy, with the promise of a still greater communion to come.
Fr. Alex Osei
SSC-USA Spiritual Director