6th Week of Easter
The Ascension of the Lord
Between the glory of the Resurrection and the fire of Pentecost lies an often-overlooked event in the life of Christ and the Church. Forty days after Easter, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Ascension, where we read of Christ’s bodily ascent into heavenly glory. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Christ’s Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus’ humanity into God’s heavenly domain, whence he will come again (cf. Acts 1:11); this humanity in the meantime hides him from the eyes of men (cf. Col 3:3)” (CCC, n. 665). The Ascension is the completion of the Easter mysteries of Jesus’ life, passion, death and resurrection, and it is the final step before the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Ascension is not the undoing of the Word-made-flesh or the Incarnation; instead, it is the solidifying of the Incarnation for all eternity. God has a human body forever. At the Incarnation, God enters into our humanity. At the Ascension, He raises humanity up to his divinity. “ Jesus’ final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory, symbolized by the cloud and by heaven, where he is seated from that time forward at God’s right hand” (CCC, n. 659).
There are two things to remember about this mystery. First, in a very real way, Jesus’ ascension into heaven is the goal for each one of us. He goes before us, and we are to follow Him there. In the Ascension, the domain of God’s glory is opened to us, and Jesus, in His glorified humanity, takes His rightful place at God’s right hand. It is a privilege for all of us that one of our own, a man like us in all things but sin, has been so glorified. Not only that, he is calling us and interceding for us always so that we will one day join him. The second thing to remember about this mystery is that Jesus will come back. When that day comes, we should be ready. He has asked us to be his faithful disciples, living in a vital friendship with him.
Excerpted from http://www.simplycatholic.com. Sr. Anna Marie McGuan, RSM. “Two things to know about Christ’s ascension into heaven.” 3 April 2024.
Nature and dignity 