Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today the Church celebrates the great feast of the Ascension of the Lord. Today’s readings from the Gospel of Matthew and the Acts of the Apostles lead us to that sacred moment when the risen Jesus ascends into heaven before His disciples.
At first glance, the Ascension may seem like the moment Jesus leaves His disciples behind. But the Church teaches us something much deeper.
The Ascension is not simply about Jesus “going away.”
It is the moment when Christ’s glorified humanity enters fully into the glory of the Father.
The One who became man, suffered, died, and rose again now enters the heavenly sanctuary as Lord and King.
That is why today’s prayers in the Mass beautifully remind us:
Where the Head has gone before in glory, the Body is called to follow in hope.
Christ ascends not only for Himself, but also for us.
He opens heaven for humanity.
As the Catechism teaches, only the One who came from the Father could return to the Father. And now, through Him, we also receive the hope of eternal life.
In the Creed, every Sunday we profess:
“He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.”
This does not mean that Jesus has become distant from us.
Rather, it means that His mission is fulfilled and His kingship begins in glory.
To be seated at the Father’s right hand means that Christ now reigns with divine authority over all creation.
As He Himself says in today’s Gospel:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
The Ascension, therefore, is not the absence of Christ.
It is the enthronement of Christ.
And yet, even after ascending, Jesus does not abandon His Church.
Before ascending, He gives His disciples a mission:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”
This becomes the mission of the Church in every generation:
👉 to proclaim the Gospel,
👉 to baptize,
👉 and to witness to Christ before the world.
The disciples who once followed Jesus now become witnesses to Him.
And this mission continues today through the Church.
The first reading from Acts reminds us that while the disciples are looking up toward heaven, the angels ask them:
“Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?”
It is a gentle reminder that the Christian life is not about escaping the world.
It is about living in the world with our eyes fixed on heaven.
The Ascension gives the Church both:
- a mission on earth,
- and a destiny in heaven.
Dear brothers and sisters,
through the Ascension, Christ continues His work even now.
He is not inactive.
The Church teaches us that Christ:
- reigns as Lord of history,
- intercedes for us before the Father,
- and continues to guide His Church.
As the Letter to the Hebrews says:
“He always lives to make intercession for us.”
What a beautiful consolation this is.
Even now, Christ carries our humanity into the presence of the Father.
The Ascension also gives us hope.
Our world often becomes absorbed only in temporary things:
success, possessions, worries, and daily struggles.
But today’s feast lifts our eyes upward and reminds us that heaven is our final goal.
Christ did not ascend to leave humanity behind.
👉 He ascended to draw humanity toward heaven.
So today’s feast leaves us with:
- one mission,
- and one hope.
Our mission:
👉 to proclaim the Gospel.
Our hope:
👉 to follow Christ into eternal glory.
Dear friends,
the Ascension reminds us that Christian life always moves in two directions:
- our feet remain on earth,
- but our hearts are called toward heaven.
And so, as we celebrate this feast, let us renew our trust in Christ who reigns in glory and still remains with His Church.
May we live faithfully as His witnesses on earth, until the day we share fully in the glory where He has gone before us.
Amen.
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