The Ascension of the Lord
By virtue of our calling as Christians through our Baptism, we are meant to be an optimistic people, full of hope and rooted in confidence about our future and death in Christ Jesus. The Ascension proclaims that Jesus, who spent his life in Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside of Galilee, has achieved the work he was sent to do, and now in Heaven seated at the Right hand of God the Father, the highest honour that is assigned for a King, since He is enthroned as King and Lord of the Universe. His Resurrection has now been fully revealed showing His Divine Sovereignty, fulfilling the prophecy that was said to the Sanhedrin during Jesus’ trial.
‘Are you the Messiah the son of the Blessed one? The High Priest asked him. Jesus answered, ‘I am’ and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.’
Jesus’ enthronement in Heaven however, does not imply that his absence here on earth will cease. No, because Jesus is no longer bound by the limits of space and time, and therefore he can be present to His disciples in an infinitely and more intimate way, through the Holy Spirit than he could ever have been before while on earth. Jesus is not only with us, but also in us. Where Christ has gone, we hope to follow, once our earthly journey has ended.
The Ascension assures us that the longing for happiness and fullness of life which is deeply imprinted within every person’s soul can ultimately be realised.
The Ascension rather speaks of a new era. For the Apostles their period of training is over, and the time has arrived for the beginning of their mission, ‘to go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News.’ At the Lord’s departure the disciples stood motionless, transfixed by what had happened. However, their mission was not to stand around looking upwards all day, waiting for something to happen. In Christ’s absence they were to be his messengers.
The Ascension of Jesus and His Glory to the Father gives us a glimpse of the great future to which we have been called to, by becoming His Saints in Heaven. Like the Apostles, Christ commands us to be his witnesses in preaching the Good News. As you know, this is a daunting task, but through the Holy Spirit we can all do it, by witnessing to our faith each day, and allowing the Spirit to talk through us.
Life is often called a pilgrimage and we are travellers on that rocky road, through life’s many up’s and down’s. We can be weakened by the many trails that come our way, our sufferings and disappointments. However, the Ascension assures us that there is a purpose to life, a plan, that our journeying, however difficult, will take us back to the Father one day.
We all live in hope, in the expectation for the Lord’s return on the last day. May our hearts be ready, as we await for the Bridegroom’s return, as we take his Words to heart: ‘Where I am, you shall be too.’
Rev. Fr Philip Wrigley's Blog 