Today, in the United States, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Historically, this feast was celebrated exactly 40 days (remember the importance of the number 40 in biblical writing) after the resurrection of Christ on Easter. If you count the days after Easter, you will discover the 40th day is a Thursday. So historically the Solemnity of the Ascension was on “Ascension Thursday”. Most of the World still celebrates the Ascension on Ascension Thursday, but our Bishops in the United States have elected to move the celebration to the Sunday following the 40th day.
The Ascension of our Lord into heaven is an ancient feast. St. Augustine (354-430 AD) said that it may have begun during the apostolic period, as he noted that the Solemnity was mentioned in the writings of his predecessors. Basically, the theological essence of this feast is to highlight the completion of Jesus’ work of redemption on earth.
There are some interesting theological aspects of the Ascension. First, besides the idea of having to return to the Father after completing his saving mission here on earth, Jesus had to be seen returning by witnesses. They had to witness Christ rising into the clouds in a physical shape and form to corroborate the fundamental claim of the resurrection: That Jesus, indeed, rose from the dead in exactly the same material constitution as the one in which he died; that the risen Christ was not a formless ghost or spirit, nor a figment of the disciples’ imagination. In a sense, for Christians, especially in later years, the event of the physical ascension of Jesus functions to solidify the doctrine of the resurrection.
Second, the event of the Ascension also marks the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that his eventual departure entails the arrival of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete (John 16:7; John. 14:16; John 14: 26; and John 15:26). Therefore, just as it authenticates the physical resurrection of Jesus, the ascension also marks the inauguration of the mission of the Spirit, whose decisive inbreaking took place in a dramatic way at the Solemnity of Pentecost, which this year we celebrate on June 8th (Acts 2:1-4). It is the same Spirit that unlocks the riches of God’s glory manifested in the paschal mystery.
The third necessity linked to this feast is more pastoral than theological in the sense that it caters to the spiritual needs and hopes of Christians. In his teachings, Jesus repeatedly alludes to a reality beyond the here-and-now; he speaks of an eternal heavenly kingdom as distinguished from the ephemeral earthly one. He also refers to a metaphysical dimension from which he came forth or from which his Father had sent him down to the earth. The Book of Revelation describes such “a location” or “a state of life” as where “God will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness or pain” (Revelation 7:17; Revelation 21:4; and Isaiah 25:8). In a sense, without the event of the physical ascension of Jesus, all of these otherworldly references would have remained speculative for the disciples, perhaps, similar in tone to the yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecies and promises of old. But, having witnessed Jesus ascending and slowly vanishing from their view must have poignantly reminded them that where Jesus goes, they too, shall follow. Once, in the Gospel of John, Simon Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, where are you going?” He replied, “Now you cannot follow me where I am going, but later you shall follow me” (John 13:36).
No doubt the empty tomb and the physical appearances of the risen Christ had decisively validated Jesus’ prediction of his death and resurrection, and thus, ratified the divine power which he claimed to possess. Notwithstanding these marvels, however, the disciples would have thought, “so what if our master is powerful and divine. … We are still left with our unfulfilled hopes and dreams.” Their struggle to believe in his resurrection may be indicative of their lingering frustration owing to their unmet dreams and expectations. The event of the Ascension, therefore, was for the disciples, a compelling visual confirmation of that soon-to-be-fulfilled heavenly promise about which Jesus repeatedly taught. They became convinced that all the baffling loose ends in their lives will, in time, be illuminated and become meaningful. That Jesus was miraculously, physically ascending before their very eyes somehow gave the disciples a moment of “now I see what he was talking about.” Ultimately, the Ascension of the Lord into heaven served to revive and boost their faith. In fact, they “returned to Jerusalem with great joy and they were continually in the temple praising God.”
We Christians of the twenty-first century may not have the privilege of witnessing what the disciples saw with their own eyes, but we are nonetheless blessed to have shared in the uninterrupted legacy of their faith that makes us, even now, partakers of the richness of God’s inheritance. Yes, by our human nature, we often identify ourselves with the weaknesses and incredulities of Jesus’ disciples. But by our faith, we also have the possibility of looking through their eyes of faith witnessing Jesus ascending in his glory as he promised. His ascension gives credence to the idea that if the head of the mystical body ascends, so does the whole body. We, the body of Christ, celebrate the ascension annually, not simply to validate our faith in the resurrection of Jesus, but also to remind us, and bid us see that our temporal sojourn — with its attendant vicissitudes, its joys, and sorrows — ascends to a transcendent dimension where all the pieces of our existence will one day be transformed into a meaningful tapestry. As Jesus ascends, so does our hopes, our dreams, and our existential questions with him. The Ascension of the Lord into heaven is, therefore, a word of hope for all those who believe.
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, “Holy Father, I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.” (John 17:20-26)
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!