Ascension of the Lord

Ascension of the Lord
May 17, 2015 Cycle B
by Rev. Jose Maria Cortes, F.S.C.E.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

As we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord, we recognize the lordship of Jesus. We make the words of today’s responsorial psalm our own: “For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome, is the great king of all the earth” (Ps 47). The celebration of the Ascension reminds us of our glorious destiny in Christ. The meaning of Christ’s Ascension,” writes Pope Benedict XVI, “expresses our belief that in Christ the humanity that we all share has entered into the inner life of God in a new and hitherto unheard of way. It means that man has found an everlasting place in God.”

With the Ascension, Jesus expands his presence to everything, placing himself at the root of all things. As Christ ascends to Heaven, all reality is filled with his presence. Now He is everywhere, “in him all things consist” (Col 1:17). However, Jesus is present in a hidden way, challenging us to search for his face in all things.

What does it mean for us to celebrate the Ascension? This celebration opens our hearts to hope because it renews our certainty that Christ is with us now and forever. There are no empty spaces where he does not abide. There are no dark places that he cannot reach. Everything is filled with his presence. If we recognize his presence, we shall be allowed to experience serenity in the present and hope to face the future.

In the Ascension, Jesus filled the universe with his glory. As we sing in Sanctus: “Heaven and earth are full of your glory.” Now Christ waits to fill our hearts with his presence.

In spirit, we can already participate in the definitive glory. The recognition that Christ is at the root of everything satisfies the deepest longings of our hearts. We must find deep satisfaction in Christ. Otherwise, it is very hard to keep our faith, surrounded as we are by a secular mentality.

The Church is where we can experience that Christ fulfills our lives. As we belong to the body, we can participate in the life of the head. In the second reading, St. Paul says: “And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way” (Eph 1:23).

The Ascension of the Lord is the beginning of the mission of the Church. In today’s Gospel, Jesus says: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15). In the first reading, Our LORD tells the Apostles: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” A heart that finds its deepest satisfaction in Christ is a missionary heart. Our recognition of Christ as the LORD sends us in mission: “They went forth and preached everywhere” (Mk 16:20).

Let us pray that the celebration of the Ascension of the Lord may renew our hope. May the recognition of the presence of Christ fill our hearts with certainty and the enthusiasm to proclaim the good news to everyone.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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