The Ascension of Christ is our exaltation

Acts 1:1-11, Eph. 1:17-23, Mt. 28:16-20. On the fortieth day after Easter, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord into Heaven. If we remain faithful, the Ascension of Christ is our ascension. Today's first reading describes a wondrous event witnessed by the Apostles. By His own power, the Lord ascended into Heaven. In so doing, He opens a path for us. Do we sit around and wait for something to happen or to do something? well, sitting around and waiting for something to happen is the mistaken view of some disciples. So impressive was the sight of the Ascension that the Angels had to beckon on them to get along to Jerusalem as the Lord had said: “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Yes, it was glorious. Jesus had once said as a summon to faith: "What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?" (Jn 6:62).

The Ascension of the Lord is a glorious reality and a fulfillment of what Jesus had said. As His mystical Body, Christ did not enter Heaven alone, we enter with Him: "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it" (1 Cor. 12:27). When Christ died, we die with Him. As Christ rose, we rise. When He ascends, we ascend. In an analogous way, when one uses an elevator and pressES the (button for the-remove) top floor button, the person is lifted and gradually the head gets there before the feet, but the whole body will get there. Some members of His Body have already gotten there. We who come later will get there provided we remain members of His Body. Certainly, we are not to sit back and let the society and the culture around us rot. We are called to make our society and the culture holy by witnessing to Christ. We are called in a special way to effect transformative change and make the world operative especially in this period of pandemic. Jesus did not return to Heaven to abandon us: "He did not leave Heaven when He came down to us from Heaven; and He did not leave us when He Ascended to Heaven again" says St Augustine. Christ is not leaving us as orphans, instead, He remains with us “till the end of time” as He promises us in today's Gospel. Therefore, the ascension of Christ does not mean His absence from us. Rather it means His continuous presence through the Holy Spirit.

May God our Father enlighten the eyes of our mind so that we can see what hope His call holds for us! Amen!! Keep safe and Happy Ascension day!!!