05/12/2024
Ascension
Watergate proves the Truth of the Resurrection.
Chuck Colson went to prison for his involvement in Watergate, the Washington DC scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. There he famously became a born again Christian.
Colson said, “I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Watergate embroiled twelve of the most powerful men in the world and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me that twelve apostles could keep a lie for forty years? Absolutely impossible.”
So today we have heard the story of the final, physical experience of the resurrected Jesus by his disciples. He gives the instruction to go out. To all the world.
They are to preach & baptize in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
THE ASCENSION
The Seventh Sunday of Easter is the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, how the Father
lifted the Son from the earth after the Resurrection, bought him back to heaven, and enthroned
him in glory and power at his right hand (Mk 16:19; Acts 2:33; 5:31; 7:55,56; Eph 1:20). The
Ascension is a central mystery of our Christian faith, so important that it is the second Glorious
Mystery of the Rosary.
Ascensions are relatively rare in Scripture. In fact, only two ascensions are reported directly,
Elijah in the Old Testament (2 Kgs 2:11) and Jesus in the New Testament (Mk 16:19; Lk 24:51;
Acts 1:9). Elijah’s Ascension was very dramatic. While he was conversing with his successor,
Elisha the prophet, “a fiery chariot and fiery horses came between the two of them, and Elijah
went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” Jesus “was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight”
(Acts 1:9). While there is no biblical account, our Tradition also holds that Mary was assumed
into heaven.
The Ascension completed the glorification that the Father began when he raised Jesus from the
dead. God did what human beings failed to do. After Jesus suffered his Passion, no one said
thank you. After Jesus laid down his life on the Cross for our salvation, no one offered praise.
So “God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name” (Phil
2:9), placed him “far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion” (Eph 1:21), and
“put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things” (Eph 1:22). Thus, Jesus
was enthroned as king of heaven and earth.
Many great things were accomplished through the Ascension. It confirmed Jesus’ identity as the
Son of God and further underscored his divinity. The heavenly throne gives Jesus global and
universal authority, and serves as the proper place for him to receive our praise and adoration
which he so rightfully deserves. The disciples were present to witness the Ascension so their
faith, which was still faltering, might be strengthened. It paved the way to heaven: where Jesus
has gone we may follow. With the Ascension Jesus is no longer physically confined to a
particular time or place so he might be spiritually present to all people at all times in all places.
His departure set the stage for him to bestow the gift of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. It
also officially ended his earthly ministry of preaching and healing, a mission that he transferred
to his disciples.
Jesus is eternally present at the right hand of God where he intercedes for us (Rom 8:34; Heb
7:25; 1 Jn 2:1). Jesus has his Father’s ear and his favor. Jesus knows what we need and speaks
on our behalf.\
THE ASCENSION
The Seventh Sunday of Easter is the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, how the Father
lifted the Son from the earth after the Resurrection, bought him back to heaven, and enthroned
him in glory and power at his right hand (Mk 16:19; Acts 2:33; 5:31; 7:55,56; Eph 1:20). The
Ascension is a central mystery of our Christian faith, so important that it is the second Glorious
Mystery of the Rosary.
Ascensions are relatively rare in Scripture. In fact, only two ascensions are reported directly,
Elijah in the Old Testament (2 Kgs 2:11) and Jesus in the New Testament (Mk 16:19; Lk 24:51;
Acts 1:9). Elijah’s Ascension was very dramatic. While he was conversing with his successor,
Elisha the prophet, “a fiery chariot and fiery horses came between the two of them, and Elijah
went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” Jesus “was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight”
(Acts 1:9). While there is no biblical account, our Tradition also holds that Mary was assumed
into heaven.
The Ascension completed the glorification that the Father began when he raised Jesus from the
dead. God did what human beings failed to do. After Jesus suffered his Passion, no one said
thank you. After Jesus laid down his life on the Cross for our salvation, no one offered praise.
So “God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name” (Phil
2:9), placed him “far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion” (Eph 1:21), and
“put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things” (Eph 1:22). Thus, Jesus
was enthroned as king of heaven and earth.
Many great things were accomplished through the Ascension. It confirmed Jesus’ identity as the
Son of God and further underscored his divinity. The heavenly throne gives Jesus global and
universal authority, and serves as the proper place for him to receive our praise and adoration
which he so rightfully deserves. The disciples were present to witness the Ascension so their
faith, which was still faltering, might be strengthened. It paved the way to heaven: where Jesus
has gone we may follow. With the Ascension Jesus is no longer physically confined to a
particular time or place so he might be spiritually present to all people at all times in all places.
His departure set the stage for him to bestow the gift of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. It
also officially ended his earthly ministry of preaching and healing, a mission that he transferred
to his disciples.
Jesus is eternally present at the right hand of God where he intercedes for us (Rom 8:34; Heb
7:25; 1 Jn 2:1). Jesus has his Father’s ear and his favor. Jesus knows what we need and speaks
on our behalf. He is our Advocate. He pleads our cause. He makes intercession for us, so that
God will bless us with everything that we need in this life and grant us a share in his eternal
glory in the life to come
We state this in our profession of faith,
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
for the apostles who were witness to the ascension,
this event was likely very troubling.
They went from being entirely distraught on Good Friday to the resurrection on Easter which gave them a sense of hope and vindication. They were empowered by the resurrected Christ’s presence and conquering of death.
Now 50 days later, they are witness to Jesus’ ascension into heaven. He would no longer be there in a physical sense.
So why did Jesus’ have to ascend to the Father and take a seat at his right hand?
As we recall in the creeds of faith, Jesus upon his death descended to the dead. He then “opened” the gates of heaven to all of God’s creation.
The ascension was the final step in the process of establishing the completeness the rule of God for ALL of creation.
From the living and the dead, from earth & heaven, The Creator and Redeemer & the Sanctifier, Father Son & Holy Spirit are now realized, in fullness, as having dominion over all. The Ascension is another step in this process, setting the stage for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
We must go through stages of life to get to the final result.
You do not get to perform a song without practice and preparation.
You do not get to graduate from school without showing up to class and doing the homework required.
You do not get to experience great love in a relationship without work and some adversity.
It is a path or journey. All of it. It is what one might call “natural law”
There is no easy path or shortcuts.
Even for God….
God had to be born, live, die and rise again to fulfill the journey of salvation of creation.
In the Exsultet, we listen to the phrase; “Oh Happy Fault” addressing the fall of humanity beginning with the fall from the garden of Eden as a necessity. We can’t experience the joy of salvation without needing it.
The completeness of the process Jesus’ endured was the Ascension.
It was the glorification of the Father which began from the Nativity of Christ to the Resurrection and now gives him authority over global & universal reality.
The disciples were witness to this. Their faith was reinforced by showing the way to oneness with God, through the model of Christ’s life.
Now finally: Jesus’ Ascension was not the removal of Christ from our physical plane but the spiritual presence of all time & space beyond the limitations of physicality.
But also it puts on those who would call themselves Christians the responsibility of the ministry of service in a very real way. St Therese’ quoted the phrase that Christ has no body now but yours.
To use a sports metaphor; the quarterback has handed the ball off to us. We need to run for the goalposts.
THE ASCENSION
The Seventh Sunday of Easter is the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, how the Father
lifted the Son from the earth after the Resurrection, bought him back to heaven, and enthroned
him in glory and power at his right hand (Mk 16:19; Acts 2:33; 5:31; 7:55,56; Eph 1:20). The
Ascension is a central mystery of our Christian faith, so important that it is the second Glorious
Mystery of the Rosary.
Ascensions are relatively rare in Scripture. In fact, only two ascensions are reported directly,
Elijah in the Old Testament (2 Kgs 2:11) and Jesus in the New Testament (Mk 16:19; Lk 24:51;
Acts 1:9). Elijah’s Ascension was very dramatic. While he was conversing with his successor,
Elisha the prophet, “a fiery chariot and fiery horses came between the two of them, and Elijah
went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” Jesus “was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight”
(Acts 1:9). While there is no biblical account, our Tradition also holds that Mary was assumed
into heaven.
The Ascension completed the glorification that the Father began when he raised Jesus from the
dead. God did what human beings failed to do. After Jesus suffered his Passion, no one said
thank you. After Jesus laid down his life on the Cross for our salvation, no one offered praise.
So “God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name” (Phil
2:9), placed him “far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion” (Eph 1:21), and
“put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things” (Eph 1:22). Thus, Jesus
was enthroned as king of heaven and earth.
Many great things were accomplished through the Ascension. It confirmed Jesus’ identity as the
Son of God and further underscored his divinity. The heavenly throne gives Jesus global and
universal authority, and serves as the proper place for him to receive our praise and adoration
which he so rightfully deserves. The disciples were present to witness the Ascension so their
faith, which was still faltering, might be strengthened. It paved the way to heaven: where Jesus
has gone we may follow. With the Ascension Jesus is no longer physically confined to a
particular time or place so he might be spiritually present to all people at all times in all places.
His departure set the stage for him to bestow the gift of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. It
also officially ended his earthly ministry of preaching and healing, a mission that he transferred
to his disciples.
Jesus is eternally present at the right hand of God where he intercedes for us (Rom 8:34; Heb
7:25; 1 Jn 2:1). Jesus has his Father’s ear and his favor. Jesus knows what we need and speaks
on our behalf. He is our Advocate. He pleads our cause. He makes intercession for us, so that
God will bless us with everything that we need in this life and grant us a share in his eternal
glory in the life to come
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
It is all in our hands now….
