Ascension Thursday

This Thursday, May 21st, we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, commemorating that day when Jesus was taken up to heaven, to the glory of his Father – 40 days after he rose from the dead and 10 days before the Feast of the Pentecost.  What is so significant or important about this feast?

Once, I was asked, “If Jesus loves us and lives forever, why did he leave?”  It’s an excellent question.  If we consider the Ascension simply in terms of Jesus leaving us, then we might wonder why He did it.  In other words, the Resurrection would seem to be more effective if Jesus still walked the earth and taught, healed and preached like He did 2000 years ago.  But in our celebration of the Ascension we come to understand that it is better for us if Jesus ascends to the Father.  We can see this in two ways.

First, Jesus’ ascension marks the culminating marriage of humanity with divinity as Jesus enters body and soul into heaven.  Now once and for all, humanity sits at “the right hand of the Father” and intercedes for us all.  Jesus’ ascension is the supreme moment of hope, pointing to our ultimate vocation.  Where He once was, we now are; where He is now, we are destined to be.

Second, the Ascension ushers in the Age of the Holy Spirit.  In the Gospel of John, Jesus explains the ascension when He says “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go, for if I do not go, my Spirit, the Counselor, will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” Jesus ascends so that He can send His Spirit into our heart.  This is why he instructs His followers to return to Jerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Christ promises: “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”  In order to fulfill His command to be witnesses to the Gospel, the disciples need the empowerment of the Spirit.

So, the Ascension is a feast of transition.  Situated between the joy of Easter and the fire of Pentecost, it is a celebration which is tinged with the sadness of Jesus’ departure but infused with the promise of the coming of the Spirit and the pledge of our eternal destiny.

Fr. Chester