ASCENSION OF THE LORD
(Acts 1:1-11; Hebrews 9:24-28, 10:19-23 (Ephesians 1:17-23); Luke 24:46-53)
In 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin
returned from the first human voyage into outer space. In an interview
afterward, he said, “I looked and looked, but I did not see God.” His statement
was likely just mockery of believers by an atheist. But it raises a question
worth exploring on this Solemnity of the Ascension. Should we expect to find
heaven in the heavens? In other words, is heaven a physical place? Because
Jesus has a resurrection body, it seems He needs a physical place to contain
Him.
We begin by examining the first reading and
the Gospel for today’s Mass. Both were written by the evangelist we know as
Luke. Both also report Jesus ascending into heaven. But the accounts are not
entirely the same. We will discuss the Gospel first, since it was written
earlier and is simpler. Then we will look at the longer reading from the Acts
of the Apostles.
The Gospel text portrays Jesus appearing to
his apostles on the night of his resurrection. He explains what happened to him
in terms of Scripture. At the end, he commands them to preach his resurrection
to all nations and how it led to the forgiveness of sins. However, before
beginning the mission, he tells them to await the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Then Jesus leaves the house to ascend into heaven, evidently on the same night.
The reading from Acts says that Jesus
appeared several times to his apostles during forty days after his
resurrection. For the most part, he spoke of the Kingdom of God in these
appearances. On the fortieth day, the apostles expressed the same concern for
the Kingdom that we have. They asked Jesus when he would return to demonstrate
his dominion over the world. Jesus responds that it is not for them to know the
exact time. However, he says that they will receive the Holy Spirit so that
they may bear witness to him throughout the world. Then he rises from their
sight until he vanishes into a cloud. The reading ends with two angels (the
"men in white") telling them that Jesus will return as they have seen
him depart.
The two readings point to several
conclusions about the Ascension. First, it teaches that Jesus has a firm idea
of how his mission will continue. He will not be limited by being with
his disciples in the flesh. Rather, he will remain with them through his Holy
Spirit as they preach forgiveness throughout the world. Second, the forty days
are not an exact time but rather a way for Luke to create order in his story.
At the beginning of the Gospel, Luke promised the reader just this order.
Third, the day of Jesus' return is unknown, although it is certain that he will
return. The motive of his return is to fulfill God's promise to restore his
Kingdom on earth (see Is 32:1-11). Fourth, the Ascension anticipates the coming
of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples at Pentecost and upon us at Baptism. The
Spirit will help us carry out the mission of proclaiming Jesus' resurrection
from the dead and the forgiveness of sin in his name. Fifth, the cloud acts as a
chariot carrying Jesus to the glory of heaven where he will reside forever.
From there he sends forth his Spirit. Finally, the residence of Christ with the
Father is a spiritual place, not a material one. In the First Letter to the
Corinthians, Saint Paul writes that Jesus' body has been changed from
corruptibility to incorruptibility, from weakness to power, and from material reality
to spiritual reality. Therefore, when the Scriptures speak of heaven as above,
they mean freedom from material things, like a bird in flight.
For us today, the Ascension allows us to
live as free men and women. It presents us as victorious over sin through the
Lord's death and destined for glory with bodies transformed like that of the
resurrected Jesus. This is because we have the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to
proclaim Christ to everyone we meet.
