Happy Ascension!

"He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father." Ascension does not mean that it is a temporary absence of Christ from this world. According to Pope Benedict XVI, "the meaning of Christ's Ascension 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." Jesus is totally and forever reunited with the Father. Three aspects we have to meditate here on this feasts:  Jesus after dying on the cross, enters into new life, "never to die again." He is exalted to share the same glory with His father, this also results in an outpouring of the spirit on his people and their receiving a mandate to continue the work of Jesus, the building of the Kingdom.

It is amazing to remember that Jesus called and trusted his men with all their "disbelief and stubbornness" to be his witnesses and sent them with his mission of bringing good news to the world. Today, we, with all our limitations and inconsistencies, are trusted with good news and sent to bring this good news of Jesus to the world.

The story of the Ascension of the Lord is the story of the Church being called, sent and empowered to continue what Jesus began. It is the story of the disciples being empowered to live and to share the good news of Jesus. The Feast of the Ascension calls us to wait and remain open to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and be empowered to continue to fulfill the mission of Jesus.

Christians "live their faith every day and bring to the world the lordship of God's love together with us, in silence and obscurity, in their family life and work, in their problems and difficulties, in their joys and hopes." (Pope Francis)

Fr. Thomas