Readings: Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47; Ephesians 1:17-23 or Heb 9:24-28, 10:19-23; Luke 24:46-53
To celebrate the Ascension may seem strange. It is, after all, about
an ending. Saying good-bye can be awkward, is sometimes difficult, and
is often sad. His ascension means the disappearance of Jesus. Up to then
he was visibly present with his disciples and now he is, it seems, to
be absent. Why be joyful about this? Why think of it as something to
celebrate?
At the mid-point of his gospel Luke writes, 'when the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem' (Luke 9:51).
His 'being taken up' refers to his crucifixion, the moment in which
he was 'lifted up from the earth to draw all people to himself' (John
12:32). It can also be taken to refer to his resurrection from the dead.
And it is complete in his exaltation to the right hand of the Father.
He has been taken up to the place of glory that is eternally his.
In the Temple at Jerusalem the High Priest went up into the Holy of
Holies once a year, on the Day of Atonement, carrying the blood of
sacrificed animals. Through him Israel asked forgiveness of the Lord and
a renewal of the covenant. The only other person allowed to enter the
Holy of Holies was a new King, on the day he was enthroned. The psalms
and other texts of scripture speak about the king going up to a place of
honour in the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel.
This is important background for understanding the Ascension of
Jesus. He is our high priest who enters the Holy of Holies, not the
earthly one in Jerusalem, but the great and perfect one in heaven. The
blood he carries is not that of animals but his own blood, which is
offered once and for all to gain 'an eternal redemption' (Hebrews 9:12).
Seated at the right hand of the Father, enthroned as judge of all,
Jesus is our king and our high priest.
Ascension Day is, then, the original feast of Christ the King.
Because of his love and obedience the Father has exalted him and given
him 'the name above all other names' (Philippians 2:9). We celebrate his
victory, and its meaning for us, the fact that he is become 'the source
of eternal salvation for all who obey him' (Hebrews 5:9). As the
prayers of today's Mass put it, he has been 'taken up to heaven to claim
for us a share in his divine life' and 'where he has gone, we hope to
follow'.
The closing verses of the Gospel of Luke are read for Ascension Day
this year. Although Jesus 'withdrew from them and was carried up to
heaven' the disciples returned to Jerusalem 'with great joy, and were
continually in the temple blessing God' (Luke 24:53). They understood,
it seems, the meaning of his exaltation. They await the gift of the
Spirit, the power from on high that Jesus will send.
Jesus had said to his disciples, 'if I do not go away he (the
Advocate, the Holy Spirit) cannot come to you' (John 16:7). Exalted to
the right hand of the Father he sends the Holy Spirit as he had
promised. This is why we rejoice at his departure, because his return to
the Father establishes a new bond between heaven and earth. In sending
the Spirit, Jesus fulfils his promise to remain with us always. We
become his physical presence in the world, his body alive with his love.
If he is with us in the Spirit, where can we be except with him in the
same Spirit?
Our lives have been configured to this great paschal mystery of
Jesus, to his death, resurrection, exaltation, and sending of the
Spirit. Through baptism we enter sacramentally into the tomb with Jesus
so that we may also rise with him as members of his body. Through
confirmation we enter sacramentally into his promotion to the right hand
of the Father to become temples of his Spirit and witnesses of his
grace to the ends of the earth.
This homily was first published on torch.op.org
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