The Redemptive Meaning of the Ascension
With the conclusion of the Christmas season, the Catholic Church enters into what is known as Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time celebrates Jesus' teaching and ministry. It gives us time to reflect on how we live as Christians. We have thirty-four weeks to examine and 'order' our lives while we focus on a particular Gospel. This year we are in Cycle A reflecting on St. Matthew’s Gospel.
“Christmas Time and Easter Time highlight the central mysteries of the Paschal Mystery, namely, the incarnation, death on the cross, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Sundays and weeks of Ordinary Time, on the other hand, take us through the life of Christ. This is the time of conversion. This is living the life of Christ. Ordinary Time is a time for growth and maturation, a time in which the mystery of Christ is called to penetrate ever more deeply into history until all things are finally caught up in Christ. The goal, toward which all of history is directed, is represented by the final Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.” (USCCB)
Christ appeared to his Apostles several times after his Resurrection and continued to teach about the Kingdom of God and the mission he wanted them to fulfill. His Body was already glorified, although veiled under his humanity. “I have not yet ascended to the Father,” Christ told St. Mary Magdalene when she failed to recognize him as he appeared to her at the tomb (Jn 20:17). These words suggest his appearances would change after his Ascension.
Only after his Ascension would the Body of Christ show forth its full and unveiled glory as it had at the Transfiguration. We know this because of the account in Scripture of the one extraordinary post-Ascension appearance of Christ to St. Paul. Then a chief persecutor of the followers of Christ and known by the name of Saul. St. Paul was on his way to Damascus to arrest more Christians.
“On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9: 3-5).
The Ascension of Christ is a logical completion of his earthly mission and the counterpart to his Incarnation. Christ, the bread of life “Came down from heaven” (Jn 6: 41) to become man and to die for our sins; he would need to return to the Father. As he told his Apostles, “I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father” (Jn 16: 28). He also told Nicodemus, “No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man” (Jn 3:13).
It should also be noted that Christ ascended into heaven so that he could return at the end of time to judge the living and the dead. At his Second Coming, Christ will appear in glory accompanied by his angels to call forth the righteous to enter eternal life.
“As they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)
That Christ would come again was well understood by the early Church. St. Paul describes how the Parousia will feature the resurrection of the bodies of those who died faithful to Christ:
“For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, console one another with these words.” (1 Thes 4: 16-17)
—Dn. Gerry Flamm
“Dear children! Today I call you all to pray that God’s plans for you and all that God wants through you may be realized! Help others to be converted, especially those who come to Medjugorje. Dear children, do not allow Satan to rule your hearts and that you become Satan’s image, not mine. I call you to pray so that you may be witnesses of my presence. Without you, God cannot accomplish what He wants. God has given everyone free will, and you have it at your disposal. Thank you for having responded to my call!”
