Lesson from Fr. Paulus | The Ascension Shows Christ as All-Powerful and All-Good

My dear brothers and sisters, today we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. Before the very eyes of his closest followers, 40 days after his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ ascended body and soul into heaven.

What exactly does this word "ascended" mean? Every year on August 15, we celebrate a different feast: Mary's assumption into heaven. The Catechism tells us: Mary was assumed into heaven - was assumed. There's a difference here: Christ ascends; Mary is assumed. Christ is God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity become man.

Jesus is both fully God and fully man, a mystery so great that we cannot understand it completely. Mary is immaculate (free from sin), and she is also the Mother of Christ and, therefore, properly honoured as the Mother of God.

But still, she is only human; she does not possess the divine nature as Christ does. This is why she could not cause herself to ascend into heaven, as Christ did. Instead, God had to take her up into heaven, and so we say that she was assumed.

Christ's ascension, in other words, reveals his divinity, just as his resurrection did. Many people throughout salvation history have been raised or have raised others from the dead with the help of God's power. But only Christ rose from the dead on his own.

As true God, he holds power over life and death; he is omnipotent, all-powerful, "almighty" as we say each week in the Creed. And as true man, Jesus used that omnipotence to conquer death for our sake, to win our salvation, to redeem us. By bringing redeemed human nature up into heaven, he showed that along with being all-powerful, he is also all-good, all-loving.

Christ's ascension, then, reminds us that there is no limit to the confidence we can have in our God, because there is no limit to his power and goodness.

Aesop Enlightens a Judge

The amazing fact of the Ascension lifts our gaze to heaven. Because Jesus is now in heaven, body and soul. We are assured that heaven is not just a nice idea, a myth, or wishful thinking. It is a real place where Jesus has gone ahead to prepare the way for us.

One of Aesop's Fables shows just how new this Christian revelation really was. Aesop was a Greek slave who lived before the time of Christ. He was renowned for his natural wisdom, which was recorded in his famous fables, or short stories with deep lessons.

One day he was ordered by his master to go to the public baths (in ancient times public baths were like country clubs) and get things ready. On his way, he was stopped by one of the official judges of the city.

The judge asked him where he was going. Aesop, thinking that it was none of the judge's business, answered, "I don't know." The judge was offended by this reply, which he considered disrespectful, and marched him off to prison for punishment (disrespectful slaves could be punished without a trial).

When they arrived at the prison, Aesop turned to his captor and said, "Judge, when I told you, 'I don't know where I am going,' I was speaking the truth. Little did I think that I was on my way to prison! You see, it is true indeed that we never really know just where we are going." Faced with this explanation, the judge had no choice but to let Aesop go free.

This ironic story illustrates the absolute uncertainty of pre-Christian humanity about what happens after death - they just didn't know. Neither science, nor philosophy, nor pagan religion could pull back the curtain on the afterlife. Only Jesus Christ has shined a light on this mystery, by his life, death, resurrection, and ascension.

Partnering with God

Today the Church is inviting us to reflect on this great mystery of our faith, Christ's ascension into heaven. As we do so, we should feel our confidence in God renewed and strengthened.

Jesus is ruling history right now. None of the difficulties, injustices, and problems that we face as individuals, families, and societies is outside of his knowledge or power. He is at work in all things, even if it is sometimes hard for us to see exactly how.

As today's Mass prayers remind us: "Christ, the mediator between God and man, judge of the world and Lord of all, has passed beyond our sight, not to abandon us but to be our hope" (Preface for Ascension I).

How can we express this hope, this confidence in God? St Ignatius of Loyola had a phrase that can guide us. He used to say that we should pray as if everything depended upon God, and work as if everything depended on us. Each of us has projects, dreams, goals, problems, and challenges in our lives.

This week, encouraged and strengthened by Christ's ascension into heaven, let's pray each morning for God to send his grace and blessing upon them. And then, trusting that God will always do his part, let's roll up our sleeves and do our part. We should pray for a sick relative to be comforted and get well, but we should also go and visit them, bringing them flowers, reading to them, encouraging them.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, he didn't take the members of his Church with him. Instead, he entrusted his mission to their care. That mission, to follow Christ and help others do the same, is still in full swing today. It's in our hands, and if to fulfil our part we do our best, surely God will do the rest.