| "This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true." John 21:24 |
| "The Catholic Miscellany" May 25, 2006 “Lesson of the Ascension touches the core of our faith” By Jeffrey Kirby |
As a church, we seem to realize and enjoy celebrating Easter. Perhaps all the customs of baskets and eggs and candy help us to celebrate
Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Even if some of the symbolism of these customs is forgotten, they still help us to know and express that
Easter is a time for festivity and joy. It would be hard for us to imagine Easter without them.
But Easter is 50 days long. The Easter season begins to conclude with the Ascension of the Lord into heaven. Unfortunately, in our culture,
we don’t seem to have any customs for the holy day. Even though the feast is now moved from a Thursday to a Sunday, it’s easy for it to
pass without any particular notice or attention. This is a sad situation since the Ascension is such an intimate and important event in Christ’s
earthly ministry.
After rising from the dead, Jesus spent 40 days with the community of disciples. The closeness of this time is shown in the Emmaus story.
Jesus wanted to confirm the early church in the reality of his resurrection. After the appointed time, Jesus ascended to the Father.
When Christ ascended to heaven, he did not leave his human nature behind. He brought that nature, our nature, into heaven with him. The
Son of God did not leave us orphans. He still has his human nature, and still bears the human wounds of his Passion in the heavenly
kingdom. By taking human nature to heaven, Jesus Christ opened heaven for us. With a glorified human body and a human soul, the Second
Person of the Holy Trinity sits at the right hand of the Father for all eternity. He is our mediator, and our only sure way home.
This is the absolutely essential lesson of the Ascension. It touches the core of our faith, our human dignity, and of our life after death. It’s
one of our most elementary lessons, yet one that we sometimes forget.
Maybe we can start looking around for a spare chocolate bunny, or release some balloons, or host an Ascension party to mark this feast day.
Or maybe we can just take a few minutes and thank the Lord for his eternal care and concern for us and our loved ones. Happy feast day!
Jeff Kirby is a seminarian studying in Rome. He is a member of St. Joseph Church in Columbia, S.C.
Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Even if some of the symbolism of these customs is forgotten, they still help us to know and express that
Easter is a time for festivity and joy. It would be hard for us to imagine Easter without them.
But Easter is 50 days long. The Easter season begins to conclude with the Ascension of the Lord into heaven. Unfortunately, in our culture,
we don’t seem to have any customs for the holy day. Even though the feast is now moved from a Thursday to a Sunday, it’s easy for it to
pass without any particular notice or attention. This is a sad situation since the Ascension is such an intimate and important event in Christ’s
earthly ministry.
After rising from the dead, Jesus spent 40 days with the community of disciples. The closeness of this time is shown in the Emmaus story.
Jesus wanted to confirm the early church in the reality of his resurrection. After the appointed time, Jesus ascended to the Father.
When Christ ascended to heaven, he did not leave his human nature behind. He brought that nature, our nature, into heaven with him. The
Son of God did not leave us orphans. He still has his human nature, and still bears the human wounds of his Passion in the heavenly
kingdom. By taking human nature to heaven, Jesus Christ opened heaven for us. With a glorified human body and a human soul, the Second
Person of the Holy Trinity sits at the right hand of the Father for all eternity. He is our mediator, and our only sure way home.
This is the absolutely essential lesson of the Ascension. It touches the core of our faith, our human dignity, and of our life after death. It’s
one of our most elementary lessons, yet one that we sometimes forget.
Maybe we can start looking around for a spare chocolate bunny, or release some balloons, or host an Ascension party to mark this feast day.
Or maybe we can just take a few minutes and thank the Lord for his eternal care and concern for us and our loved ones. Happy feast day!
Jeff Kirby is a seminarian studying in Rome. He is a member of St. Joseph Church in Columbia, S.C.