In Ascensione Domini - The Joy of the Ascension

EXPLANATION: The Ascension is a joyful event

The first time I ever saw the movie King of Kings I was in Grade Seven. My teacher always showed it to his class around Eastertime. If you’ve ever seen the movie you know that it ends, not with a visual representation of Our Lord’s Ascension, but takes some dramatic license in combining the encounter of John 21 with the Great Commission of today’s Gospel, as the Apostles are seen to drop everything and go off to the four corners of the Earth, and the movie ends alluding to Our Lord’s Ascension.

After watching that movie, I always thought of the Ascension as a sad moment for the Apostles. After all, they had already lost Our Lord once in His Crucifixion, with only St. John perhaps having an inkling into what would take place three days later. Now He was back, even though it was in a different way, He was still there, teaching the Apostles their final few lessons, but 40 days after His Resurrection, now He is leaving again.

However, as Pope St. Leo the Great tells us, this was not a sad occasion at all:

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers 2.12: Leo the Great, Gregory the Great (Catholic Edition) IV. Christ’s Ascension Has Given Us Greater Privileges and Joys than the Devil Had Taken from Us

Accordingly, dearly-beloved, throughout this time which elapsed between the LORD’S Resurrection and Ascension, GOD’S Providence had this in view, to teach and impress upon both the eyes and hearts of His own people that the LORD Jesus Christ might be acknowledged to have as truly risen, as He was truly born, suffered, and died. And hence the most blessed Apostles and all the disciples, who had been both bewildered at His death on the cross and backward in believing His Resurrection, were so strengthened by the clearness of the truth that when the LORD entered the heights of heaven, not only were they affected with no sadness, but were even filled with great joy.

Even though Our Lord departed this Earth, it is far more beneficial for us that He went, than if He had stayed to establish His Church on Earth. So today is indeed a day of great joy as our Introit and Alleluia verses say, “O clap your hands, all ye nations: shout unto God with the voice of joy… God is ascended with jubilee, and the Lord with the sound of trumpet.”

EXPLANATION: The spiritual benefits of the Ascension

The joy of the Ascension comes from all that Christ is able to accomplish by returning to His Heavenly throne.

The first of these, is to fulfill His promise to send the Holy Ghost. Had Christ remained on Earth, we would not have the gift of the Holy Ghost, who guides the Church and guarantees the truth of Her magisterium, who makes the Sacraments of the Church possible, and who resides in the souls of the baptized and gives us the ability to grow in holiness.

Secondly, when Our Lord ascended back to heaven, he did so to prepare a place for us so that we the members of His body might, in turn, follow. As the Roman Catechism states:

The Catechism of the Council of Trent (Text Only) Question VI: What Benefits Are Conferred on Men through the Ascension of Christ

For ascending into heaven, he threw open its gates, which had been closed against us by the sin of Adam, and, as he had foretold to his disciples at his last supper, secured for us a way, by which we might arrive at the happiness of heaven. To demonstrate this by the event, he introduced with himself, into the mansions of eternal bliss, the souls of the just, which he had liberated from prison.

Thirdly, Our Lord returned to enter into His glory. By ascending in glory to the right hand of the Father, He takes with Him our human nature and forever unites it to the life of the Holy Trinity, and assumes His place as king and ruler of the entire universe. He also shows us that our gaze should be on heavenly things and not earthly ones.

Finally, by ascending to the heavenly realms, Our Lord is able to fulfill His role as great high priest. Offering His sacrifice for all eternity, Christ takes His glorious wounds, the signs of His sacrifice for us, and places them before the Heavenly Father, so that His offering might be complete, and acceptable to God. By doing so, we are able to have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which unites us to the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, and allows Christ to be present to us in the most intimate way in the Holy Eucharist.

Today we celebrate with joy; even though Our Lord has gone to His heavenly kingdom, we are all the richer for it.

IMPLICATION: The spiritual joy of the Ascension

The joy of today’s feast is, of course, not just felt in what Christ did for us, but in our response. Our Lord’s Ascension should serve to increase the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity in us as we contemplate the mystery.

The Ascension should serve to build up our faith. After all, faith is directed to those things that remain unseen to us, and as Our Lord said, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed”. Had Christ remained on Earth, we would have Him present to us and have no need of faith. Again, Pope St. Leo the Great says this:

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers 2.12: Leo the Great, Gregory the Great (Catholic Edition) II. The Ascension Renders Our Faith More Excellent and Stronger

And so that which till then was visible of our Redeemer was changed into a sacramental presence, and that faith might be more excellent and stronger, sight gave way to doctrine, the authority of which was to be accepted by believing hearts enlightened with rays from above.

The Ascension serves to confirm our hope, since believing that Christ ascended into heaven, and placed our nature at the right hand of God the Father, we have hope that we, His members, may also ascend and be united with our head, as Our Lord Himself said, “Father, I will, that where I am, they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me.

Lastly, Our Lord’s Ascension should serve to build up supernatural charity. Again, had Christ remained on Earth, we would see the man, and love Him with an Earthly affection, but by ascending, He has made our affection a spiritual one, and inflamed our hearts with a desire for heaven. As He Himself said, “For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also.”

So today, even though we recall the definitive moment of Our Blessed Lord’s departure from this world, we can be joyful for the great benefits that have come from His return to His heavenly throne.