10 May 2018
The Ascension of the Lord
“Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; let our hearts ascend with him. Listen to the words of the Apostle: If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth. For just as he remained with us even after his ascension, so we too are already in heaven with him, even though what is promised us has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies. Christ is now exalted above the heavens, but he still suffers on earth all the pain that we, the members of his body, have to bear. He showed this when he cried out from above: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? and when he said: I was hungry and you gave me food.
Why do we on earth not strive to find rest with him in heaven even now, through the faith, hope and love that unites us to him? While in heaven he is also with us; and we while on earth are with him. He is here with us by his divinity, his power and his love. We cannot be in heaven, as he is on earth, by divinity, but in him, we can be there by love.” (St. Augustine’s sermon on the Solemnity of Ascension, taken from Sermo de Ascensione Domini, Mai 98, 1-2, PLS 2, 494-495).
In prayer today, imagine being present at the moment of ascension. How do you feel when Jesus said, “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”? What do you say to Jesus when he says, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” Do you believe that the Holy Spirit will help you to accomplish many good things on earth? Or perhaps you have a few last words to say to Jesus before He is lifted up to the heavens?