Sunday, July 19, 2020 –
I swear I did not purposely set up today’s Ascension Thursday post on Sunday, but it does make for an interesting (and funny) “flub” into today’s discussion. Anyhoo, today—that is, Sunday—we will be talking about the Thursday of the sixth week of Easter: Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Ya know, because in some places Christ stayed with us a few extra days and Ascended on Sunday. LOL!
The easy answer for what the Ascension celebrates is: forty days after Easter (the Resurrection), Christ Ascended (went up) to heaven.
The slightly more complex answer from the Catechism is: “the entry of Jesus’ humanity into divine glory in God’s heavenly domain, forty days after His Resurrection.” (CCC, p. 867)
And finally, the most full and complete answer is found in the Catechism’s section Article 6: “He Ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father,” which is about two and a half pages of jam-packed, high-level, $5 words. Thank goodness for the “In Brief” run-down at the end of each section. Here is the “In Brief” for Christ’s Ascension:
665 Christ’s Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus’ humanity into God’s heavenly domain, whence he will come again (cf. Acts 1:11); this humanity in the meantime hides him from the eyes of men (cf. Col 3:3).
666 Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, precedes us into the Father’s glorious kingdom so that we, the members of his Body, may live in the hope of one day being with him for ever.
667 Jesus Christ, having entered the sanctuary of heaven once and for all, intercedes constantly for us as the mediator who assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
So, the Ascension is:
- The entrance of Jesus’ humanity (i.e. the “true man” part of the “true God and true man” thing that Christ has) into God’s heavenly domain where He (Christ) sits at the right hand of God the Father
- Christ’s humanity ascending into heaven means that He is hidden “from the eyes of men”
- BUT, because Christ is the head of the Church AND he preceded us into God’s heavenly kingdom with His Ascension, we can and do hope to be with Him forever in heaven…
- Likewise, because of Christ’s Ascension, He intercedes for us (acts on behalf of us) and assures (makes certain) the Holy Spirit is with us.
How do we know that Christ’s Ascension was forty days after the Resurrection? Because the Bible tells us so, specifically in Acts 1:1-11 (emphasis added):
1 The former treatise I made, O Theophilus, of all things which Jesus began to do and to teach,
2 Until the day on which, giving commandments by the Holy Ghost to the apostles whom he had chosen, he was taken up.
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion, by many proofs, for forty days appearing to them, and speaking of the kingdom of God.
4 And eating together with them, he commanded them, that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard (saith he) by my mouth.
5 For John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence.
6 They therefore who were come together, asked him, saying: Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 But he said to them: It is not for you to know the times or moments, which the Father hath put in his own power:
8 But you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had said these things, while they looked on, he was raised up: and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they were beholding him going up to heaven, behold two men stood by them in white garments.
11 Who also said: Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, as you have seen him going into heaven.
All right! This means we are now halfway through discussing the ten Holy Days of Obligation. Woot! The next couple of days we are going to discuss two of the feasts we do not celebrate in the United States: Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi,) followed by the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise, have mercy on us!
