Guardian Angels News

Forty days after Easter, the Church celebrates the great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. After His Resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples, taught them, strengthened their faith, and prepared them for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Then, before their eyes, He ascended into Heaven. As we hear in the Acts of the Apostles, “He was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight” (Acts 1:9).

Traditionally, the Ascension is celebrated on a Thursday because Scripture tells us that Jesus ascended forty days after Easter. In many dioceses throughout the world, the feast is still observed on Thursday. However, in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and in many dioceses across the United States, the celebration has been transferred to the following Sunday.

The Church allows this transfer so that more of the faithful are able to participate in this important solemnity. Since Sunday is already the day when Catholics gather for Mass in the greatest numbers, transferring the feast allows more people to hear the Scriptures, reflect on the mystery of the Ascension, and celebrate it together. While the day changes in some places, the meaning and importance of the feast remain the same.

At first glance, the Ascension can seem like a departure, as though Jesus is leaving His disciples behind. But the Church teaches us something much deeper: the Ascension is not Christ abandoning His people, but Christ going before us to prepare the way to Heaven.

The Church Fathers spoke often and beautifully about this mystery. Saint Augustine of Hippo taught that in the Ascension, Christ did not leave Heaven when He came down to earth, nor did He leave us when He returned to the Father. Christ remains with His Church even now through His grace, His sacraments, and especially in the Holy Eucharist.

Saint Leo the Great preached that the Ascension was not a cause for sorrow, but for joy, because “the Son of Man and Son of God” was lifted above all the heavens to the very throne of the Father. St. Leo explained that Christ’s Ascension is also our hope, because where Christ the Head has gone, the members of His Body are called to follow.

Jesus ascends bodily into Heaven carrying our human nature with Him. This is a profound truth. In the Incarnation, the Son of God took on our humanity. In the Ascension, that humanity is brought into the glory of Heaven. Christ does not cast aside His human body after the Resurrection; rather, He glorifies it and brings it to the right hand of the Father. Our humanity now has a place in Heaven because Christ Himself has gone there first.

Saint John Chrysostom marveled at this mystery by reflecting that humanity, once barred from Paradise because of sin, is now carried above the angels in Christ. What was fallen in Adam is raised up in Christ. The Ascension therefore reveals not only Christ’s glory, but the dignity to which humanity is called.

The Ascension reminds us that Heaven is our true home. In a world consumed with earthly success, possessions, politics, and distractions, the feast calls us to lift our eyes upward. We are made for eternity. As St. Paul writes, “Seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1).

Yet the disciples were not told to simply stand looking into the sky. The angels said to them, “Why are you standing there looking at the sky?” (Acts 1:11). Christ gives His Church a mission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). The Ascension is therefore also a missionary feast. The apostles leave the Mount of Olives not in sadness, but with joy and purpose. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, they will go forth to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Saint Gregory the Great reflected that Christ ascended visibly so that the disciples would learn to seek spiritual realities rather than cling only to what can be seen. The Ascension teaches the Church to walk by faith while awaiting Christ’s glorious return.

This feast is especially important for us today. Many people wonder about the purpose of life, struggle with anxiety, or feel overwhelmed by the state of the world. The Ascension reminds us that history is not meaningless. Christ reigns. He is seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us, guiding His Church, and preparing a place for those who remain faithful to Him.

The Ascension also deepens our understanding of the Mass. Every Mass is a participation in the heavenly liturgy. The same Christ who ascended into Heaven becomes truly present on our altar in the Holy Eucharist. At Mass, Heaven and earth meet. We are united to the worship of the angels and saints around the throne of God.

As we celebrate this great feast, let us renew our hope in eternal life and our commitment to the mission Christ has entrusted to His Church. May we keep our hearts fixed on Heaven while faithfully carrying out the work God has given us here on earth.

Christ is ascended into Heaven — and where the Head has gone, the Body is called to follow.

In Christ,

Fr. Joe Connelly