Glorifying the Lord!

Sunday, June 1, 2025

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Acts 1:1-11; Eph 1:17-23; Lk 24:46-53

The solemnity of the Ascension celebrates that Jesus, having risen from the dead, now ascends to heaven, returning to the Father in glory. 

Christ lifted up has entered his heavenly abode and opened heaven for us. Hence, his worldly departure is not a sign of abandonment but signifies a reassurance that the glory of ascension belongs to all those who live like him in faith. 

The three readings of the day help us understand the meaning and mystery of the solemnity of the Ascension. 

The reflection on the first reading is centered around the question of the two angels who ask, ‘Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?’ The word ‘looking’ implies a ‘fixed’ gaze, which may translate to a kind of paralysis in wonder. By that question, the angels want the disciples to get real and live as people who have witnessed Christ’s glory that has now been extended to everyone. The question of the two angels means three things for the disciples. At first, the question was a ‘rebuke’ of the disciples’ behaviour, who looked more like stargazers becoming indifferent to the world around them. The question brings them back to their senses and helps them get busy living as people who have witnessed Jesus’ ascension. Secondly, the question signifies ‘redirection.’ For the disciples who wanted to freeze the moments of Christ’s glorification, a gentle push comes from the angels to reorient their awe and wonder toward mission as it begins now. Thirdly, the question symbolizes a ‘reminder’ that the ascension and mission are inseparable. The disciples of Jesus have the right to celebrate his glorification only when they translate their experience into an active proclamation. Thus, the central question in the first reading invites the disciples to move beyond the experience of ascension and convert it into an active mission. 

The second reading explains ascension through Christ’s glorification. Paul prays that we might have the ‘spirit of wisdom and revelation’ to understand the mystery and magnificence of Christ’s exaltation. While Paul enlightens the Ephesian community with Christ’s glory at ascension as ‘seated at the right hand of the Father’ and as ‘head of the Church and we are his body,’ he reminds it of the new way in which Christ is present amid us, thereby discarding all the fears of him abandoning us. Thus, Paul presents Christ’s ascension as his enthronement as King, who will now rule over the earth from his heavenly glory. However, we must remember that Paul’s purpose in describing the glorification of Christ is to persuade the Ephesian community to not just admire his glory but live his Gospel. In other words, if we claim, ‘Christ is our Lord,’ then we must live accordingly. 

The Gospel revolves around the disciples’ witness to Christ’s ascension and returning to Jerusalem with great joy. The text also describes that the disciples did Jesus homage. Thus, from the actions of the disciples, we discover that they have understood that Christ is not gone, but he is glorified. He has not disappeared, but he has made himself more fully present in a new way. He has not escaped the earth but is now a Lord over it. We must note that the joy of the disciples proceeds also from the understanding that the sufferings Christ foretold were necessary for the glorification that he now is privileged with. The exemplary understanding of the disciples of Christ’s ascension invites us to possess the same. 

The feast of the Ascension inspires us to reflect on some key themes. 

1. Stop looking up; start reaching out: The question of the angels to the disciples, ‘Why are you standing there looking at the sky?’ is for us too. Faith is not the love of staying stuck. It has to find expression in our constant mission. Faith is both looking upward and moving forward. 

2. Christ is Lord now; live like it: For Christians who call Christ their Lord, a huge task awaits. It is to behave as people who have Christ as their Lord. When Christ animates our being, we do not surrender to the world. Instead, we awaken it to the knowledge of the One who reigns from above. 

3. Christ ascended bodily; cherish the hope: The bodily ascension of the Lord reminds us that it is not just a privilege of Christ, but it has now been extended to everyone who lives like him. The glorification of Christ shows that humanity now has a place in God. Heaven is not alien to us. Rather, it is our destiny. 

Let us pray that we glorify the Lord, lifted up, through our exemplary Christian living. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar