Glory and Mission!

Sunday, May 17, 2026

Ascension of the Lord

Acts 1: 1-11; Eph 1:17-23; Mt 28: 16-20

Today Our Mother Church celebrates the feast of the Ascension of the Lord. 

Outwardly, ascension would mean Jesus’ departure from this world and ascent into Heaven. But it carries a deeper meaning as well. Ascension means Christ reuniting with his Father to reign over the world. Thus, ascension celebrates the glorification of Christ and not his abandoning of the world. Secondly, Jesus’ ascension also means that the Church takes up his mission by becoming witnesses to his resurrection. 

The three readings of the day deepen our thoughts on what ascension means. 

The first reading from the book of Acts describes Jesus’ ascension. What is more striking is the Angels redirecting the disciples from being passive onlookers into active missionaries. ‘Stand and stare’ is not an option for Christians. Our experience of Christ must form the content of our proclamation. Our mission derives its focus and purpose from our own convincing testimony to the truth of Christ’s resurrection. The angels remind us that the Spirit of God empowers us to become Christ’s missionaries.

The second reading underlines the fact that the same power that raised Christ now works also in his believers. For Paul, this power enables our vocation to be Christ’s witnesses in the world. Further, with Christ’s ascension, Christians are called to shed our fear and place our trust in Christ’s supreme authority. Paul also reminds us that the Church, as the living body of Christ, participates in his resurrection and ascension. Thus, while Paul extends the privilege of resurrection and ascension to all believers, he also invites us to rise up to such a noble vocation through our holiness and perseverance.

The Gospel presents the ‘Great Commission.’ It is interesting to see that the resurrection narrative culminates in mission and not in some abrupt ending. The text clarifies that we celebrate ascension by becoming courageous witnesses to the truth of Christ’s resurrection. Here, when Jesus says, ‘Go into all the world,’ he wants us to throw ourselves into the world to ‘make disciples of all nations.’ In other words, the central theme of ascension is that we renounce the comfort of our homes to become loud witnesses to Christ’s resurrection, reaching out and impacting every nation and every culture possible. Our encounter with the Risen Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit make the mission successful. Above all, we must hold on to the truth that Christ is present with us through the power of his Spirit. We must know that the apostles were empowered by this truth, which transformed the frightened ones into missionaries. 

The Feast of the Ascension leaves behind powerful thoughts for action. 

1. Christ’s ascension is an example of the exaltation of all good people. Our close imitation of Christ will enable us to partake of his glory as well. In this sense, the feast is an invitation to excel in goodness, imitating the example of Christ himself. 

2. The feast of the ascension invites us to understand the contrast that ascension does not mean Christ’s departure but his indwelling presence within us, empowering us from within to reach out to nations and people. As missionaries, we radiate Christ within us. 

3. If the other side of ascension is mission, it does not depend on human strength but on Divine power. We are empowered by the Spirit of God for mission. In addition, our own encounter with Christ must be translated into a convincing testimony about him. 

Let us pray that we understand the glory of ascension and its invitation to mission.

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar