May 29- Ascension of the Lord
(Acts 1:1-11; Eph 1:17-23 or Heb 9:24, 10:19-23; Lk 24:46-53)
The Ascension of Jesus into heaven, “Pope Francis said, “acquaints us with this deeply consoling reality in our journey: in Christ, true God and true man, our humanity was taken to God. Christ opened the path to us. If we entrust our life to him, if we let ourselves be guided by him, we are certain to be in safe hands, in the hands of our Savior.” The number forty is symbolic for preparedness: Noah’s forty days in the ark, Moses’ forty days on Mount Sinai, Elijah’s forty days of wandering in the desert, and Jesus’ own forty days of preparation for ministry in the desert. The celebration of the Lord’s ascension on the fortieth day points us in the direction of preparedness for the future. The Lord wished for those closest to him to remain together in order to strengthen one another before he would finally depart from their sight. Psalm 47 instructs us to sing praise to God, sing praise. In Ephesians and Hebrews the message is - it is through attachment to Christ alone (that is, baptism) that such a rich and glorious inheritance is ours. While we cannot add anything to perfect the sacrifice of Christ, we are to foster a “sincere heart” and hold fast “to our confession that gives us hope, made at our baptism. Where Christ is, we hope one day to follow. Luke’s Gospel concludes that we are left to imagine that the disciples are strong in their faith as they await the coming of the Spirit. Luke paves the way for the apostles to follow the guidance of the Spirit and provide for the foundation of the Church.