In the United States, the Solemnity of Ascension is celebrated today. The opening prayer for Ascension puts into words the deepest meaning of this feast: … the Ascension of Christ your Son is our exaltation, and, where the Head has gone before in glory, the Body is called to follow in hope. Jesus told his disciples, When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself (Jn 12:32). Unfortunately we think of God’s principal activities of creation, incarnation, redemption and sanctification as one-time or finished things when we should think of these God-acts as present and continuing now and until time ends. The Risen Christ is ascending to the Father until the end of time. The Risen Christ is present in every moment of history, infusing it with divine love and purpose. And as that purpose reaches fulfillment in us and in all creation, he is gathering it into himself and presenting it to his Father. Thus as we grow in holiness, we are being increasingly gathered into the risen Christ; we are “the Body … called to follow in hope.” The Ascension is something happening to us now! As we pray our liturgy today, may we feel the presence of that tremendous unity between ourselves, Christ and his Father.
– Blog entry by Sister Mary Garascia