Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord

The Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord into Heaven. It is one of the earliest feasts of Christianity, and the date of the first celebration is uncertain. We know with certainty that it was officially celebrated in the fourth century. Why is this Feast so important? This is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us:

• Christ’s Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus’ humanity into God’s heavenly domain, whence He will come again (acts 1:11); His humanity rests with God, and in the meantime is hidden from the eyes of man (Col.3:3). (CCC paragraph 665)
• Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, precedes us into the Father’s glorious kingdom so that we, the members of His Body, may live in the hope of one day being with Him forever, (CCC paragraph 666)
• Jesus Christ, having entered the sanctuary of Heaven once and for all, intercedes constantly for us as the Mediator who assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit. (CCC, paragraph 667).

We are so used to knowing that Jesus is in Heaven, body, soul and divinity, that we take it for granted and do not stop to think what our human fate would be if He had not resurrected and had not gone before us. If He had not, we realize that our lives would have no more meaning than the life of a plant, or a fish, if we were not assured, beyond any doubt, that we are immortal creatures, made for eternal life with God in Heaven, if we but follow our Lord’s example.
This certainty is what fills us with hope and joy, and gives us the courage to overcome our discouragements, sufferings and difficulties: we know that if we persevere, we are assured of the greatest of all rewards: Heaven!

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