May 14, 2015
Ascension of the Lord
Ascension is that moment of realization when Jesus in his earthy and resurrected body is no longer apparent to the disciples. The custom of extinguishing the flame of the Easter candle speaks of this mystery of his leaving and abiding. Jesus is the light of the world. While the intensity is diminished the light continues to shine. It is the “Doppler Effect.†Sound waves and light rays shift depending on whether they are coming or receding. We can see light of distant galaxies shifting to red or blue indicating as light reaches us, the source of light is moving away. Jesus returns to the Father in heaven and yet mysteriously the Risen Lord is still present to us in our coming together in faith, in our recollection of his Words, in the Sacraments, in our living of the Gospel and disguised in the poor. Biblical cosmology imagined the earth covered by a large dome with the sun moving across during the day and the stars, planets and moon emerging at night. At the apex of the dome was the throne of God. Within this cosmology Jesus “ascends†to the throne of God and sits at God’s right hand. But how do we imagine “heaven†when Hubble reveals billions of galaxies with each galaxy containing billions of stars? Pope emeritus Benedict has written: “Heaven is not a place in the cosmos but a place in God.†The ascension of Jesus awakens our yearning to be with him in heaven and to become aware of his hidden presence within our dimension of space and time. Jesus preaches the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. May our eyes be open!
Previous:
6th Sunday of Easter
Next:
7th Sunday of Easter
