The feast of the Ascension of the Lord is the story of Christ entering fully into the glory of the Father while remaining present among his people in a new way.
Outwardly, after the Ascension, nothing seemed to change. Life continued as usual. People still worked, traded, planted crops, built homes, celebrated and mourned. Even the apostles were not spared of suffering, persecution, or uncertainty. The world did not suddenly become free from pain or injustice.
And yet, everything had changed.
The Ascension brought a new light upon human existence. Faith in the risen and ascended Christ allowed his believers to see the world differently. The mountains, fields, and seas remain the same, but they are seen with new eyes. Through Christ’s victory, human history is opened to eternity.
This is why the Ascension is not a feast of absence or ‘being taken away’ but of hope. Jesus entered into God’s glory not alone, but carrying our humanity with him. The disciples gradually understood that the Resurrection was not the end of the story but the beginning of a mission. They were no longer to stand looking at the sky waiting passively for Christ’s return. They were to continue his work on earth.
The Acts of the Apostles describes the disciples staring upward as Jesus is taken from their sight. Then the angels ask them: “Why are you standing there looking at the sky?” It is a gentle reminder that faith is not an escape from the world. Christians are called to transform the world with the spirit of the Gospel. The Ascension hands the mission of Christ into the hands of the Church.
This is why Matthew’s Gospel ends not with sadness, but with a commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” The disciples, despite their doubts and weaknesses, are entrusted with proclaiming the Good News to the ends of the earth. The Lord knows their fears, and so he gives them the promise that sustains every Christian generation: “I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
The Ascension also changes how we look at our own lives. So often people fear aging because they believe life is slipping away from them. But the Christian sees each passing year differently—not as moving away from life, but as moving closer to the fullness of life with Christ. Our destiny is not emptiness or oblivion, but communion with God.
This certainty does not remove suffering, but it gives meaning to suffering. As Saint Paul reminds us, “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the future glory to be revealed in us.”
The Ascension invites us, therefore, to live with both feet firmly on earth and our hearts lifted toward heaven. Christ reigns in glory, but his work continues through us. We are called to bring hope where there is despair, forgiveness where there is hatred, and light where there is darkness.
Jesus has ascended, but he has not left us alone. The risen Lord remains Emmanuel—God with us—guiding his Church until the day when all creation is gathered into his glory.
Alleluia.
Father Josekutty Mathew CMF
