Dear Parishioners and Visitors,
This weekend we celebrate a special moment in the unfolding of the Paschal Mystery: the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. It’s often referred to as “Ascension Thursday,” because the Acts of the Apostles 1:3 speaks of a 40-day interval between Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension. (Look at the calendar and begin counting days on Easter Sunday, and when you hit the number 40, it will be on a Thursday.) In many parts of the world, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is in fact celebrated on Thursday during the 6th week of Easter. In most parts of the United States, the Solemnity is transferred to the following Sunday, so that more people can take part in celebrating this awesome event.
I’ve always loved the account of the Ascension in the Acts of the Apostles. In Acts 1:9-11, we read: “When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.’”
I’m not completely sure why I love this passage so much. At least part of the reason is that I can easily picture Jesus’ followers standing there, looking up at the sky, when a couple of angels ask them, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” It just seems like such a normal human detail. Another thing that attracts me to the passage is the way the angels’ question has been set to music. If you go to YouTube and type in “Viri Galilaei” (that’s Latin for “Men of Galilee”) you’ll find the Gregorian Chant setting, which is particularly lovely, and also the setting by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, which is one of my all-time favorite pieces of Renaissance polyphony.
Okay, I know I’m geeking out a little here. But there’s also an important message in the Ascension of Jesus. One of the prayers during Mass will say, “The Lord Jesus, the King of glory, conqueror of sin and death, ascended to the highest heavens, as the Angels gazed in wonder….He ascended, not to distance himself from our lowly state, but that we, his members, might be confident of following where he, our Head and Founder, has gone before.” Again and again in the Mass for this solemnity, the prayers will express the awesome hope which is ours: as members of the Mystical Body of Christ, we hope to go where Christ the Head has gone.
The Ascension points us to heaven as our true and lasting home. The people and things around us right now are very important, and we can’t neglect them; but we should also remember that there is Someone and something even more important. Seeking Christ and his Kingdom gives lasting meaning to our interactions with the present world, and it gives lasting meaning to our lives.
Blessings,
Fr. Philip