Forty days after his resurrection from the dead, Jesus ascended into Heaven to be seated at the right hand of God the Father where He intercedes for us and rules over his Kingdom that will never end.
Jesus’ ascension is a key element, and the final part, of the Paschal Mystery of Christ.
By ascending into Heaven as man, both body and soul, Jesus opens Heaven so that our resurrected bodies can enter Heaven and be reunited with our souls when Jesus comes again.
Jesus’ ascension into Heaven is affirmed in the creeds and meditated on as a Glorious Mystery of the Rosary.
The Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord is celebrated 40 days after Easter Sunday and is a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics. In some areas, the feast is transferred to the following Sunday.
Jesus leads humanity into Heaven:
He unlocked the gates of Heaven for our bodies and souls:
Then He led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As He blessed them He parted from them and was taken up to Heaven. They did Him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.
Luke 24: 50-53
The Ascension takes place after a time of transition:
The Ascension completes the work of our redemption:
Jesus’ humanity ascending into Heaven is our future:
Dear brothers and sisters, the Ascension does not point to Jesus’ absence, but tells us that He is alive in our midst in a new way. He is no longer in a specific place in the world as He was before the Ascension. He is now in the lordship of God, present in every space and time, close to each one of us. In our life we are never alone: we have this Advocate who awaits us, who defends us. We are never alone: the Crucified and Risen Lord guides us.
Pope Francis, General Audience, 17 April 2013
The mystery of Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven is underrated:
Jesus’ Ascension fulfills the Jewish expectation of Heaven:
“So then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.” Christ’s body was glorified at the moment of his Resurrection, as proved by the new and supernatural properties it subsequently and permanently enjoys. But during the forty days when He eats and drinks familiarly with his disciples and teaches them about the kingdom, his glory remains veiled under the appearance of ordinary humanity. Jesus’ final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory, symbolized by the cloud and by Heaven, where He is seated from that time forward at God’s right hand. Only in a wholly exceptional and unique way would Jesus show Himself to Paul “as to one untimely born”, in a last apparition that established him as an Apostle.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 659
Catholics celebrate the day Jesus left the Earth:
Celebrating our goal and destiny:
Celebrating the Ascension on the Mount of Olives:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
Getting a feel for Catholicism:
Share this page with friends and family to start a conversation about your faith.
Don’t miss a post. Learn more about the Catholic Church and strengthen your Catholic faith.
Find more Fiercely Catholic video issues here.
Subscribe here.
