The Ascension of the Lord

05-17-2026Weekly ReflectionFr. Albert

Today the Church celebrates the glorious feast of the Ascension of the Lord. Forty days after His Resurrection, Jesus returns to the Father not to abandon the world but to reign over it, to intercede for it, and to prepare humanity for the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Ascension is not an ending. It is a beginning. Christ ascends so that the Church may arise.

The Gospel given to us today from the Gospel of John is often called the "High priestly prayer" of Jesus. Before His passion, before the Cross, before the disciples fully understood what was happening, Jesus lifted His eyes to heaven and prayed. What we hear today is not merely instruction; it is the heart of Christ revealed in prayer.

Jesus begins with solemn words: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your son so that the Son may glorify you." Now the hour has arrived - the hour of His Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension. For the world, the Cross looked like defeat. But for Jesus, it was glory. This teaches us something profound about God's way of working. Divine glory is not worldly success. Glory is love poured out completely. Glory is faithfulness even in suffering.

The Ascension therefore cannot be separated from the Cross. Christ ascends because He first descended into our humanity, our suffering, and even death itself. The one who reigns in heaven is the same One who washed feet, touched lepers, forgave sinners, and carried a Cross. And this is important for us. Many people seek glory through power, wealth, recognition or control. but Jesus reveals that true glory is found in selfgiving love. a parent sacrificing for children, a caregiver serving the sick, a worker acting with integrity, a Christian remaining faithful in trials - these participate in the glory of Christ.

Jesus continues: "And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ." Notice that eternal life is not described first as a place, but as a relationship. Eternal life begins now when we know God personally and live in communion with Him. Christianity at its center is communion with the living Christ. Prayer, worship, the Eucharist, Scripture, acts of charity- all these are ways we come to know the Father through the Son.

We are surrounded by noise but starving for meaning. We are connected digitally but isolated spiritually. We possess information but often lack wisdom. Jesus reminds us that the deepest hunger of the human heart is for God himself. The Ascension speaks directly to this hunger. Christ has gone before us into the Father's presence. Human nature now sits at the right hand of God. Heaven is no longer closed to humanity in Christ, humanity has entered the heart of God.

Jesus says to the Father: "I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world." In biblical language, a name represents identity and character. Jesus reveals who God truly is. not a distant tyrant. not an indifferent force. but a loving Father. Jesus revealed the Father in His mercy toward sinners, His compassion for the weak, His patience with the disciples, His forgiveness from the Cross, His victory over death. When we look at Jesus, we see the face of God.

The Ascension assures us that this same Jesus now intercedes for us before the Father. He has not ceased to care for His people. The wounds He carried on earth are carried into eternity as signs of victorious love.

The feast of Ascension calls us to lift our eyes beyond the temporary and fix them on Christ. The world tells us to cling to what passes away. Christ calls us to seek what is eternal. The world glorifies power. Christ glorifies sacrificial love. The world often produces anxiety and division. Christ offers peace and communion. Today Jesus prays for us just as He prayed for His disciples. He entrusts us to the Father. He sends us into the world. And He promises that heaven is open.