In the Second Glorious Mystery, we contemplate the Ascension into Heaven.
From the Book of the Acts of the Apostles (1:8-11)
‘(...) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’
Commentary by Saint Augustine
Christ paid our ransom when He was hung on the cross; now, seated in heaven at the right hand of God the Father, He gathers to Himself those He has bought with His blood.
Meditation 1
Jesus, in His glorious body, did not immediately ascend to the Father, as He told Mary Magdalene. He remained in this world for 40 days, appearing to His disciples to strengthen their faith and to give them final instructions before ascending definitively to the Father. He promised them He would send the Holy Spirit, and after saying goodbye, He ascended to the right hand of the Father.
The apostles watched Him depart with sadness, as they had become accustomed to His physical presence among them. However, that physical presence could not continue. They would now be Christ’s physical presence in all times and places. Since Christ's ascension to Heaven, we are the physical and mystical body of Christ, present in all times, from generation to generation, and in all places.
The Lord's Ascension is the reverse of His Incarnation: if, in the Incarnation, Christ stripped Himself of His divinity to live among us, in the Ascension He returns to the Father, but He takes with Him a “souvenir” of ours — the marks of the crucifixion, which forever changed and marked the second person of the Holy Trinity. He returned to the place He always occupied, at the right hand of the Father, where He eternally intercedes for us (Hebrews 7:25). Nevertheless, in another dimension, He remains with us until the end of time, as He Himself had promised.
Meditation 2
Our Lord said to His apostles, before leaving them: "If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I am going to the Father." He repeats these words to us today as well. If we truly love Him, we should rejoice in His glorification. We rejoice because, after completing His mission on earth, He ascends to the right hand of the Father, to be exalted above all the heavens, in infinite glory.
But Jesus ascended into heaven so to go before us; He does not separate himself from us, nor does he separate us from Himself. If He enters His glorious Kingdom, it is to prepare a place for us. He has promised to return one day to take us with Him, so that, as He says, "where I am, there you will also be."
In fact, we are already united with Christ in His glory and happiness, by our title as His heirs; but one day we will truly be there. Did Christ not ask this of His Father? "Father, I desire that where I am that they may also be, whom you have given to me.”
Just as Jesus did not ascend to Heaven without first completing His mission on earth, so too will we only ascend after fulfilling our mission here, which is to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all creatures. We can rejoice, not because demons obey us, as Jesus said, but because our names are written in Heaven.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
We contemplate Your glorious Ascension into Heaven,
and, like the apostles, we lift our eyes in adoration and hope.
You, who after completing Your mission on earth,
ascended to the Father,
did not leave us alone but promised to be with us until the end of time.
Lord, strengthen us with the same faith You gave to Your disciples,
so that we may be Your witnesses,
taking Your Gospel to the ends of the earth.
May the Holy Spirit, whom You promised and sent,
dwell in us, giving us the strength and wisdom to live and proclaim Your Word.
As we celebrate Your glorification together with the Father,
help us to remember that Your Ascension is also a promise to us.
You are preparing a place for each of us in Your Kingdom,
and one day, by Your mercy, we will be with You in eternal glory.
Lord, guide us in fulfilling our mission on earth,
give us the courage to live as Your Mystical Body,
present in every time and place.
May our lives reflect Your presence,
and as we journey through this world,
may our gaze be always fixed on Heaven,
where our names are written. Amen.
Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC