The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
As a military wife, I often listen to my husband’s stories of his travels across the seas and among the lands and cultures of many countries. During one deployment, his ship pulled into Norway. Eager for liberty, he and a shipmate started to walk around the Norwegian city of Bergen. However, to their disappointment, everything was closed. When they finally came upon someone who appeared to be a local, they approached the man and asked him why no shops or restaurants were open. The Norwegian man stood there awhile as if trying to find the correct English terminology that would provide a sufficient explanation for these American sailors. Finally, he replied, “It’s Jesus Flies to Heaven Day.”
The Ascension of Our Lord is when we celebrate the return of the Risen Christ to the Father, or in other words, his Ascension into Heaven. In the Church, it is celebrated 40 days after his Resurrection on Easter Sunday; however, depending on where you live and on your local ordinary, this may be celebrated as Ascension Thursday or Ascension Sunday. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in the 40 days leading up to his Ascension, Jesus “eats and drinks familiarly with his disciples and teaches them about the kingdom” and that “his glory remains veiled under the appearance of ordinary humanity.” It is not until his Ascension that his humanity enters “into divine glory, symbolized by the cloud and by heaven, where he is seated from that time forward at God's right hand” (§ 659).
When we think of Jesus leaving the Apostles and going up into Heaven, one may feel like he is abandoning us here on earth. However, the reality could not be more opposite. The Alleluia verse for Ascension Thursday says this: “Go and teach all nations, says the Lord; I am with you always, until the end of the world.” Christ’s return into his heavenly kingdom completed his mission for our salvation and redemption. Therefore, because of the fulfillment of his Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension, we can then raise our hearts to Heaven and truly rejoice in the hope that he has a place for us in His Kingdom. As his faithful servants, we have the great joy and peace in knowing that after our earthly pilgrimage has ended, that one day we will be able to share in Christ’s glory.
“God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord” (Ps 47:6). So, in the words of King David, let us “sing praise, sing praise, sing praise.”
Jiza Zito is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Spoken Bride, a website and online resource for Catholic brides and newlyweds. She is also the wedding and portrait photographer of her own business, Olive and Cypress. Her photography work has been seen in LifeTeen, San Diego Style Weddings, Kara’s Party Ideas, & Radiant Magazine. After relocating 9 times in 10 years with the military and undergoing numerous deployments, Jiza is now settled with her husband and 4 children in Williamsburg, VA. You can find her on Twitter or Instagram.