SOLEMNITY of the ASCENSION of the LORD

Gospel Bullet Points (Gospel: Luke 24:46-53)

• Jesus ascended to heaven, having completed his work and mission on earth. Now, he is in heaven with His Father and our Father. The Lord’s ascension does not mean that He has left us behind or departed to someplace far away from us and our world. In His Ascension, the Lord takes us with Him into the presence of God.
• “Behold, I am with you always.” By these words, Jesus abides in us, and we abide in Him. He is close to each one of us now and forever. Jesus tells us in the Gospel: “In a little, while you will see me no more, and then after a little, while you will see me” (Jn 16:16). In His ascension, He goes ahead of us to our eternal home, our permanent dwelling place, where He will wait for us all. The moment we meet Him in heaven, all our earthly grief, pain, suffering, and uncertainties will turn into joy—the joy that the world can never offer. And we, too, will be reunited with our loved ones.
• Before his ascension, He left us with that hope. The celebration of the Solemnity of His Ascension should remind us never to squander that precious promise.