The Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord: What it means for our lives

The Ascension can be a hard idea for people to understand. What does that have to do with me? What does the feast mean for us today?

Well for one thing, it’s not Jesus’ space trip up into the sky, but a translation of this earthly reality into the heavenly dimension. The Ascension is so intrinsically linked to the feast of Pentecost we will celebrate next Sunday - as Jesus goes up into the heavenly realm, the Holy Spirit descends into the earthly realm. The meeting of heaven and earth is a transfiguration of earth by heaven!

As the Church (a community of Jesus), we are transfigured by Christ and his heavenly power through the Holy Spirit from our baptism, it is our job - or it is more fitting to say the very purpose of our lives to bring earth and heaven together!

Great Christian architecture such as our Cathedrals and Churches don’t take us out of our reality, but remind us of our greater reality, pointing to heaven as heaven comes down to earth - so too must our work, daily routines, actions, words and thoughts point to heaven as we receive the graces of God descending upon us. When together we sing and pray “may our voices be one with theirs” - Fr John in the mass reminds us that we are in communion with all the angels and saints in heaven praising God. That is the one body of heaven and earth (all brother and sisters) united in the work of the Church!