The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven - Cardinal Bacci

The Second Glorious Mystery

The Ascension of Jesus into Heaven

1. Forty days after His glorious resurrection Jesus came with all His friends, among them His Mother, to the Mount of Olives. This area had already witnessed the opening phase of His passion, which was all the more poignant, perhaps, because in Gethsemane it was not His body which was lacerated by scourges and nails, but His soul which experienced the agonising vision of the sins and ingratitude of the human race. Now, however, He is here with a glorified body as the conqueror of sin and of death. He looks for the last time on His small band of followers, to whom He has entrusted His mission of transforming the entire universe by preaching and putting into practice the Gospel message throughout the world. Now He promises them the Holy Spirit, Who will give them the power to overcome evil. Then He is lifted up towards Heaven, until a bright cloud hides Him from their sight.

Perhaps the Blessed Mother was the last to take her eyes off the disappearing cloud which had removed Jesus from view. Her human eyes never saw again the beloved figure of her divine Son, but in her soul she saw Him entering triumphantly into Heaven among choirs of Angels and sitting at the right hand of the Eternal Father. She saw, and thought with infinite yearning of the not too distant day when she would have passed from mortal exile into the everlasting happiness of Heaven, where she would embrace her divine Son again in an ecstasy of love.

We have all been called to ascent to Heaven with Jesus and Mary. Let us remember, however, that only the innocent and the repentant can be admitted into Paradise. If we have been unfortunate enough to have lost our baptismal innocence, only the second way is left to us – the way of penance. We must purify ourselves of our sins by means of good works.

2. We must ascend higher and higher towards the summit of Christian perfection.

In the course of our ascent we must never stop and decide that we have gone far enough. To stop would inevitably mean going back. Jesus and Mary are inviting and encouraging us to go higher and higher.

Have we been purified of sin, the defiler of the soul and the destroyer of human dignity? Have we an intense horror even of venial sin, which separates us from God and kills the life of grace? It is still not enough; we must go higher.

Are we generous and unselfish in the fight to achieve holiness, guarding ourselves against the evil suggestions of the world, the flesh, and the devil? It is still not enough; we must continue to advance.

Do we carry the daily cross which God has entrusted to us and accept the burden with perfect resignation to His Holy Will? Very good, but even this is not enough.

3. O God, what more must we do for You? One thing only, He replies. We must belong altogether to Him, love only Him, and work only for Him. Then we shall have completed our ascent and shall be able to say with St. Paul: “It is now no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20) This is the final goal which we must strive whole-heartedly to attain.

The Ascension of Jesus - Cardinal Bacci

The Ascension of Jesus

1. After His glorious resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared to His Apostles. For forty days He instructed them concerning the kingdom of God. When He had announced to His followers that He would send the Holy Spirit to give them the enlightenment and courage to preach the Gospel, they gathered together on the Mount of Olives and saw Him taken away from them and borne upwards until a bright cloud hid Him from their view. The mystery of the Ascension contains a lesson for us. We must be detached from the world and brought closer to Heaven, which is our true home. We are so attached to earthly things because money, reputation and pleasure are closer to our hearts than the thought of God or of eternity. We shall have to leave all these things behind soon enough, however. When death comes, the world will slip away from us and the soul will stand alone before God. Let us begin to detach ourselves from worldly affairs and to make Heaven the object of our desires. Why should we be sorry or afraid to leave this earth? Remember the teaching of St. Paul. “Here we have no permanent city, but we seek for the city that is to come.” (Heb. 13:14) “For me to live is Christ,” he said, “and to die is gain... (Phil. 1:21) desiring to depart and to be Christ, a lot by far the better.” (Phil. 1:23) Let us pray in the beautiful words of the Church: “Lord, grant that while we are living in this changing world we may aspire to the true happiness of Heaven, so that in the midst of earthly vicissitudes our hearts may be content in this ambition.” (Roman Breviary) Let us not be afraid of death, for it is only the gate of Heaven.

2. Meditate on the thoughts of St. Augustine concerning the mystery of the Ascension. “Dearly beloved brethren, our Saviour has ascended into Heaven. We who remain on earth should not be too troubled about this. Rather let us raise our thoughts to Heaven and we shall find rest there. Our hearts can ascend with Christ in the expectation that one day our bodies can also ascend. Let us remember, however, that our pride, avarice and sensuality cannot go up to Christ. None of our vices can find a place alongside our divine Healer. Therefore, if we wish to ascend to our divine Healer, we must cast off vice and sin. These are like fetters which hold us back and tie us to the ground... Even as the Resurrection of Christ is our hope, so His Ascension should be the beginning of our glorification... God is high above us. If you seek to reach Him with pride, He flies from you. If on the other hand you are humble, He comes down to meet you...” (Sermo 2 de Ascens. Dom.) When we meditate on the Ascension, we should humbly ask God to give us the grace to strip ourselves of our sins and defects. Then we shall be able to fly towards Him with love and hope in this life, and when our soul has been set free from the body which imprisons it on earth we shall be able to set out on our last joyful flight into His presence. These are the reflections which should be in our minds around the feast of the Ascension. These are the desires which we should foster and the resolutions which we should form. Let us ask Our Lord to bless them.

3. O Mary, my most holy Mother, implore of your divine Son Jesus, now ascended into Heaven, that I may be more detached from the useless and passing goods of this earth. Ask Him to purify my soul from every stain of sin and to strengthen my will in its good resolutions. Ask Him that my heart may rise nearer to God and to you through its desire for perfection. Amen.