Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (Homily)
May 08, 2016 11:00 am · Sergio Muñoz Fita
We have many things to celebrate on this second Sunday in the beautiful month of May. First I would like to say Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers here today. What a beautiful vocation God has called you to. Also today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord. Right before the Disciples eyes, Jesus ascends into Heaven. He's gone from their sight, and they are left standing, looking intently at the sky. We might feel a twinge of sadness when we picture this scene from our Gospel reading today. We might be tempted to say Jesus has gone to Heaven and left us alone. However on closer examination we see this is not the case.
In the Office of Readings from today's liturgy of the hours we hear the words of the great father and doctor of the Church St. Augustine, as he proclaims: "Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; let our hearts ascend with him. Listen to the words of the Apostle: If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth. For just as he remained with us even after his ascension, so we too are already in heaven with him, even though what is promised us has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies." Here we see through the words of St. Augustine that Heaven and Earth are closely united. Jesus has become the bridge between Heaven and Earth.