Inbox Inspiration: May 24, 2020: Special - 20 The Ascension of the Lord

Special – 20
The Ascension of the Lord 
Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

Today, we continue the Easter Season and celebrate the Ascension of the Lord.
One of our Catholic theologians draws an exciting conclusion to what we celebrate today.
He says that Christ’s ascension into heaven reveals that we, in our humanity, have also entered the inner life of God.
The idea is that Christ is eternally in and one with God because he is the Son of God.
He is also God’s complete and lasting oneness with all human beings.
It is in Christ that there is this oneness of humanity and divinity.
And so, the Lord’s Ascension must also mean some eternal oneness of us with God.
This is what we call the life of heaven.
Maybe we can also say it this way.
Jesus himself is what we call heaven.
Heaven is not so much a place as it is a person, and the person is God or Christ.
Jesus, Christ is the person in whom God and humanity are inseparable and one.
And so, we enter into heaven to the extent that we are one with Jesus, Christ, the Son.
In this sense, our ascension into heaven is something that starts to happen right now.
So, at first the disciples interpreted Jesus’ ascension as being an absence, at least a temporary absence of Christ from the world.
But instead of that, the ascension really reminds us of a new and lasting presence – God’s presence to us and our presence to God in Jesus, Christ who is the union of humanity and divinity.
This presence or relationship is both the beginning of heaven right now and the promise of its fullness in the future.

Father Michael Schleupner

In addition to the usual Wednesday edition, I began these Special Inbox Inspirations on Fridays and Sundays when the Coronavirus Crisis began. On Fridays, there is a prayer related to the crisis and on Sundays, a reflection on the Sunday gospel. I hope these are helpful.