Related Articles
Introduction: The Promise of an Uplifted Hope
Every year, forty days after Easter Sunday, the Church celebrates one of the most luminous mysteries of Christianity: the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s an event often underestimated or overlooked, but one that holds a profoundly transformative truth: Christ did not merely rise from the dead to conquer death, but ascended into heaven to open the gates of eternity and remain with us in a new and deeper way.
This article aims to be more than just a theological explanation: it wants to be a living spiritual guide, accessible, that educates, inspires, and transforms, helping you live the Ascension not as a past memory, but as a present dynamism that lifts your daily life upward.
1. What Is the Ascension? A Look at the Event
According to the Gospel accounts and the book of Acts, Jesus, forty days after His resurrection, was taken up into heaven before His disciples’ eyes:
“After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.”
(Acts 1:9)
The Ascension is not a farewell, but a transformation of Christ’s presence: He is no longer in one geographic location, but present in all places and times through His Spirit. With His glorification, Jesus opens the way to the Father as Head of the Church, announcing that where He is, we too shall be (cf. Jn 14:2–3).
2. Biblical Roots and Historical Meaning
From the earliest centuries, Christians have recognized the Ascension as one of the fundamental articles of the Creed: “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.”
This event is not isolated, but the fulfillment of the plan of salvation already anticipated in the Old Testament. Psalm 47, for instance, proclaims:
“God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.”
(Psalm 47:5)
The Ascension is the climax of Easter, the final passage of the Son to the Father, after completing His redemptive mission.
3. Theological Relevance: Why Is the Ascension Important?
a. Christ as Our Eternal Mediator
By ascending, Jesus enters heaven with His glorified humanity. He brings our flesh into the heart of the Trinity, inaugurating a new relationship between God and humanity. This has enormous significance: our humanity is already seated at the right hand of the Father in the person of Christ!
“We have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”
(1 John 2:1)
b. The Sending of the Holy Spirit
Christ ascends to heaven so that the Holy Spirit may come. The Ascension prepares the way for Pentecost: His physical departure makes possible a deeper spiritual presence.
“Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you.”
(John 16:7)
c. The Kingdom Already Inaugurated
The Ascension means that Christ is already reigning, even though His Kingdom has not been fully manifested. It is now the time of the Church, the time of witnesses, of active waiting, of building the Kingdom within the world.
4. Practical and Spiritual Guide to Living the Ascension Today
1. Lift Up Your Gaze: Live with a Sense of Eternity
The Ascension invites us to live with our eyes lifted—not in the sense of ignoring the world, but of not becoming trapped in despair, consumerism, or superficiality.
Ask yourself each day:
Am I walking toward heaven or getting lost in the ephemeral?
🔸 Practice: Each morning, pray the words of Psalm 121:
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?”
2. Discover Your Dignity: You Are Called to Share in Glory
In ascending, Jesus does not abandon humanity—He elevates it. Each of us is called to that same glorification, to live a life that reflects the dignity of the children of God.
🔸 Practice: Examine your way of speaking, dressing, and using your time.
Does your life reflect that you are destined for heaven?
3. Be a Living Church: Embrace Your Mission as a Witness
Before ascending, Jesus left a mission:
“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
(Acts 1:8)
The Ascension is not the end, but the sending forth. Every Christian is a missionary. In your home, at work, on social media: you are a messenger of the ascended Christ.
🔸 Practice: Ask yourself this week:
Who can I bring a message of hope and faith to?
Take a concrete action: a call, a message, or a gesture that speaks of God.
4. Pray in Expectation of the Spirit: Live in the Spirit of Pentecost
After the Ascension, the apostles went up to the Upper Room and devoted themselves to prayer awaiting the promise of the Spirit.
🔸 Practice: From Ascension Thursday to Pentecost Sunday, pray a novena to the Holy Spirit. Ask for light, strength, and joy to live your faith in today’s world.
5. Pastoral Application: How to Preach and Live the Ascension in Community
- In the liturgy: The solemnity must be lived with a Paschal spirit. The homily should focus on hope, mission, and Christ’s spiritual presence.
- In catechesis: Explain that Jesus did not “go away,” but is now more present than ever, accompanying us from heaven.
- In community life: Promote prayer and missionary activities rooted in the hope of the Kingdom. Offer spaces to discern each person’s vocation in the Church.
6. The Ascension and Today’s World: A Call Against Despair
We live in times marked by existential anguish, fear of the future, and a loss of meaning. The Ascension is a vaccine against nihilism. It reminds us that:
- History is not chaos, but has a glorious end.
- We are not alone: Christ intercedes for us.
- Earth is not our final home, but it is our mission field.
Conclusion: “Seek the Things That Are Above”
St. Paul summarizes it clearly:
“Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
(Colossians 3:1)
The Ascension is a feast of hope, responsibility, and mission. Christ has ascended into heaven not to distance Himself from us, but to draw us to Him. The Christian life, in this time between the Ascension and His glorious return, is a joyful and confident pilgrimage toward eternity.
Final Prayer:
Lord Jesus, who ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us,
help us to live with our gaze fixed on You,
not to lose ourselves in what is fleeting,
and to be witnesses of Your Kingdom each day.
Send us Your Spirit to live with hope,
and teach us to walk as children of heaven,
here on earth. Amen.
