May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
The Ascension of Jesus is my favorite feast. For some people,
Christmas is their favorite feast. For others, it is Easter, or Pentecost, or
one of the feasts of Mary. But for me, it is the Ascension of the Lord Jesus
into heaven. This is my favorite feast.
With the Ascension of Jesus, I have a place in heaven. I have
access to the kingdom of the Father. With the Ascension of the Lord Jesus, we
have a place in heaven. We have access to the Kingdom of the Father.
On the twenty-fifth of March each year we celebrate the
Annunciation. On that day we remember the message of the Angel Gabriel to Mary.
We remember that Mary says yes to the invitation of the Lord. We remember that
the Word became flesh in her womb. Divinity and humanity are perfectly united
in the womb of the Virgin of Nazareth. Jesus is perfectly united with the
Father and perfectly united with us. And when Jesus ascends to the glory of the
Father, when the days of his earthly ministry were complete, the humanity of
Jesus enters into heaven. Humanity and divinity are present in the Kingdom of
the Father. Jesus goes before us to prepare a place for us. We can have a place
in heaven because the Lord Jesus has ascended to the Father.
And we have access to the Kingdom of the Father because Jesus
has ascended into heaven. Two of my favorite saints, Saint Ambrose and Saint
Leo, preach about this mystery. They say that with the ascension of Jesus, the
power of the earthly ministry of Jesus now passes into the sacraments of the
Church. The power and the presence of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ
remain with us and we have access to heaven. The power of the blessing of Jesus
as he ascends to the Father is the same power that was extended to me by the
imposition of apostolic hands. It is the same power that touched each of you in
the waters of baptism. It is the power that makes marriage holy. It is the
power that extends mercy. It is the power that heals the sick. It is the same
power that sends us forth, from generation to generation, with the message of
the Good News. It is the power that makes sinners into saints. We have access
to this power in the sacraments. We have access to the Kingdom of Heaven
because the Lord Jesus has ascended to the Father.
The Lord Jesus ascends to the Father and he prepares a place
in the Kingdom for you and for me. Through the power of the sacraments which
Jesus gave to his Church, he prepares you and me for a place in his Kingdom.
This is my favorite feast day. The Lord Jesus ascends into
heaven. Where he has gone, we hope to follow. Amen.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
