Today we observe the External Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. In being taken up, it would seem that the Lord was giving His final goodbye to His apostles. In reality, by being taken up to Heaven, He is not giving a final goodbye nor making a departure, but is becoming more accessible to them—and thus to us.
As Saint Augustine stated, Christ “did not leave heaven when He came down to us, nor did He withdraw from us when He went up again into Heaven.” By ascending, He transitioned from being beside His followers to being among them in a universal way. If He had stayed on this earth, He could only be present in one place at a time; but now, He is universally present.
Through the Ascension, Christ is glorified and thus no longer bound by space and time. We especially see this in the Eucharist, where Christ is present with us—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. In the tabernacle is truly God’s presence among us, physically and not merely symbolically. This is possible because He has been taken up to Heaven and has not left us abandoned.
Now, with our sight set upon Him, we are able to be led to where He has gone. He is the forerunner, which means that His goodbye is not final. Instead, He is simply the first to walk through the door, which He now holds open for everyone else. Will we place our trust in Him and allow Him to lead us into Paradise, or will we instead attempt (though it is impossible) to enter by another gate?
As we recite in the Nicene Creed, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” This time between the Ascension and the Second Coming is not an absence, but a vigil. In ancient marriage customs, the groom would leave his bride to go to his father’s house to prepare a place. In going up, He prepares such a place for us—but will we be found watchful and awake?
We must remain in constant readiness, for “no one knows the day nor the hour.” A vigil requires a state of constant readiness so that we may be found prepared. Frequent confession and a daily examination of conscience assist us in being ready to meet the Lord at any moment—be it today, tomorrow, a week, a month, or years from now.
We are not just waiting for time to pass us by; we are entering into something that should be purgative. By remaining attentive to our spiritual lives, we grow in holiness each day as we continue to choose to follow Him. Living our lives as such a vigil allows us to take the Lord’s Ascension seriously, for through it the world has not been left empty, but expectant.
We must remain expectant, for this is not a "goodbye," but a "see you soon." Let us take this promise seriously and strive, with the assistance of God’s grace, toward where He has been taken up: the Kingdom of Heaven.
