I am not entirely sure when this became true for me in my life, but I absolutely love the mystery of our Lord’s Ascension — both because of what this mystery signifies and because of the reality God communicates to us through Jesus’ bodily Ascension to the right hand of the Father.
If we have any understanding of God’s holiness and our own sinfulness, then we can begin to recognize that this moment should not be happening. How in the world could our human nature stand in the midst of God’s presence? Not only in God’s presence, but seated at His right hand — such a prominent seat, given to one who executes the King’s commands for His Kingdom. A seat of such prominence that it is above all nine choirs of angels. This position is given to Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, who shares in our humanity.
Who are we to deserve something so powerful and amazing as this? The truth is that we have done absolutely nothing to deserve it, nor will we ever do anything that could amount to deserving such a great honor as God has in store for us. He freely offers it to us through His Son, Jesus.
Our human nature — which has turned its back on God since the beginning, which is always inclined toward lower and earthly goods instead of the true spiritual good, which has always been subjected to decay, destruction, and death — now sits glorified next to the Heavenly Father above all creation. If we truly understood this mystery, we would never want anything else except this: to always be with the One who has gifted us with immortality.
Another reason why the Ascension is one of my favorite mysteries is because, at this moment, our Lord commissioned His Apostles to proclaim the Good News, the Gospel. Our Lord instructed His eleven Apostles to go forth, make disciples of all nations, and teach them to observe everything He commanded.
The work of evangelization is essential to our lives as Christians. If we only come to Mass and pray but do not partake in evangelization, we are essentially living only half of the faith. All the graces we receive at Mass, in prayer, and in the other sacraments are given so that we may continue Christ’s saving mission.
Our faith is not our own. What we receive from God is not meant only for our personal well-being and sanctification. God expects each of us to utilize what He does within us so that all humanity might come to understand who He is and how He loves them.
The command given by the priest or deacon at the end of Mass is the clearest example of Holy Mother Church sending Her children out into the world: “Go in peace,” “Go forth, the Mass is ended,” “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord,” or “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.” These dismissals demonstrate how we are sent into the world to proclaim what God has done for us and what He invites us to share in.
The mystery of the Ascension calls to mind how God has restored our human nature in Jesus Christ and elevated it to the most prominent seat in the universe. This is the work of God. This is the reality in which we are invited to partake. The more we come to understand these mysteries of our faith, the more we understand why God sends us, His Mystical Body, to carry out His mission.