Jesus will come
Ascension of the Lord - A
Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:17-23; Matthew 28:16-20
"No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man" (John 3:13). On March 25, God's Word, like a mighty warrior, fell from heaven on the earth to save the fallen humanity. When the Immaculate Virgin Mary spoke her "Fiat" (Luke 1:38) the mystery of the Incarnation began: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). Today St. Luke describes the scene how the Incarnate Word of God ascended to heaven. The Son of Man brings our redeemed humanity to the Father's house.
"And a cloud took him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9). What happened behind that cloud is described by the prophet Daniel. The Son of Man coming "with the clouds of heaven" approaches "the Ancient of Days" and receives "dominion, glory, and an indestructible kingdom" (Daniel 7:13-14). Matthew does not describe the scene of the ascension of Christ, but we can presume that between his resurrection in Jerusalem and that meeting with his disciples in Galilee, Jesus ascended to the Father to receive "all authority in heaven and on earth" (Matt. 28:18). But what kind of authority?
In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that before sending the twelve apostles to the "lost sheep of Israel," Jesus shared with them the authority to cast out unclean spirits and to heal every disease and affliction (Matt. 10:1). It was an authority for good, for our salvation. Did this change after the ascension? No. The Son of Man still shares his saving power with the Church, with the difference that now the mission covers the whole world (Matt. 28: 19-20). Moreover, since his ascension, the authority of the Son of Man is "an everlasting authority" (Daniel 7:14), and the entire universe is subjected to it - including the invisible spiritual authorities (Eph. 1:21-22; Phil. 2:9-11).
From the moment the Son of Man sat down at the Father's right hand (Eph. 1:20), the mission of the Church has begun. When God sent Moses to lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt, he assured him of his presence: "I will be with you" (Ex. 3:12). Sending His disciples into the world, the Risen Christ gives them the same assurance: "I am with you" (Matt. 28:20). Thus, we can say that as "I AM" sent Moses (Ex. 3:14), so also "I AM" sends the Church. Jesus is truly Emmanuel, "God with us" (Matt. 1:23). He is with us in this world till the end of history (Matt. 28:20), and he shall be with us forever in the new heaven and new earth (Rev. 21:3).
Christ "Pantokrator" - "Ruler of all" - sends his disciples to the world to "disciple all the nations" (Matt. 28:19). The process of "making disciples" includes the following two activities: baptizing and teaching. Baptism unites us with Christ, we become adopted children of the Father and the temple of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). On the other hand, catechesis aims to form us in faith, so that we may know "the hope to which he has called [us], the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe" (Eph. 1:18-19). But before that mission can begin, the disciples are to wait for power from on high (Luke 24:49), namely the descend of the Holy Spirit.
"They were gazing into heaven" (Acts 1:10) to pierce that cloud that took him out of their sight and see "the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56). Christ mounted his throne, but they remained on the earth with the task of preaching the Gospel and the promise that Jesus would return (Acts 1:11). And although they returned to Jerusalem "with great joy" (Luke 24:52), the longing for Jesus never left them. Wherever they preached the Gospel, there was also a prayer ascending to heaven: "Come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20; 1 Cor. 16:22) to us "in the same way" you went to heaven! (Acts 1:11).