Looking up into the sky
Ascension of the Lord
Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:17-23 or Ephesians 4:1-13; Mark 16:15-20
“They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going"(Acts 1:10). To understand the meaning of this sentence, we must go back to the Old Testament and the story of the assumption of Elijah (2 Kings 2:1-15). When Elisha, a disciple of Elijah, realized that his teacher was about to be taken up to heaven, he asked for a "double portion" of his teacher’s spirit. "If you see me being taken from you, it will be yours - otherwise, it will not" (2 Kings 2:10), said Elijah in response. "After he [Jesus] said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight" (Acts 1:9). Elisha also saw Elijah going up to heaven in a whirlwind and his wish was fulfilled. "The Spirit of Elijah has settled on Elisha!" (2 Kings 2:15) and he was able to perform similar signs and wonders.
Today, the liturgy tells us how Jesus' disciples saw the Lord Jesus ascending into heaven. Before that, however, he announces that the Holy Spirit will come upon them, so they can be His witnesses all over the world (Acts 1:8). Furthermore, the Gospel shows us that when Jesus was taken up into heaven and sat at the right hand of the Father, the disciples began to proclaim the Gospel “to all creation", and Christ "confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it" (Mark 16:20).
The similarities between the experience of Elisha and that of the apostles are striking. Elisha received the double portion of the spirit of Elijah and the apostles the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit who accompanied Jesus in His earthly ministry will now accompany the Church in the evangelization of nations. Elisha continued the mission of Elijah and performed signs and wonders, the apostles continue the mission of the Lord, preaching the Gospel of Christ and its truth is confirmed by signs and wonders. Thus, they draw people to Christ and build the Church - the body of Christ (Eph. 4:12).
The ascension of Jesus fulfilled Daniel's prophecy about the Son of Man, who received from God “an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away” (Dan. 7:14). The eternal Word of God, which became “flesh” for us (John 1:14), sits at the right hand of the Father, “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion" (Eph. 1:21), far above all spiritual powers. All God’s angels worship and serve Christ (Heb. 1: 6-7). The meaning of Christ’s ascension into heaven is explained in the prefaces of the Ascension of the Lord. Our Lord ascended into heaven “not to distance himself from our lowly state but that we, His members, might be confident of following” Him (Preface I) and that He could “make us sharers in His divinity” (Preface II).
“Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? (Acts 1:11). Together with the apostles, we saw today our Lord ascending into heaven. Though the cloud hid Him from our sight, faith can pierce through that cloud and enable us to see "heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56). In few days, we shall again be clothed with power from on high when the Holy Spirit descends upon us. Then, with renewed courage, we shall obey Jesus’ missionary mandate: "go to all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation!" (Mark 16:15). People of the 21st century await our testimony.