Solemnity of Ascension of the Lord Mark 16,15-20

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And those who believe will be accompanied by these signs: in my name they will cast out evil spirits, they will speak in new languages, they will take up snakes in their hands, and if they drink something deadly, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.” When the Lord Jesus told them this, he was taken into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. They dispersed and preached everywhere. The Lord helped them and confirmed their words with the signs that accompanied them › Mk 16, 15-20. 

The religious field also offers the opportunity to work with our imagination. And it is she who gives our faith a robust human dimension. However, the problem with imagination is that it can differ significantly from reality. Therefore, when they visited Israel – the Holy Land and walked around the holy places- some pilgrims said that they imagined it all differently. It is even more complicated when we want to imagine some otherworldly or spiritual reality, such as heaven.

Today, we celebrate Jesus’ ascension into heaven. And maybe we want to imagine heaven. Is our imagination getting closer to reality?

We must eliminate all material ideas, like heaven is in space. This is what people believed in the past or what children believed. Today’s Gospel says that Jesus sat down at the right hand of God. So he did not return to some place, as we would like to imagine, but to a new dimension where he is no longer up, down, sideways, or behind. Ascension to heaven is a return to God. Life in heaven means life with God. Cardinal Walter Kasper, a well-known German theologian, says that heaven is not something that already exists but will come into existence at the moment when the first creation definitively unites with God; that is, heaven was created at the moment when Christ rose from the dead and returned to the Father with a glorified body. Jesus did not ascend into heaven, which already existed, but ascended to create heaven. He said: “When I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be” (Jn 14:3).

What practical consequences does this celebration have for us? In Jesus’ glorified Body, a part of our world was united with God. It’s just the beginning that will continue. In the spirit of St. Paul’s theology, Christ is the Head, and the Church is the Body. However, this is not only here on earth; one day, it will be in eternity. There, too, Christ will have a body, and it will be those who testify with their lives that they are worthy to be close to God.

The ascension also confirms that Jesus is still present among us. He said: “I am with you always, until the end of the world” (Mt 28, 20). After all, he had not been on earth for about five years when he said to Shavloví: “Why are you persecuting me?” His question confirms that he is present among us in a unique way. It is primarily the presence of the Holy Spirit; therefore, his presence is also spiritual. In his word and the community of believers, he is present in a particular way in the sacraments – especially in a unique presence under the forms of bread and wine.

Encourage ourselves on this day so that in our earthly life, we ​​do not forget the meeting with Jesus in heaven. Jesus said, “he who believes and is baptized will be saved.” So baptism and faith will take us to heaven. However, these two facts must be protected throughout our lives. Baptism and faith mean, above all, that the baptized person lives according to the teachings of Jesus and believes in everything that Jesus gave to the Church and that she gives to her believers. And if we believe that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer, then we will have no problem believing in all the other truths that flow from this fact.

Saint Paul said that we cannot even imagine what God has prepared for all those who love him. That’s why we can’t fully imagine even heaven. But let’s imagine it as a return to the Father who loves us, like meeting Jesus. After all, we can imagine love relationships a little.

Impulses: After the mission command, Jesus tells the apostles that various signs will accompany those who believe. Among them will also be healing from multiple ailments. It is also a severe mission for the Church and Christians today. The most significant diseases are depression, loneliness, and fear. A great space opens up for Christians to act in it with the healing love of Jesus.