THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD
(Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 46(47):2-3,6-9; Ephesians 4:1-13; Mark 16:15-20)

Theme: The Impactful Transition of Our Lord Jesus
   Our words stumble in their attempt to articulate the profound mystery of our Lord Jesus’ transition from our temporal reality into the realm of eternity. Yet, even as our words fail, we find solace in the fact that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who once walked among us – in our space and time – chose to die and rise from the dead for our salvation and before His Apostles, He was later taken up into heaven or lifted up, and the cloud veiled Him from their sight, but His presence remains steadfast with us.
   Thus, when we reflect on the Scriptures' theological language about our Lord Jesus’ ascension, we are animated to celebrate His departure into an eternal order of life and communion with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, which makes Him closer to us and available to care for us and prepare us to follow Him to the place where He is seated at the right hand of God.   
   The fact that He is eternally seated above space and time assures us of his presence and His promise to perfect us and help us until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.  In other words, heaven and earth have become one by God’s power, and our Lord Jesus now governs God’s creation and animates God’s people to live, move, and have a happy and joyous life.
   Therefore, let us rejoice with the Psalmist, for our Lord Jesus is not absent but spiritually dwells within us. Just as the Father is in Jesus, and Jesus is in the Father, our Lord Jesus is in us.  His presence is renewed when we receive the Holy Eucharist. Thus, we are united with the divine-human being of Christ, operating within the order of eternity. He abides in us as the Eucharistic God-Man, who constantly guides and protects us in love.  
    Thus, we are not mere spectators in communion with Christ but active participants united with our risen and ascended Lord and Saviour. We are partakers of Christ's eternal sacrifice before the Father, witnesses of His marvellous deeds revealed in the Scriptures and encountered daily. We are also proclaimers of His good news, tasked with making our ascended Lord present in His world through our words and actions.
     Therefore, guided by the Holy Spirit, we must strive courageously to remain in His love because we are citizens of heaven and members of the Church of Christ. We possess the gifts to build up the body of Christ and to maintain His peace in us and the world until He returns in His glory