(The Nationalist, 21 May 2004)
‘The Ascension of Christ at the end of his time on earth is his liberation from restrictions of time and space. It does not mean his removal from the earth, but his constant presence everywhere on earth. During his earthly ministry he could be in only one place at one time. But now that he is united with God, he is present wherever God is present, and that is everywhere.’ (William Temple)
The presence of Christ in the world takes different forms, for example, in:
Nature: ‘Through the beauty and grandeur of creation we contemplate its author’. (Wisdom 13.5);
Conscience: it is the voice of God in the sanctuary of the spirit;
The Bible, which is the word of the Lord;
The Sacraments. All of the sacramental presences of Christ are real presences;
Charity: Where there is charity and love, God is there.
Wherever two or three are gathered together in the name of Jesus, he is there among them.
Jesus completed the work his Father had given him, and ascended to him. He handed his followers the task of continuing his mission. We are to be God’s presence in the world. That may seem too large a task. ‘We lament that God is powerless, but if he were powerful in our universe, what would be left for us to do? We cannot in the one breath call for freedom, as humankind has always done, and in the next call for continuous divine intervention’. (Seán Ó Conaill)
We should do everything as if it depended on us, and trust as if everything depended on God.
The Ascension is a celebration of hope. It means that the world, and human life in it, are going somewhere. It’s not a directionless drift but has meaning and purpose. That’s something to be grateful for.