These are the words of the Pope in introducing the Marian prayer, today at St Peter’s Square:
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today, in Italy and in other countries, the solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated. The Gospel passage ( Mk 16: 15-20) – the conclusion of the Gospel of Mark – presents us with the last meeting of the Risen One with the disciples before going up to the right hand of the Father. Usually, we know, farewell scenes are sad, they give those who remain a feeling of bewilderment, of abandonment; instead, all this does not happen to the disciples. Despite their detachment from the Lord, they do not appear disconsolate, on the contrary, they are joyful and ready to leave as missionaries in the world.
Why aren’t the disciples sad? Why should we also rejoice to see Jesus ascend to heaven?
The ascension completes the mission of Jesus among us. In fact, if it is for us that Jesus came down from heaven, it is always for us that he ascends there. After having descended into our humanity and having redeemed it – God, the Son of God, descends and becomes man, takes our humanity, and redeems it – now he ascends to heaven taking our flesh with him. He is the first man who enters heaven because Jesus is man, true man, he is God, true God; our flesh is in heaven and this gives us joy. To the right of the Father now sits a human body, for the first time, the body of Jesus, and in this mystery, each of us contemplates his own future destination. It is not at all a question of abandonment, Jesus remains forever with the disciples, with us. He remains in prayer, because He, as a man, prays to the Father, and as God, man and God, He makes Him see the wounds, the wounds with which he redeemed us. The prayer of Jesus is there, with our flesh: he is one of us, God man, and he prays for us. And this must give us certainty, indeed a joy, a great joy! And the second reason for joy is the promise of Jesus. He told us: “I will send you the Holy Spirit”. And there, with the Holy Spirit, that commandment is made that He gives precisely in the farewell: “Go into the world, proclaim the Gospel”. And it will be the power of the Holy Spirit that takes us there in the world, to bring the Gospel. It is the Holy Spirit of that day, which Jesus promised, and then nine days later he will come on the feast of Pentecost. It is precisely the Holy Spirit who has made it possible for all of us to be like this today. A great joy! Jesus has gone to heaven: the first man before the Father. He left with the plagues, which were the price of our salvation, and pray for us. And then he sends us the Holy Spirit, he promises us the Holy Spirit, to go out to evangelize. For this the joy of today, for this the joy of this day of the Ascension.
Brothers and sisters, on this feast of the Ascension, as we contemplate Heaven, where Christ has ascended and sits at the right hand of the Father, we ask Mary, Queen of Heaven, to help us to be courageous witnesses of the Risen in the world in the concrete situations of life.
Vatican News – [00660-EN.02] [Original text: Italian]
Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary
