Changed, Not Ended

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Readings: Acts 1:1-11 / Ephesians 1:17-23 / Luke 24:46-53

“Men of Galilee, why are you gazing in astonishment at the sky?”

It’s a simple question, but a jarring one.

Picture the moment: the disciples standing with their eyes fixed on the clouds, watching Jesus vanish from their sight. Wouldn’t you be astonished?

And yet, they might be wide-eyed and full of wonder, maybe a little confused … but they don’t seem to be crushed.

They’re not falling to their knees, collapsing in grief.

Instead, St. Luke tells us that they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple, praising God.

What’s going on here? Why joy? Why not grief and sorrow?

The words of the angels give us a clue: “Just as you have seen him ascend into heaven, so, in like manner, shall he return.”

In other words: this is not the end.

We often think of the Ascension as Jesus’ great farewell, as though He’s saying goodbye, stepping out of history and leaving us behind.

But that’s not what’s happening. This is not Jesus leaving the party early. It’s His enthronement as our Great High Priest.

Remember the high priest on Yom Kippur, how he would enter the Holy of Holies after offering the sacrifice of atonement to symbolically present the blood of that sacrifice to God.

Then he would come back and take his seat in the high place, in the sight of all the people, to show that the offering had been accepted and peace between God and man had been restored.

Jesus is doing the same.

He goes up into Heaven, our great High Priest, not to abandon us, but to bring His perfect sacrifice into the heavenly sanctuary.

He presents, not the blood of animals, but His own blood.

He brings our humanity, which He has made His own: our wounds, our struggles, our very nature—into the heart of God.

This is the astonishing truth of the Ascension, everybody:

In Christ, we are lifted up, and we now have a place in God.

And so, all the old distinctions are erased: Heaven is no longer some far-off place, beyond the stars; God is not remote.

Heaven is here; it is now, as we are reconciled with God and held in the embrace of His love.

And yet, sometimes, God still feels very far away.

We might understand the theology, but where do we find him, now that Christ has taken his seat the right hand of God?

Again, listen to the angels. “Why are you standing there, looking up at the sky?”

In other words: He’s not up there. Don’t look for him in the clouds. Look around. Look within.

He hasn’t abandoned us. His presence hasn’t ended. It has changed… It has expanded.

And friends, this is the heart of our Eucharistic faith.

Christ is here—really, truly, substantially present.

The same Jesus who broke bread with the disciples at Emmaus is present with us now, at the altar.

The one who was lifted up into Heaven is now lifting us into communion with Him.

That’s why the disciples could rejoice.

They were not going back to a world without Jesus…

They were returning to a world filled with Him, where every place could become a holy place, every moment a potential encounter with God.

As St. Paul tells us in the second reading today, Christ has been enthroned “far above every principality,” and yet, He has also been given to the Church “as head over all things,” as “the fullness … who fills all things in every way.”

He is exalted, but He is never far away. His throne may be in heaven, but the fullness of His presence is here.

So, what does this mean for us?

It means that when we kneel before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, we’re not just honoring His memory.

We are in the presence of the Risen and Ascended Lord.

It means that when we feel lost or abandoned, we are not alone.

He has not left us orphans; He has made his dwelling deep within our souls, where nothing can ever separate us from His love.

And it means that when we step out into the world, He goes with us.

“You will be my witnesses,” he says.

That’s not just a command; it’s a fact. It’s a promise!

And from His throne in Heaven, He sends us His Spirit to clothe us with power from on high, so that we might lift others up with the hope and the joy of His love.

So, dear people, if you find yourself waiting or wondering where God is … remember this.

We don’t have to keep looking up into the clouds.

Look around. Look within you. Look here, to this altar.

Christ is not gone. He is not far away.

He is here, already reigning, already present in the breaking of the bread, in the hearts of His people, in every corner of the world that opens itself to His love.

Lift up your hearts…

Because Christ has been lifted up…

And we—his Body—are being lifted up with him, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.