9 May, Thursday — Look up to the sky

Ascension

The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ (also called the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday, or sometimes Holy Thursday) commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. It is one of the ecumenical (shared by multiple denominations) feasts of Christian churches, ranking with the feasts of the Passion and Pentecost. Following the account of Acts 1:3 that the risen Jesus appeared for 40 days prior to his Ascension, Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day of Easter, although some Christian denominations have moved the observance to the following Sunday, sometimes called Ascension Sunday. The day of observance varies by ecclesiastical province in many Christian denominations, as with Methodists and Catholics, for example.

• Wikipedia

Acts 1:1-11
Eph 4:1-13
Mk 16:15-20

As he said this he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight.

I’ve watched a couple of documentaries and read books about ancient gods. Many of these gods resided in a certain place such as a mountain, ocean, or even a big rock. And to be in the dwelling place of these gods means one has to travel to that place. Imagine hearing about a god and realizing that to be in its dwelling place, you’ll have to travel far, considering there were no airplanes or cars back then.

Jesus, the true God, ascended into heaven. He did not just retreat to a mountain. He did not disappear into the sea. Instead, he was taken up to the sky. Can you imagine the Apostles going around and preaching about the Good News, being asked where Jesus went? They would certainly reply that Jesus went up to heaven. What a beautiful discovery it must have been to the early converts to know that wherever they go, they would always see the dwelling place of God!

That is true even for us. Now, we know that God is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament and we can say that God lives in our churches. Not many of us live near a church so in a sense, if we didn’t know that God is in the heavens, we’d still have to travel to see the dwelling place of God. For many of us, that still requires effort. For some of us who live in secluded places, it would be difficult to journey to a church. But not to worry, because we know Jesus has ascended to the sky. We only need to look up to the sky.

What’s even more amazing is that even if we leave the earth, even if we travel to space, we will still be enveloped by the heavens! I know it’s a really simple thought but at the same time, isn’t it so valuable a gift to us that God’s dwelling place is literally where anyone can see him?

I hope every now and then, we remember to look up the heavens, and say ‘hi’ to God.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Stephanie Villa)

Prayer: Dearest Lord God, may the heavens always remind me of your presence.

Thanksgiving: Thank you, Lord, for choosing to dwell in the heaven, making it really easy for me to see the place where you went.