After the Ascension, a new presence of Christ

The Ascension of the Lord reveals some profound mysteries that have a major bearing on our lives.

First, Jesus’s return to God the Father paradoxically reminds us of the Incarnation, His coming down to our world, becoming one of us. The Incarnation reflects just how great the God the Father’s love for us is, that He sent His Son to dwell among us.

By so doing, Jesus replaced the old way, the old covenant, in which the relationship of men and women with God had unfortunately had become formulaic – comply with these rules and you can be assured of God’s commitment to the human race.

Jesus changed that. Through Him, all of us have access to the Holy of Holies, God’s presence. We can go into the holiest of place.

Second, Jesus must go back up to God so that He can present to us in another manner -- through others. Every time anyone receives the love of a sister/brother, it is the presence of Jesus. And when they share their love, they are Jesus present to that person. They—and we—are to be Jesus in this world. We are to be the visible presence of Jesus.

We are now Christ to one another. A truly challenging and a scary responsibility.

We must ask ourselves, when people see me, do they see Jesus? When people see me, do they want to know Jesus? Do they want to join our community, share our life, and make the Gospel the foundation of their life?

The Ascension signals this new reality: When Jesus left, He gave us a very important mission – to continue His loving presence in the world.