MOTION FOR PROMOTION

 
HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF ASCENSION OF THE LORD, YEAR A

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came from heaven, the son of man who is in heaven. Today is ascension Thursday; a day we commemorate Christ going up to heaven. His ascension to heaven returns him to the heavenly throne at the right hand of God from whence he came to earth (cf. John 1:14). Jesus’ ascension brings to an end the resurrection appearances. Whereas resurrection expresses the reality of Jesus’ triumph over death and the identity between the risen Lord and Jesus, ascension brings out the divine aspect of Jesus’ destiny. After the nailing on the cross comes the hailing into glory. Thus, the reality of the ascension of Jesus into heaven is a truth which provides the key to an understanding of many different aspects of our faith. For John Chrysostom, in the resurrection, the disciples saw the end but not the beginning, and in the ascension, they saw the beginning but not the end.

But what is ascension? This is the transfer of the risen body of Jesus to heaven, which implies his corporeal survival, final glorification, and his departure from the material universe. The same author wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles (from which the first Reading is got; 1:1-11). In his Gospel, Luke had given a very brief account of the ascension (Luke 24:51). There is a certain difference which is needed to point out between the two accounts. In the First account (Luke), the ascension appears to have taken place on the day of resurrection at Bethany, but in the Second account (Acts), and the ascension took place after forty days after the Resurrection. About this, we can simply suggest that it is a deliberate retelling of the story with more explicit details. Thus, Acts 1:9 is an extended version of Luke 24:50.

Having charged his disciples to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father, which is the Holy Spirit, and having interrogated with them concerning the power of this same Holy Spirit, Jesus was taken up to heaven. As the disciples were still gazing into heaven, two men in white robes came and spoke to them concerning the hopeful return of Christ. From this episode, we notice that the ascension of Christ is a prelude to Jesus’ sending of the Holy Spirit upon his disciples at the feast of Pentecost. There are some theological features in this episode. The cloud is clearly an allusion to the coming of the son of man in the clouds at the parousia. Also, the ascension here is a necessary prelude to the coming of the Spirit who is the paraclete. But in all, the ascension is a necessary proof of the completion of the mission of the Christ.

There is the significance of the mountain. The mediator of the new covenant Jesus has ascended not a mere mountain but that which represents heaven. In order to draw us up, he needs to be up. He ascended into heaven. Heaven, according to the Old Testament is the inaccessible home of God which symbolizes his transcendence (Isa. 66:1; Ps. 115:16). For human beings to even aspire to scale its heights is utter arrogance (cf. Gen. 11:4ff), although by God’s gift, some chosen ones like Enoch (Gen. 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11) were taken up to be with God. The mountain here signifies a platform for greater heights. Ascension calls to our mind the move we must make with Jesus to the mountain which is a place for greater heights. Going with Jesus to the mountain assures our success and eternal life with God. The mount of ascension is the mountain of upliftment and promotion. Your motion to the mountain ensures your promotion. I wish you the blessings that flow with ascension. God bless you.