I always think it is fascinating that Jesus was on the earth for forty days after he rose from the dead. What was Jesus doing during those forty days? Luke explains: “To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). After that period of time, Jesus ascends to the right hand of God.

It is important to remember that Jesus ascended to the right hand of his Father in his body. While God the Word had descended to us and took on human flesh in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Incarnation, Jesus carried our humanity into the presence of God in his ascension. Just as we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so we will be raised with him into newness of life through his resurrection and ascension (Rom 8:3).

This is the hope that we find in the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. One of the church fathers, Leo the Great, comments: “For on this day not only have we been confirmed in our possession of paradise, but we have entered heaven in the person of Christ; through his ineffable grace we have regained far more than we had lost through the devil’s hand.” Come celebrate with us this reality on Ascension Day on Thursday, May 25. There will be a noon Eucharistic service with sandwiches served afterwards.