Day 94: Christ’s Ascension into Heaven (659-667)

• It’s Day 94!!

• We are reading ALL ABOUT THE ASCENSION

• ARTICLE 6 HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, AND IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY

• There are some REALLY INCREDIBLE THINGS about the Ascension

• Paragraph 659 says, “Christ’s body was glorified at the moment of his Resurrection, as proved by the new and supernatural properties it subsequently and permanently enjoys. But during the forty days when he eats and drinks familiarly with his disciples and teaches them about the kingdom, his glory remains veiled under the appearance of ordinary humanity. Jesus’ final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory…”

• We talked about this before but it is worth highlighting ONCE AGAIN

• In the Ascension, Christ unites DEFINITIVELY AND ABSOLUTELY humanity to divinity

• WHICH IS REMARKABLE!!

• The Ascension COMPLETES the saving work of Jesus Christ on earth

• We believe in His life, death, Resurrection, AND Ascension into Heaven

• He also sends the Holy Spirit that brings ALL THESE GRACES

• The Holy Spirit imparts ALL OF THESE GRACES that Jesus Christ WON through His life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension into Heaven

• Christ’s Ascension completes the saving mission that He began in the Incarnation

• You could say it began in the moment when God started pursuing us right after The Fall

• It culminates with His Ascension into Heaven

• Why?

• Christ’s Death provides our REDEMPTION

• It makes satisfaction for OUR SINS

• BUT…

• It is His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven that OPENS THE GATES OF HEAVEN FOR HUMANITY

• Why?

• Because the HUMANITY that Jesus assumed is brought definitively up into DIVINITY

• Hopefully these words make sense and touch your heart

• Let’s pray!!

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, we thank you. We thank you for the gift of your Son. We thank you for the gift of His life, His suffering, His death, and His Resurrection. And today, Lord, we thank you for the gift of the Ascension of your Son Jesus into Heaven. Thank you for bringing the humanity that you took upon yourself, that you united to yourself, thank you for bringing that humanity into Heaven so that we can have access to you and you permanently have access to us. Help us to always recognize that as the Son continues to offer Himself to you, Father, that we are united to that offering and we become part of that offering, participate in that offering so that we ourselves may offer ourselves to you continually in this life, and with your grace, in your presence, and in Eternal Life forever. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen”

• THERE WE ARE!!

• Jesus Christ unites HUMANITY to DIVINITY in a PERMANENT IRREVOCABLE WAY

• Paragraph 659 says, “Jesus’ final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory…”

• SO IMPORTANT!!

• Paragraphs 661 and 662 is the REALITY that we have ACCESS to the Father

• Paragraph 661 says, “This final stage stays closely linked to the first, that is, to his descent from heaven in the Incarnation. Only the one who ‘came from the Father’ can return to the Father: Christ Jesus. ‘No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from Heaven, the Son of Man.’ Left to its own natural powers humanity does not have access to the ‘Father’s house,’ to God’s life and happiness.”

• THIS IS SO INCREDIBLE!!

• When we talk about Jesus UNLOCKING THE GATES OF HEAVEN this is what we are talking about

• ON OUR OWN we CANNOT have access to the Father’s house, to God’s life and happiness

• Paragraph 661 continues, “Only Christ can open to man such access that we, his members, might have confidence that we too shall go where he, our Head and our Source, has preceded us.”

• THIS IS SO REMARKABLY IMPORTANT!!

• ON OUR OWN we do not have access to the Father

• GOD IS GOOD!!

• He always reaches out to His children

• He always reaches out to His creations

• God reaches out to ALL HUMAN BEINGS

• BECAUSE HE LOVES US!!

• GOD LOVES EVERY HUMAN BEING HE HAS EVER CREATED!!

• AND YET…

• We do not have ACCESS to the Father’s house

• We do not have ACCESS to His life and His happiness

• EXCEPT…

• For the fact that Jesus has brought OUR HUMANITY TO HEAVEN

• Because of that we now have ACCESS to the Father

• And He has ACCESS to us

• WHICH IS JUST REMARKABLE!!

• IT IS WORTH PRAYING ABOUT DEEPLY!!

• Paragraph 662 says, “‘And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.’”

• Have you thought about this?

• When Jesus is lifted up from the earth ALL HUMAN BEINGS are drawn by the love of God on the Cross

• HIS SELF OFFERING ON THE CROSS!!

• DRAWN TO HIM!!

• YES!! 

• THAT IS COMPLETELY TRUE!!

• Paragraph 662 continues, “The lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and announces his lifting up by his Ascension into heaven, and indeed begins it. Jesus Christ, the one priest of the new and eternal Covenant, ‘entered, not into a sanctuary made by human hands…but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.’”

• What does Jesus do when He ascends to heaven?

• HE LIVES AS THE ETERNAL PRIEST!!

• He continually offers Himself up as a sacrifice of love to the Father

• United that divinity that’s I mean…

• (SQUIRREL!! 😉)

• Think about this…

• We talked about The Trinity in the past

• What is the Trinity?

• God is LOVE

• THE INNERMOST SECRET OF THE TRINITY IS ETERNAL EXCHANGE OF LOVE!!

• FROM ALL ETERNITY the Son has been offering Himself to the Father in Love

• NOW…

• With the Ascension there is a NEW REALITY that is introduced into the life of the Trinity

• The Eternal Son of the Father, who has ALWAYS been offering Himself to the Father in an offering of Love, is also offering HUMANITY to the Father in Love

• This Sacrifice that He made on the Cross…

• THE ONE AND ETERNAL SACRIFICE once for all is constantly being poured out

• Jesus’ HUMANITY is united to His DIVINITY

• Paragraph 662 says, “‘...now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.’ There Christ permanently exercises his priesthood, for he ‘always live to make intercession’ for ‘those who draw near to God through him.’ As the ‘high priest of the good things to come’ he is the center and the principal actor of the liturgy that honors the Father in heaven.”

• Think about this…

• Every time we offer the holy sacrifice of the Mass, the ministerial priest on earth shares in the one Eternal Priesthood of Jesus

• BUT…

• Jesus Himself is THE CENTER AND PRINCIPAL ACTOR of the Liturgy that honors the Father in Heaven

• When we go to Mass, that is what is happening!! (Ooooh this looks like a great place to refer you to this amazing video of what Mass is really like for us!! The Veil Removed - Film 😃)

• We are tapping into that ONCE FOR ALL SACRIFICE

• We are tapping into WHAT HAPPENED AT CALVARY

• We are tapping into THE LAST SUPPER

• We are tapping into WHAT IS CONSTANTLY PERMANENTLY HAPPENING IN HEAVEN

• Paragraph 662 says, “There Christ permanently exercises his priesthood, for he ‘always lives to make intercession’ for ‘those who draw near to God through him.’”

• THIS IS JUST INCREDIBLE!!

• INCREDIBLE!!

• What difference does the Ascension make?

• It completes the work of redemption

• It UNITES humanity to divinity

• We have ACCESS to the Father’s house in a way that was IMPOSSIBLE BEFORE

• The great worship that we participate in on earth is a participation in the worship that is happening IN HEAVEN

• ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE MADE REAL BECAUSE OF THE ASCENSION!!

• What difference does the Ascension make?

• ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH!!

• WE PRAISE GOD TODAY FOR THE REALITY OF THE ASCENSION!!

• WE PRAISE GOD TODAY FOR THE FACT THAT JESUS ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY

• IT IS PART OF OUR FAITH!!

• IT IS PART OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!!

• MAN!! (OH MAN!! 😉)

• THE WORK OF REDEMPTION COMPLETED!!

• HUMANITY UNITED TO DIVINITY IRREVOCABLY!!

• HEAVEN OPENED!!

• WE HAVE ACCESS TO THE LIFE AND THE LOVE AND THE HAPPINESS OF THE FATHER!!

• WE GET TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS WORSHIP THAT IS HAPPENING CONSTANTLY IN HEAVEN!!

• EVERY TIME WE PARTICIPATE IN THE WORSHIP OF THE MASS ON EARTH!!

• OH MY GOSH!!

• WHAT A GIFT!!

• “Lord, thank you so much for this gift!!”

• Let’s keep trucking along!!

• Hopefully it feels like we are flying along right now and going deep

• THIS IS JUST INCREDIBLE!!

• Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!

• Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!

• I cannot WAIT to see you tomorrow!!