All three readings talk about Jesus being taken up into heaven or in a cloud or on high. These descriptions of the ascension actually tell us that Jesus is reunited with His Father and exalted in glory with the Father. Jesus not only has a new life that cannot be ended by death, He also is no longer limited by time or space as He was before He died. What does that mean for us?
Because He is not limited, He can be with us everywhere. Through His Spirit, He gives us the power and the courage to act as Jesus and the vision of faith so see Jesus in others. Now this takes some practice. One way we learn is through the lives of the saints. We see how God works through them to do great things. We learn that they become more and more like Jesus, in how they treat others with love and respect.
But if the saints seem too distant, we can look at someone we love. Whether it is a parent, spouse, brother, sister or friend, the good that they do and the love they show is from God. We can learn about God’s love for us by letting ourselves be loved by another.
The other side of the coin is seeing Jesus in ourselves. We may have to forgive ourselves for the bad choices we have made in the past, or the bad habits we still have. We also have to accept that God really does love us as his children. And we have to accept that sometimes, even when we do our best, we still seem to fail. But the God who brings life out of death also brings success out of failure. So, trust His promise that we have Jesus in us. Then do your best to follow Jesus and you may lead someone else to Him.
Tom Schmidt, Diocesan Publications