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As St. Thomas Aquinas implies, the Ascension of the Lord is to remind that the post-resurrection life of Christ is completely immortal and incorruptible, though still retaining the body of human flesh of Jesus, with wounds from the Crucifixion. Therefore, it is not fitting for the risen Christ to remain on earth forever, as his eternal and incorruptible supernatural life belongs to heaven (Summa Theologiae, III-Q57).
After the Resurrection, the life of Christ became
more spiritual than physical – more supernatural than natural. For example, he
was able to enter into a firmly locked Upper Room, where the disciples were
hiding in fear of persecution on the evening of his Resurrection (John 20:19).
Though he had the body, he entered into the room and came to the disciples like
a spirit. In fact, he entered there and appeared to them to offer the Holy Spirit
through his gentle breath (John 20:22). Yet, he is not a mere spirit. As skeptical Thomas had to verify with
physically (John 20:24-29), and Jesus himself demonstrated by eating fish (Luke
24:36-43), the post-resurrection life of Christ was also physical, as well. However,
it was not subject to the physical limitation as it was supernatural and
spiritual in nature. And, St. Thomas Aquinas explains that such a life belongs
to heaven, not earth. That is why the risen Christ had to ascend in the
appointed time, 40 days after the Resurrection, just as reflected in the first
two glorious mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
Being more spiritual without losing physical
character is s supernatural reality of the Resurrection to point the direction
of life from the earth to the heaven. As Paul puts in 1 Corinthians 15:12-55,
the resurrection is the threshold to move from a natural life in a natural body
into a supernatural life in a new incorruptible spiritual body, move away from
the earth into the heaven, Christ as the firstfruits from the dead (1
Corinthians 15:20, 23), as well as the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:19;
Revelation 1:5), and then, us to follow in the fullness of time.
In this sense, the Resurrection and the Ascension of
Christ have shown us the way (John 14:4-6). And, as Paul describes in 1
Corinthians 15:12-55, this is the way of Christ, Christ himself, whom we follow
as he is the firstfruits, as well as the firstborn, as we are also raised and
live in the places that he prepares in heaven (John 14:2-3). The way, shown through
the Ascension of the Lord, also directs
us to the destiny of our journey into the complete unity with the Triune God,
with its core is found in the consubstantial oneness unity of the Father and
the Son, as the Father and the Son are in one another reciprocally (John 10:30,
38; John 14:20; 17:21). As another Parakletos
(allon Parakleton) will remain with
us, sent by the Father in the Son’s name (John 14:16) just as Parakletos himself, who is Jesus Christ,
the Son (1 John 2:1), upon Christ’s Ascension, he will stay with us as Emmanuel,
which means “God with us”(Matthew 1:23). This way, Jesus really means, “I am with you always, until the end of the
age”(Matthew 28:20). However, until this consummation of our journey into
the unity through our resurrection to follow the firstfruits from the dead to
reach where the Ascended Christ is, we are called to carry out with the works
of Christ on earth, as commanded by him: Go,
therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit
(Matthew 28:19-20), reflecting his words in John 14:12, 15, 21,23-24, stemming
from his mandatum novum de caritas as
the identity of the discipleship (John 13:34-35).
Christ is the way, the truth, and the life – the way
to the Father in heaven (John 14:6). And, through his Ascension, he has shown
the way’s heaven-bound direction. The truth is continued to be taught by
another Parakletos (John 14:26), as
he is the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17), while giving us life (John 6:63).
In 10 days, we will be empowered by another Parakletos, the Holy Spirit, to be sent out to all the ends of the earth to continue and expand the works that Christ had started in Galilee, upon his Baptism and completion of fasting. He, another Parakletos, is more than our power but also our shepherd to carry out the works of our Good Shepherd, as we go on our missions. Let us prepare ourselves for Pentecost to receive the Holy Spirit and continue to be empowered, taught, and shepherded by another Parakletos, to set the world on fire of love, as Christ has commanded. And, this is the way that we journey to complete the oneness with the Triune God through him in our heavenly residence, His Ascension has pointed the direction of this way, which we follow in God’s time.
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