THE ASCENSION:

TWO COMMENTS

INTRODUCTION

Since the Ascension of Christ is mentioned in today’s gospel [John 20: 11-18], let me say two things about the Ascension  this morning. So the title of my homily for this Tuesday within the octave of Easter  is, “The Ascension: Two Comments.”

FIRST COMMENT: THE ASCENSION - WHEN DID IT TAKE PLACE?

Today’s gospel brings out  that Jesus says to Mary, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.”

Some folks might even remember this scene and other scenes about Mary and Jesus from the musical and the movie: Jesus Christ Superstar.

Then we read other post resurrection comments when Jesus touches and holds his disciples.  Remember when Jesus, the Risen One, asks Thomas to put his hand into Jesus cuts and wounds [Cf. John 20:27.]

So I have heard some theologians wondering if Jesus ascended to the Father right after the resurrection and then came back during those 40 days after Easter - then he ascends to the Father again.

That’s my first thought - put out there in the form or a wondering.

We can understand Jesus feeding people or walking the roads of Galilee, but understanding what happens after death is quite tricky. Bread and roads we have done; death not yet.

Does death and then resurrection put us into different time and space realities  than we are in right now? The answer to that has to be “yes” but what it’s like, we have to wait till our death to find out.

SECOND COMMENT: WILL THERE BE A MAJOR NEW THEOLOGY IN THE FUTURE?

In the last century, there was a major change and understanding of the resurrection, I heard some theologian say that just as in our time the theology of the resurrection evolved - so too in the future a whole new understanding of the Ascension will happen.

We Redemptorists would know that about Easter and the Resurrection - because one of our priests, Father F. X. Durrell came out with his church changing book, The Resurrection: A Biblical Study, [1960].

When we were kids, Lent sort of ended on Holy Saturday morning.  Then the Liturgy shifted us back to Holy Saturday evening and the Easter Vigil.  

It was after that we saw and smelled the RCIA, the Easter Vigil, Easter, the Resurrection  being as important as it is - as Paul told us loud and clear in 1 Corinthians 15: 1-19 -  that we wondered how we had slipped into the mind set we were in for the longest time.

With that in mind and as an experience, is there a whole new world of the theology and philosophy of the Ascension just sitting there.

Time will tell.

But I don’t know who the experts, the writers, the scholars on the Ascension are, but let’s hope they will show up.

When - maybe this century?

We’re only 2000 years into Christianity….

Who knows what has to be developed more: Pentecost, the Second Coming, as well as the Ascension.