During the Passover, Jesus prepares his disciples for the definitive absence, that absence prepares them to see that Jesus will no longer be with them physically. Now they will be moved by the Holy Spirit to proclaim that the Kingdom of God was already present among them. The Gospel tells us that "Jesus led them to near Bethany, lifting up his hands, and blessed them. And as he blessed them, he parted from them (and was taken up to heaven). They bowed down before him. Then they returned to Jerusalem full of joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God" (Luke 24:50-53).
Jesus disappeared into the clouds, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father (the Creed we recite every Sunday at Mass tells us). With His Ascension into heaven, Jesus invites us to look upwards, indicating that the goal is not here on earth, but up there with the Father. St. Leo the Great in his homily on the Ascension tells us that "In this way, the apostles and all the disciples, who had been distressed by Jesus' death on the cross and wavering in their faith about the resurrection, were fortified by the evidence of truth. Therefore, when the Lord ascended to the heavens, not only did they not allow themselves to be carried away by sorrow, but on the contrary, they were filled with joy." Come, Holy Spirit, come!
©LPi Translated into English from Spanish by Microsoft translator.
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