Here, in this place now called the Ascension, atop the Mount of Olives, the Lord summoned his disciples forty days after his Resurrection. Each one had a different experience. Forty days, they were enjoying and discovering a new Jesus Christ. So they arrived at the mountain where Jesus had summoned them. What would each of the disciples carry in their hearts?
The Word says in Mt 28 that upon seeing Jesus, some doubted, and others worshipped and prostrated themselves. What would be different in some than in others? Why do some doubt, think, and seek answers, and others just prostrate themselves upon seeing Jesus? But what's important is that to Jesus, that didn't matter; he went out to meet them and approached them. Once again, we can see that it's Jesus who takes the initiative: He calls them, tells them a specific place, there he is waiting, and upon seeing them arrive, he approaches.
Only Jesus knew what was going to happen; the disciples were expectant, and they didn't understand much of what was happening, although He had already announced it when he said to Mary Magdalene, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God'" (Jn 20:17). During these forty days, he repeated this same announcement several times. However, it was difficult for the listener to understand.
With the Ascension, a new form of Jesus' presence among us begins. That Jesus who walked through Galilee multiplied the loaves, raised Lazarus, expelled demons, welcomed children, forgave the sinner... that Jesus who made the Kingdom present on earth is elevated to heaven. We need to understand that it is God who elevates Jesus to heaven, that God is always present, that it is God who has the plan for our lives, that nothing escapes God of what happens, of what we live, of what we feel because God is God and He is always there.
Jesus ascends to heaven, and far from leaving a void, he fills everything with an immense Presence that is no longer limited in space and time but becomes All, that gives us the intimacy of Jesus with the Father and, thus, with the authority of an incarnate God who returns to that definitive union,we are given the job of being His Kingdom on Earth, as Jesus was, our job now is to safeguard that Kingdom that has been given to us and for that, we are not alone, for He says "and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Mt 28:20).
May this mystery of the Ascension be an impulse in our life to contemplate Jesus Christ. May this real presence of Jesus strengthen our faith so that we may also become one with the Father.
