Ascension, Year C (2025) - Fr Anthony Walsh, OP

WITNESSING THE ASCENSION: A JOURNEY FROM WONDER TO MISSION

The Ascension of Christ marks a pivotal moment in salvation history—a transition from His visible presence on earth to His exalted presence at the Father’s right hand. St Luke offers us two complementary accounts of this event in the readings of this Ascension Day for Year C. One account is at the conclusion of his Gospel and the other account is at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles. Both scenes capture the disciples’ profound reaction to their Lord’s departure and offer us a window into the Church’s earliest posture of faith, worship, and mission.

In his Gospel, Luke describes how Jesus led the disciples out to Bethany, lifted His hands in blessing, and was carried up into heaven. In response, “They worshipped him and then went back to Jerusalem full of joy; and they were continually in the Temple praising God” (Luke 24:52–53). The Fathers recognized in this worship a sign of the disciples’ deepening understanding of Jesus’ true identity. St Bede the Venerable observes, “They worshipped him as God. For when they saw him ascending into heaven, they recognised him to be not only man but God, and they joyfully returned to Jerusalem.” Their worship is a natural response to the divine glory that the Ascension reveals—a glory that had been glimpsed throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry but is now fully unveiled as He takes His place at the Father’s right hand.

This worship also marks the beginning of a new liturgical life. St Cyril of Alexandria notes that in worshipping the ascended Christ, the disciples acknowledge that “He had been exalted above every creature, showing that they now truly recognized His divinity.” This worship is not a farewell, but rather a prelude to the Church’s life of praise, fulfilled in the descent of the Holy Spirit.

Luke’s detail that the disciples returned to the Temple is rich with meaning. Bede again points out that “they returned to the Temple, that is, to the place of prayer, until they should receive the promise of the Father.” Their return is an act of obedience to Jesus’ command to wait in Jerusalem, but it also highlights the continuity of God’s plan: from the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple as a child—when Simeon hailed Him as “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:32)—to His final departure. The Temple, once the focal point of God’s presence among His people, now stands as a bridge to the new covenant, pointing beyond itself to Christ, who is the true Temple. In returning there, the disciples are not merely maintaining old customs; they are waiting with expectation for the Spirit who will make them living temples of God’s presence.

The Acts of the Apostles expands on the disciples’ reaction, recounting how “he was lifted up while they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight” (Acts 1:9). The text emphasizes their gazing into heaven, an image the Fathers found deeply instructive. St John Chrysostom remarks, “They stood looking steadfastly, showing their yearning for the one who had departed. And it is no small thing to desire his presence.” Their gaze reveals the human longing for Christ’s continuing closeness, a desire that now finds its answer in the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Yet the angels quickly redirect the disciples’ focus: “Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky? Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven, this same Jesus will come back in the same way as you have seen him go there” (Acts 1:11). St Bede interprets this message as a gentle rebuke, reminding the disciples that their mission is not to remain idle in contemplation but to prepare for the work of bearing witness to Christ in the world. The angels’ words sustain both the hope of Christ’s return and the urgency of the Church’s mission.

St Augustine beautifully captures this dynamic balance of longing and obedience: “They stood there looking because they longed to be with him, yet they returned to Jerusalem because they had been commanded to await the Spirit.” The Ascension thus transforms the disciples’ wonder into readiness, their gaze into mission.

St Thomas Aquinas explains that the Ascension was necessary to manifest Christ’s divinity: “Christ’s Ascension was necessary in order that his divinity might be more perfectly shown forth.” Moreover, Christ’s departure invites the disciples into a deeper faith, no longer relying on His visible presence but trusting in His spiritual presence: “It was fitting that, after the Ascension, their faith might become stronger by believing in the absent Christ.” This faith, nurtured by the angels’ promise, is oriented toward the future coming of Christ: “He will come again in the same way you saw him go into heaven.”

In weaving these insights together, we see a coherent picture emerge. The disciples’ worship of Christ reveals the fullness of their faith in His divinity. Their return to the Temple connects the old and the new, fulfilling the story that began with His Presentation as the light of the nations. Their upward gaze speaks of human longing for God, but the angels’ words turn that longing outward—into mission, hope, and readiness for His return.

For us today, the Ascension invites us to live with that same posture: to worship Christ as Lord, to make our lives temples of His Spirit, and to turn our gaze from mere contemplation to mission in the world. We are called to stand in the world with eyes lifted to heaven—longing for His return—yet with feet firmly on the ground, ready to bear witness. As St Bede’s gentle reminder suggests, let us “stand looking,” but also let us go—filled with the joy of the Resurrection and the hope of the Spirit—to bring Christ’s presence to every corner of our lives.

Furthermore, the disciples’ reaction at the Ascension—lifting their gaze to heaven as Christ was taken from their sight—reveals a profound truth about the orientation of Christian prayer. Though the Fathers of the Church did not prescribe a strict posture based on this scene, their reflections highlight the inner disposition it expresses: a heart lifted toward the risen and ascended Lord, filled with faith in His divinity, hope in His promise to return, and charity that overflows in witness and worship.

Our own prayer, then, should be marked by this same orientation: not turned inward upon ourselves, nor merely focused on the community around us, but directed toward Christ, who has ascended into heaven and will come again in glory. As St Augustine reminds us, “They stood there looking because they longed to be with Him, yet they returned to Jerusalem because they had been commanded to await the Spirit.” So too must we lift our eyes and hearts to Jesus, acknowledging Him as Lord, trusting in His promise, and awaiting His return.

Let our prayer always be towards the Lord, towards the rising sun in the east, in the truest sense—facing Christ, the Light of the world—so that every gathering of the faithful becomes an anticipation of the day when we shall see Him face to face, and worship Him forever in the fullness of joy.

Fr Anthony Walsh, OP is the Master of Novices, assigned to St Laurence's Priory, North Adelaide, South Australia.