Ascension of the Lord: Theological Themes Suggested by the Readings

 1st Reading. Acts 1:1-11. 

Sacred Scripture

OT (prefigurations)  Ps 110:title–1, Ge 5:24, 2 Kings 2:11, Ps 68:18.

NT Mk 16:19, Lk 24:51, Ac 1:9, 11, Jn 14:2, Ac 2:33, Ro 8:34, 1 Pe 3:22, Mt 24:30, Jn 6:62, 14:16, 16:7, 28, 20:17, Eph 1:20, 2:6, 4:8, Col 3:1, Heb 1:3, 7:25, 8:1, 9:24, 10:12, 12:2, 1 Jn 2:1.

Catechism: 

ASCENSION: The entry of Jesus’ humanity into divine glory in God’s heavenly domain, forty days after his Resurrection (659, 665). From the Glossary of the CCC.

The Ascension of the Lord (CCC 659-667).

Christ Already Reigns Through the Church (CCC 668-670).

HOLY SPIRIT: The third divine Person of the Blessed Trinity, the personal love of Father and Son for each other. Also called the Paraclete (Advocate) and Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit is at work with the Father and the Son from the beginning to the completion of the divine plan for our salvation (685; cf. 152, 243). From the Glossary of the CCC.

From the Index of the CCC: For the entire index on the Holy Spirit go here.

Holy Spirit and the Church, 738–741.
action in the sacraments, 1116, 1127–1129, 1152, 1155, 1227, 1316.
bestows hierarchical and charismatic gifts, 768.
bestows the primary elements of the whole of the Church’s mission, 852.
builds up and sanctifies the Church, 747.
changes bread and wine, 1333.
chooses suitable ministers, 1142.
Church as the temple of the, 797–801.
communion of the Holy Spirit in the liturgy, 1108–1109.
given to the apostles and in apostolic succession, 1087.
leads the Church on her missionary paths, 852.
new Law and the Law of the Gospel as the grace of, 1965–1966.
outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Baptism, 784, 786.
outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, 1302, 1316.
as the source of the Church’s life and holiness, 749, 767–768, 867.
“Where the Church is, there also is God’s Spirit” and vice-versa, 797.
work of the Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles, 2640.

2nd  Reading. Eph 1:17-23

Aquinas: The Grace of Christ as He is Head of the Church (STh., III q. 8).

Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma: The Grace of the Head.

On the Unity of the Church (Satis Cognitum) Pope Leo XIII.

Manual of Catholic Theology on the Unity of the Church.

On the Earthly and Heavenly Kingship of Christ.

Mission of the Redeemer, Chap. 3: The Holy Spirit: The Principal Agent of Mission. Pope John Paul II.

Documents of Vatican II:

Lumen Gentium Chapters 1-3.

Lumen Gentium Chapter 7.

Ad Gentes: Preface and Chapter 1.

Alternate 2nd Reading. Eph 4:1-13

Aquinas: That God is One. Summa Contra Gentes 1. 42.

Aquinas: Whether There Should Be Different Duties Or States In The Church. STh II-II q. 183, a. 2.

Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma: God’s Unicity.

Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma: The Sanctity of the Church.

Manual of Catholic Theology on the Holiness of the Church.

MARKS (NOTES) OF THE CHURCH: The four attributes (marks or notes) of the Church mentioned in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed: “We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church” (811). From the Glossary of the CCC.

Catechism of the Catholic Church: The Church is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. #811-870.

From the Index of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

attributes of the Church, 750, 811, 865

one, 813–822

because of her source, her Founder, her soul, 813
bonds of unity, 815–816
the Church’s mission seeks unity, 855
diversity in unity, 814, 818–819
Eucharist as the sacrament that strengthens the Church’s unity, 1416
seeking unity by the unity already given, 820–822
wounds to unity, 817

holy, 823–29

evangelical counsels as a help to holiness, 1986
the Holy Church clasps sinners to her bosom, 825, 827, 1428
Holy Spirit as the source of holiness, 749
made holy with Mary, 829
sanctified by Christ, 823–824
soul of holiness and charity, 826

catholic, 830–856

by Christ’s will, 831
each particular Church as the Catholic Church, 823–35
meaning of the word, 830
mission as a requirement of the Church’s Catholicity, 849
relations with churches that are not, 838

apostolic, 857–865

nature of the Church, 863
succession of bishops in the place of the apostles, 862
successors designated by the apostles, 861
three meanings of, 857

Gospel Reading: Mark 16:15-20

Sacred Scripture

OT  Lev 21:6–10, Num 27:21. 2 Chr 26:18, Ps 118:26, Is 52:7–8, Je 3:15, Eze 33:7, Hag 2:11, Mal 2:7

NT Mk 3:13–19, 16:15, Lk 9:2, 22:29–30, Mt 16:18–19, 28:16–20. 1 Pet 5:2–4, Jn 21:15–17, Eph 4:11–13, Mt 7:24–25, 10:40, 18:18, Lk 10:3, 5–6, 16, Jn 7:16, 14:16–17, 16:13, 17:20–21, 20:21, Ac 1:8, 15:28–29, 41. 1 Cor 2:16; 3:9; 4:1–2, 21; 5:3–5; 9:16; 12:28. 2 Cor 2:10, 5:18, 20, 10:8, 13:10. 1 Th 2:4; 1 Tim 3:15, Tit 1:5, Heb 13:17. 1 Pe 1:25, 1 Jn 2:26–27, Mk 1:25–26, 6:7, 13, 10:43–45, 16:17, Lk 22:26–27, Jn 10:11, Rom 10:14–15, 17. 1 Cor 13:12, Heb 5:4, 1 Jn 3:2, Rev 22:4

Selections From the Index to the Catechism of the Catholic Church on Authority/Authorities: for full index see here.

of the Apostles, 551, 873, 1444, 1575.
bishops’, 883, 888, 894, 1596, 2034, 2179.
Christ’s, 581–582, 651, 668–669, 1063, 1441, 1673, 2173.
the Church’s, 85, 119, 553, 874, 895, 918, 1023, 1125, 1399, 1578, 1635, 1673, 1792, 2037, 2420.
of the Church’s ministers, 875, 1551, 1563.
God’s, 156, 239, 668, 1295, 1381, 2086, 2777.
of the Magisterium of the Church, 88, 2036.
of the Supreme Pontiff, 1594, 2034.

Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma: Christ as Teacher and Prophet.

Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma: The Hierarchical Constitution of the Church.

Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma: necessity of Baptism for Salvation.

Aquinas: Is it Lawful to Adjure Demons? STh II-II q. 90, a. 2.

Catechism of the Council of Trent on the Ascension

CHAPTER VII

OF THE SIXTH ARTICLE

“HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, SITTETH AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, THE FATHER ALMIGHTY”

QUESTION I

The Excellence of this Article, and the Meaning of the First Part thereof

David the prophet, when, filled with the Spirit of God, he contemplated the blessed and glorious ascension of our Lord into heaven, exhorts all to celebrate that triumph with the greatest joy and gladness: Clap your hands, says he, all ye nations; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. God is gone up with jubilee.w Hence the pastor will understand that this mystery must be explained with the greatest assiduity, and that he must take especial care that the faithful not only perceive it with faith and understanding, but as far as possible make it their study, God assisting, to reflect also its image in their lives and deeds.
With regard, then, to the explanation of this sixth article, in which principally is treated of this divine mystery [of the ascension], we must begin with its first part, and unfold its force and meaning. For the faithful are also without hesitation to believe that Jesus Christ, having fully performed and accomplished the work of redemption, ascended as man, body and soul, into heaven; but as God, he was never absent from heaven, filling, as he does, all places with his divinity.

QUESTION II

Christ ascended not only by the Virtue of his Divinity, but also by Force of his Humanity

[The pastor] must also teach, that he ascended by his own virtue, and was not raised aloft by the power of another, as was Elias, who went up in a fiery chariot into heaven,x or as was the prophet Habacuc,y or Philip, the deacon, who, borne through the air by the divine power, traversed far distant parts of the earth.z Neither did he ascend into heaven solely as God, by the supreme power of the Divinity, but also as man; for although the ascension could not have taken place by natural power, yet that virtue, with which the blessed soul of Christ had been endowed, was capable of moving the body as it pleased; and his body, which had now received glory, readily obeyed the command of the actuating soul. And we believe that Christ, as God and man, ascended by his own power into heaven.

QUESTION III

In what Sense Christ, in the Second Part of this Article, is said to sit at the Right Hand of the Father

In the other part of this article are these words: Sitteth at the right hand of the Father. In these words we observe a trope, that is, the changing of a word from its literal and grammatical to a figurative meaning, a thing frequent in the sacred letters,a when, accommodating the matter to our understanding, we attribute human affections and members to God, who, Spirit that he is, admits of nothing corporeal being conceived of him. But as, amongst men, he who is placed at the right hand is considered to occupy the more honourable place, so, transferring the same idea to celestial things, to express the glory which Christ, as man, has received before all others, we confess that he is at the right hand of the Father. Here, however, to sit does not imply position and figure of body, but declares the fixed and permanent possession of royal and supreme power and glory, which he hath received from the Father; of which the apostle saith: Raising him up from the dead, and setting him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; and he hath put all things under his feet;b words which manifestly imply that this glory belongs to our Lord in a manner so particular and exclusive, as to be suitable to no other created being; and hence, in another place, the apostle testifies: To which of the angels said he at any time, sit on my right hand.c

QUESTION IV

Why the History of Christ’s Ascension ought to be frequently repeated to the People

But the pastor will explain the sense of this article more diffusely by detailing the history of the ascension, which the evangelist St. Luke has described with admirable order in the Acts of the Apostles.d In its exposition he must observe, in the first place, that to the ascension, as to their end, are referred all other mysteries, and that in it is contained their whole perfection and completion. For as with the incarnation of our Lord all the mysteries of our religion commence, so with his ascension into heaven terminates his pilgrimage [on earth]. Moreover, other articles of the creed, which appertain to Christ the Lord, show his great humility, and lowliness: for nothing can be conceived more humble or more lowly than that for us the Son of God assumed the frailty of human nature, suffered, and died; but nothing more magnificent, nothing more admirable, can be said in order to proclaim his sovereign glory and divine majesty than what is contained both in the present and preceding articles, in which we confess that he rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father.

QUESTION V

Why Christ ascended into Heaven, and did not rather constitute his Kingdom on Earth

These truths having been explained, he will next accurately teach for what reason our Lord ascended into heaven. He ascended, firstly, because the most lofty and glorious kingdom of heaven, not the earth, presented a suitable dwelling-place for his body, which, upon its resurrection, was gifted with the glory of immortality. And he ascended, not only to possess the throne of glory, and the kingdom which he had merited by his blood, but also to provide whatever appertained to our salvation. He ascended, that he might really prove thereby, that his kingdom is not of this world;e for the kingdoms of this world are earthly and transient, and are based upon great wealth and the power of the flesh; whilst that of Christ is not, as the Jews expected, an earthly, but a spiritual and eternal kingdom, the wealth and riches of which he shows to be also spiritual, by placing his throne in the heavens. And in this his kingdom they are to be deemed most abounding in opulence and affluence of every sort of good things, who most diligently seek the things that are of God. For so St. James beareth witness: Hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which God hath promised to them that love him?f But our Lord also ascended into heaven, in order that he might teach us to follow him thither in mind and will; for as, by his death and resurrection, he had left us an example of dying and rising again in spirit, so by his ascension he teaches and instructs us, that though dwelling on earth, we should raise ourselves in thought to heaven, confessing that we are pilgrims and strangers on earth, seeking a country,g fellow-citizens with the saints, and the domestics of God;h for, as the same apostle says, our conversation is in heaven.

QUESTION VI

What Benefits are conferred on Men through the Ascension of Christ

Now the force and magnitude of the inexplicable blessings, which the beneficence of God has poured out upon us, were long before, according to the interpretation of the apostle, sung by the inspired David in these words: Ascending on high, he hath led captivity captive; he hath given gifts to men;j for on the tenth day [after his ascension] he gave the Holy Ghost, with whose power and abundance he filled the multitude of the faithful then present, and then truly fulfilled those splendid promises: It is expedient for you that I go; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you: but if I depart, I will send him to you.k He also ascended into heaven, according to the statement of the apostle, that he may appear in the presence of God for us,l and discharge for us the office of advocate with the Father. My little children, saith St. John, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins.m There is, indeed, nothing from whence the faithful ought to derive greater joy and delight than from the fact, that Jesus Christ is constituted the advocate of our cause and the intercessor for our salvation with the eternal Father, with whom his favour and influence are supreme. Finally [by his ascension], he prepared for us a place,n as he had promised, and entered, as our head, in the name of us all, into the possession of heavenly glory. For ascending into heaven, he threw open its gates, which had been closed against us by the sin of Adam, and, as he had foretold to his disciples at his last supper, secured for us a way, by which we might arrive at the happiness of heaven. To demonstrate this by the event, he introduced with himself, into the mansions of eternal bliss, the souls of the just, which he had liberated from prison.

QUESTION VII

The Advantages which Christ brought unto us by his Ascension

This admirable profusion of heavenly gifts was followed by a series of important advantages. For, in the first place, the merit of our faith was greatly augmented; because faith has for its object those things which fall not under the senses, and are remote from the reason and intelligence of men. If, therefore, the Lord had not departed from us, the merit of our faith would be diminished, for Jesus Christ has said: Blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.o Besides, the ascension of Christ into heaven contributes much to confirm our hope; since, believing that Christ, as man, ascended into heaven, and placed our nature at the right hand of God the Father, we are in great hope, that we, his members, may also ascend thither, and be there united with our head, according to these words of our Lord himself: Father, I will, that where I am, they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me.p Another most especially important advantage we have thereby attained, that it snatches away our affections to heaven, and inflames them with the divine spirit; for, most truly has it been said, that where our treasure is, there also is our heart.q

QUESTION VIII

It would not have been Advantageous for us had Christ remained on Earth

And, indeed, if Christ the Lord were dwelling on earth, our whole strength would be fixed upon the very sight of his human person, and the enjoyment of his presence, and we should regard only that man, who was to bestow on us such blessings, and would cherish towards him a sort of earthly affection. But, by his ascension into heaven, he has rendered our affection for him spiritual, and has made us venerate and love as God him who, though now absent, is the object of our thoughts. This we learn partly from the example of the Apostles, who, whilst our Lord was personally present with them, seemed to judge of him in some measure humanly; and in part, from these words of our Lord himself: it is expedient for you that I go,r for that imperfect love, with which they had cherished Jesus Christ when present, was to be perfected by divine love, and that by the coming of the Holy Ghost; and, therefore, he immediately subjoins: If I go not, the Comforter will not come to you.

QUESTION IX

After the Ascension of Christ, the Church was greatly increased

Besides, he [thus] enlarged his house upon earth, that is, his Church, which was to be governed by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit; and he left Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, as pastor, and supreme head upon earth, of the universal Church. Some, indeed, also, he gave to the Apostles, and some Prophets, and others Evangelists, and others, Pastors and Teachers;s and, thus, sitting at the right hand of the Father, he continually bestows different gifts on different persons, according to the words of St. Paul: To every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ.t
Finally, what we have already taught concerning the mystery of his death and resurrection, the faithful should hold not less true of his ascension. For, although we owe our salvation and redemption to the passion of Christ, who by his merits opened heaven to the just; yet his ascension is not only proposed to us as a model, by which we may learn to look on high, and ascend in spirit into heaven; but also imparts to us a divine virtue, by which we may be enabled to accomplish what it teaches.

w Ps. 46:2, 6 (47:1, 5).

x 2 Kings 2:11.

y Dan. 14:35. (In our Apocrypha, vs. 35 of the “History of Bel and the Dragon.”)

z Acts 8:39.

a Compare Augustin. de Doctr. Christ. iii. v. sqq. whose remarks are highly useful.

b Eph. 1:20, sqq. See Pearson, p. 277, sqq.

c Heb. 1:13.

d Acts 1.

e John 18:36.

f James 2:5.

g Heb. 11:13, seq.

h Eph. 2:19.

i Philip. 3:20.

j Ps. 67:19 (68:18); Eph. 4:8.

k John 16:7.

l Heb. 9:24.

m 1 John 2:1, sqq.

n John 14:2.

o John 20:29.

p John 17:24.

q Matt. 6:21.

r John 16:7.

s Eph. 4:11.

t Eph. 4:7.

The Ascension is the Fulfillment of the Mystery of the Incarnation

The following was delivered by Pope John Paul II on April 12, 1989.

The “announcements” of the ascension examined in the previous catechesis shed light on the truth expressed by the earliest creeds in the concise words: “He ascended into heaven.” We have already observed that we are dealing with a mystery which is an object of faith. It completes the mystery of the Incarnation. It is the ultimate fulfillment of the messianic mission of the Son of God who had come on earth to redeem us.

Nonetheless, it is also a fact which can be known from the biographical and historical data concerning Jesus, which are contained in the Gospels.

Let us refer to the texts of Luke, and first of all to the last verses of his Gospel: “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven” (Lk 24:50–51). This means that the apostles had a sensation of “movement” of the whole figure of Jesus, and of an action of “separation” from the earth. The fact that Jesus blessed the apostles at that moment indicates the salvific meaning of his departure. As in the whole of his redemptive mission, his departure included and gave to the world every spiritual good.

This text of Luke, considered in isolation from the others, would seem to suggest that Jesus ascended into heaven on the very day of the resurrection, after his apparition to the apostles (cf. Lk 24:36–49). However, if we read the entire account, we see that the evangelist wishes to synthesize the final events of Christ’s life, for he is anxious to describe Jesus’ salvific mission which ended with his glorification. Luke records further details of those final events in the Acts of the Apostles, which completes his Gospel. In it he resumes the narrative contained in the Gospel, in order to continue the history of the origins of the Church.

1.      Time and place of the ascension

We read at the beginning of Acts a passage in which Luke presents the apparitions and the ascension in greater detail: “To them [the apostles] he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). This gives us an indication about the date of the ascension: forty days after the resurrection. We shall see shortly that it also informs us about the place.

As regards the question of time, one does not see why it should be denied that Jesus appeared repeatedly to his disciples during forty days, as stated in Acts. The biblical symbolism of the number forty, understood as indicating a period of time completely sufficient for the attainment of the desired purpose, is accepted by Jesus. He had previously withdrawn for forty days into the desert before beginning his ministry, and now appeared for forty days on earth before ascending definitively into heaven. Undoubtedly time in relation to the risen Jesus is a different standard of measure from ours. The risen one is already in the eternal now which is without succession or variation. However, inasmuch as he still operates in the world, instructing the apostles and establishing the Church, the transcendent now is inserted into the time of the human world, by once again adapting himself to it through love. Thus the mystery of the eternity-time relationship is heightened by the permanence of the risen Christ on earth. Nevertheless, the mystery does not cancel his presence in space and time. Rather it exalts and raises to the level of eternal values what he does, says, touches, institutes and determines: in a word, the Church. Therefore, we say once again: I believe, but without in the least glossing over the reality of what Luke has told us.

Certainly, when Christ ascended into heaven, this coexistence and nexus between the eternal now and earthly time is dissolved, and there remains the time of the pilgrim Church in history. Christ’s presence is now invisible and beyond time, like the action of the Holy Spirit in souls.

According to the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus “was taken up into heaven” (1:2) on the Mount of Olives (cf. 1:12). It was from there that the apostles returned to Jerusalem after the ascension. Before this happened, Jesus gave them their final instructions. For example, “He charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4). This promise of the Father was the coming of the Holy Spirit: “You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5); “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you …” (Acts 1:8). Then it was that “when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9).

The Mount of Olives had been the place of Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane, and it was the last point of contact between the risen one and the small group of his disciples at the moment of his ascension. This happened after Jesus has repeated the announcement of the sending of the Spirit, by whose action that small group would be transformed into the Church and launched on the pathway of history. The ascension is therefore the final event of Christ’s life and earthly mission. Pentecost will be the first day of the life and history “of his body which is the Church” (Col 1:24). This is the fundamental meaning of the fact of the ascension, beyond the particular circumstances in which it took place and the context of the biblical symbolism in which it can be considered.

According to Luke, Jesus “was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). In this text two essential points are to be noted: “he was lifted up” (elevation-exaltation) and “a cloud took him” (entrance into the chiaroscuro of mystery).

“He was lifted up”: this expression corresponds to the sensible and spiritual experience of the apostles. It refers to an upward movement, to a passage from earth to heaven, especially as a sign of another “passage”: Christ passes to the glorified state in God. The first meaning of the ascension is precisely this: a revelation that the risen one has entered the heavenly intimacy of God. That is proved by “the cloud,” a biblical sign of the divine presence. Christ disappears from the eyes of his disciples by entering the transcendent sphere of the invisible God.

This last consideration is a further confirmation of the meaning of the mystery which is Jesus Christ’s ascension into heaven. The Son who “came forth from the Father and came into the world, now leaves the world and goes to the Father” (cf. Jn 16:28). This return to the Father, the elevation “to the right hand of the Father,” concretely realizes a messianic truth foretold in the Old Testament. When the evangelist Mark tells us that “the Lord Jesus … was taken up into heaven” (Mk 16:19), his words echo the “prophecy of the Lord” recorded in Psalm 110:1: “The Lord said to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool.’ ” “To sit at the right hand of God” means to share in his kingly power and divine dignity.

Jesus had foretold it: “You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven,” as we read in Mark’s Gospel (Mk 14:62). Luke in his turn writes: “The Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God” (Lk 22:69). Likewise the deacon Stephen, the first martyr at Jerusalem, at the time of his death will see Christ: “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56). The idea was therefore rooted and widespread in the early Christian communities, as an expression of the kingship attained by Jesus by his ascension into heaven.

Likewise the Apostle Paul, when writing to the Romans, expresses the same truth about Christ Jesus, “who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who intercedes for us” (Rom 8:34). In the Letter to the Colossians Paul writes: “If, then, you have been raised with Christ, seek the things which are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (Col 3:1; cf. Eph 1:20). We read in the Letter to the Hebrews: “We have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven” (Heb 1:3; 8:1); and again: “… who endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 10:12 12:2).

Peter, in his turn, proclaims that Christ “has gone into heaven, and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him” (1 Pet 3:22).

In his first discourse on Pentecost Day, Peter will say of Christ that “being exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear” (Acts 2:33; cf. also 5:31). Here a new element referring to the Holy Spirit is inserted into the truth of the ascension and kingship of Christ.

Let us reflect on it for a moment. In the Apostles’ Creed the ascension into heaven is associated with the Messiah’s elevation into the Father’s kingdom: “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” This signifies the inauguration of the kingdom of the Messiah, which fulfills the prophetic vision of the Book of Daniel on the Son of Man: “To him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Dan 7:13–14).

Peter’s Pentecost discourse makes known to us that to the eyes of the apostles, in the context of the New Testament, Christ’s elevation to the right hand of the Father is linked especially to the descent of the Holy Spirit. Peter’s words witness to the apostles’ conviction that only by the ascension did Jesus “receive the Holy Spirit from the Father,” to pour it out as he had promised.

Peter’s discourse likewise testifies that with the descent of the Holy Spirit the apostles definitively became aware of the vision of that kingdom which Christ had announced from the very beginning and of which he had spoken also after the resurrection (cf. Acts 1:3). Even then his hearers had asked him about the restoration of the kingdom of Israel (cf. Acts 1:6), so deeply imbedded in their minds was the temporalistic interpretation of the messianic mission. Only after having received “the power” of the Spirit of truth, “did they become witnesses to Christ” and to his messianic kingdom, which was definitively brought into being when the glorified Christ “was seated at the right hand of the Father.” In God’s economy of salvation there is therefore a close connection between Christ’s elevation and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. From that moment the apostles became witnesses to the kingdom that will have no end. In this perspective the words which they heard after Christ’s ascension acquire a fullness of meaning, namely, “This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). This is a prophecy of a final and definitive fullness which will be had when, in the power of the Spirit of Christ, the whole divine plan in history will attain its fulfillment.

The Continuation of Jesus’ Saving Mission in Human History Through the Church

The following is From Pope John Paul II’s Wednesday Audience of March 11, 1998.

Continuation of Jesus’ saving mission in human history through the Church

1. After considering the total salvation accomplished by Christ the Redeemer, we would now like to reflect on its progressive realization in human history. In a certain sense, it is precisely this problem that the disciples ask Jesus about before the Ascension: “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).

Put this way, the question shows how they are still influenced by the prospect of a hope that conceives of God’s kingdom as an event closely linked to Israel’s destiny as a nation. During the 40 days between the Resurrection and the Ascension, Jesus had spoken to them of “the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). But only after the great outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost will they be able to grasp its profound aspects. In the meantime, Jesus corrects their impatience spurred by their desire for a kingdom still too political and earthly, by inviting them to trust in God’s mysterious designs: “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority” (Acts 1:7).

2. Jesus’ admonition concerning “God’s times” proves more significant than ever after 2,000 years of Christianity. As we face the rather slow growth of God’s kingdom in the world, we are asked to trust in the plan of the merciful Father who guides all things with transcendent wisdom. Jesus invites us to admire the “patience” of the Father, who adapts his transforming action to the slowness of human nature wounded by sin. This patience was already revealed in the Old Testament, in the long history which prepared Jesus’ coming (cf. 3:25). It continues to be revealed after Christ, in the growth of his Church (cf. 2 Pt 3:9).

In his response to the disciples, Jesus speaks of “times” (chrónoi) and “seasons” (kairoí). These two words for time in biblical language have two nuances which are worth recalling. Chrónos is time in its ordinary course and is also under the influence of divine Providence, which governs everything. But into this ordinary flow of history God makes his special interventions, which give a particular saving value to specific moments. These are precisely the kairoí, God’s seasons, which man is called to discern and by which he must allow himself to be challenged.

3. Biblical history is full of these special moments. The most fundamentally important was the time of Christ’s coming. It is also possible, in the light of this distinction between chrónoi and kairoí, to reread the Church’s 2,000 years of history.

Sent to all humanity, the Church experiences different moments in her growth. In some places and periods she encounters special problems and obstacles; in others her progress is much faster. Long periods of waiting are recorded in which her intense missionary efforts seem ineffective. These are times which test the power of hope, directing it to a more distant future.

Nevertheless, there are also favourable moments when the Good News is warmly welcomed and conversions increase. The first and fundamental moment of the most abundant grace is Pentecost. Many others have followed and there are still more to come.

4. When one of these moments occurs, those who have a special responsibility for evangelization are called to recognize it, to make the best use of the opportunities offered by grace. But it is impossible to know their date in advance. Jesus’ reply (cf. Acts 1:7) is not limited to restraining the disciples’ impatience, but emphasizes their responsibility. They are tempted to expect that Jesus will take care of everything. Instead, they receive a mission which calls them to make a generous commitment: “You shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). Although at the Ascension he disappears from their sight, Jesus still wants to continue his presence in the world precisely through the disciples.

To them he entrusts the task of spreading the Gospel throughout the world, spurring them to abandon their narrow vision limited to Israel. He broadens their horizons, inviting them to be his witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Thus everything will happen in Christ’s name, but everything will also come to pass through the personal work of these witnesses.

5. The disciples could shrink from this demanding mission, judging themselves incapable of assuming such a serious responsibility. But Jesus shows them the secret that will enable them to fulfil this task: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8). With this power the disciples will succeed, despite human weakness, in being authentic witnesses of Christ throughout the world.

At Pentecost the Holy Spirit fills each of the disciples and the entire community with the abundance and diversity of his gifts. Jesus reveals the importance of the gift of power (dýnamis), which will sustain their apostolic work. The Holy Spirit came upon Mary at the Annunciation as “the power of the Most High” (cf. Lk 1:35), bringing about the miracle of the Incarnation in her womb. The very power of the Holy Spirit will work new marvels of grace in the task of evangelizing the nations.