“Let Your Heart Ascend with Christ” – A Homily for the Feast of the Ascension
In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen. May the blessing of the Father who calls us and His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ who saves us, and the Holy Spirit who sanctifies and transforms us be with us all, that we may hear His word and bear fruit—thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. Amen.
Today, our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended for our salvation, ascended into the heavens and sat down at the right hand of the Father. And yet—He has not left us. His Ascension is not a farewell; it is an invitation.
Saint Paul teaches us:
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:1–2, NKJV)
The Lord ascended—and our hearts should ascend with Him.
Yes, we still walk this earth. We still weep, we struggle, we wait. But our hope and our joy are already seated in heaven—because He is there.
He is our Head, and we are His Body. And the Head cannot be separated from the Body. So wherever Christ is, we are also. When He said, “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven” (John 3:13), He was showing us something beautiful: that through our unity with Him, we too are in heaven already—though not yet in body, fully in hope and grace.
Even now, He suffers with us. He still bears the wounds of His love. When Saul persecuted the Church, Jesus cried, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4)
And when someone is hungry, naked, or imprisoned, the Lord says, “I was hungry and you gave Me food… inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:35, 40)
This is the mystery:
- Christ is in heaven—but not far from us.
- We are on earth—but not separated from Him.
He is with us by His divinity, His power, and His love.
We cannot be in heaven as He is on earth by nature—but we can be there through love. His love carries us.
He did not leave heaven when He came to us in the Incarnation—and He did not abandon us when He ascended. His presence is constant. His mission continues. And now it continues through you.
So today, we remember:
Christ ascended—but He did not go alone.
As one Body, we rise with Him. We are part of Him.
He ascended as our forerunner—to prepare a place for us.
A Final Word of Encouragement:
Beloved, let your heart go up with Him.
Do not be weighed down by the world. Anchor your hope above. Seek the life that is to come.
If we live in Him now—through faith, through the sacraments, through His Word—then one day, we will dwell with Him forever in glory.
Prayer
O God our Father,
make us joyful in the Ascension of Your Son.
May we follow Him into the new creation,
for His Ascension is our hope,
our inheritance, and our victory.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
One God forever and ever. Amen.
May the Lord bless us, transform our hearts and minds, that our homes may stand on the Rock, our hands serve in the harvest, and our hearts long for Heaven. Amen.