He ascended into heaven

 At 10:30am this morning in the Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican, the Holy Father met pilgrims from various parts of the world.  The weekly General Audience began with the opening blessing, and the liturgical greeting: Peace be with you ... and with your spirit.

A passage from the Scriptures was then pronounced in various languages, before the Pope presented his weekly catechesis.

Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the General Audience

with pilgrims in Saint Peter's Square

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

In the Creed, we find the affirmation that Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. The earthly life of Jesus culminates in the event of the Ascension, the moment when he passes from this world to the Father, and is lifted up to his right hand. What is the significance of this event? What are the consequences for our lives? What does it mean to contemplate Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father? On this, let us be guided by the Evangelist Luke.

We start at the moment when Jesus decides to embark on his last pilgrimage to Jerusalem. St. Luke says: As the time drew near for him to be taken up, he resolutely turned his face toward Jerusalem (Lk 9:51). While he ascends to the Holy City, where he will accomplish his own exodus from this life, Jesus has already seen the goal, Heaven, but he knows that the way that brings him back to the glory of God is through the cross, through obedience to the divine plan of love for humanity. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and announces his lifting up by his Ascension into heaven (n. 662).  We must be clear in our understanding of Christian life, that entering into the glory of God requires daily fidelity to his will, even when it requires sacrifice. It requires time to change our plans. The Ascension of Jesus actually happened on the Mount of Olives, near the place where he had gone to pray before his passion in order to remain deeply in union with the Father. Once again we see that prayer gives us the grace to live faithful to the will of God.

At the end of his Gospel, St. Luke narrates the event of the Ascension in a very brief manner. Jesus led the disciples out as far as the outskirts of Bethany, and raising his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. They worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem full of joy; and they were continually in the temple praising God (24:50-53). I would like to note two elements of the story. First, during the Ascension Jesus fulfilled the priestly gesture of blessing and the disciples expressed their faith by prostrating, kneeling and bowing their heads. This is a first important point: Jesus is the only and eternal Priest, who by his passion has suffered death, passed through the tomb, rose again and ascended into Heaven where he is now in the presence of God the Father, interceding for ever on our behalf (cf. Heb 9:24). As Saint John says in his first epistle He is our advocate. It’s nice to hear this! When one is called to appear in court or to present evidence, the first thing he does is look for a lawyer to defend him. In Christ, we do not have an advocate who simply defends, but one who protects us from the snares of the devil, defends us from ourselves, from our sins! Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is our advocate: we are not afraid to go to him to ask for forgiveness, to ask for blessing, to ask for mercy! He always forgives us, he is our advocate who defends us forever! Do not forget this! The Ascension of Jesus into heaven ensures for us this comforting reality for our journey through life: in Christ, true God and true man, our humanity was taken to God, and he has opened the way for us. He is like a main tether when you scale a mountain, which is securely fixed in heaven and draws us to him, leading us to God. If we entrust our lives to Him, if we let ourselves be guided by Him we are sure to be in safe hands, in the hands of our savior, our advocate.

There is a second element: St Luke mentions that the apostles, after seeing Jesus ascending to heaven, returned to Jerusalem with great joy. This seems a bit strange. Typically when we are separated from our families, our friends, and particularly at the moment of final departure due to death, there is in us a natural sadness, because we will not see the face of our loved one, we will never again hear his or her voice, we can never again enjoy their affection, their presence. Instead, the evangelist emphasizes the profound joy of the Apostles, but why? Because, with the eyes of faith, they understand that although removed from their eyes, Jesus remains with them forever.  He does not abandon them; instead in the glory of the Father, he supports them, guides them and intercedes for them.

St. Luke relates the facts of the Ascension also at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, in order to emphasize the fact that this event is like the ring that engages and connects the earthly life of Jesus to that of the Church. Here St. Luke also speaks of a cloud that takes Jesus out of the sight of the disciples, who are left to contemplate Christ ascending to God (cf. Acts 1:9-10).  Then two men in white robes appear, urging them not to stand still looking at the sky but to nourish their lives and their faith with the certainty that Jesus will return in the same way they saw him ascend to heaven (cf. Acts 1, 10-11). This is an invitation to contemplate the Lordship of Christ, to receive from him the strength to carry and bear witness to the Gospel in everyday life: contemplation and action, prayer and work. St. Benedict teaches that both are necessary in our Christian lives.

Dear brothers and sisters, the Ascension does not indicate the absence of Jesus, but tells us that He is alive among us in a new way.  He is no longer in a defined place in the world as it was before the Ascension.  He is now one with God, present in all space and time, near to each of us. In our lives we are never alone: ​​we have this advocate who awaits us, who protects us. We are never alone: ​​the crucified and risen Lord guides us, and with us there are many brothers and sisters who in silence and obscurity, in their family life and work, in their problems and difficulties, in their joys and hopes, live their faith daily and lead others, together with us, to the kingdom of God's love made visible in Christ Jesus Risen, ascended to Heaven, our advocate. Thank you.

After the catechesis, the Holy Father presented greetings to pilgrims who had come to Saint Peter's from various parts of the world.  Here is the text of the greeting he offered to English-speaking pilgrims:

I offer a cordial welcome to the members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and I assure them of my prayers for their episcopal ministry. I also greet the priests of the Institute for Continuing Theological Education at the Pontifical North American College. Upon all the English-speaking visitors present at today’s Audience, including those from England, Denmark, Sweden, Australia, India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Canada and the United States, I invoke the joy and peace of the Risen Lord.

When all the greetings had been spoken, the audience concluded with the recitation of the Our Father and then the Holy Father blessed the pilgrims.