Feast of the Ascension Year C - Gospel Reflection


Luke 24:46-53 

Through His Passion and Death, Christ reconciled us with the Father and offered the pure sacrifice, His own life, in atonement for our sins.  Through His Resurrection, He conquered death and opened the gates of Heaven.  Now we have come to Jesus’ Ascension, through which He ascends into Heaven and takes His seat beside God the Father.

When Jesus rose from the dead, He did not cast aside the human nature that He embraced through His Incarnation.  It was not removed at any point, but rather, Christ rose as God Incarnate, with the perfect unity of divine will and human will.   Thus, when Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven, He carried with Him the human nature that He shares with us. Not only did Christ redeem us through His Death and Resurrection, but also through His Ascension He raises our human nature to a higher dignity and imbues it with His own divine life. In His love, He wished to become so intimately close to us, that He would save us from our sin and offer us a share in the life of our Triune God.  We do not become God, but we become like God, in that we participate as opposed to become.  In sharing the divine nature, we share in God’s communicable attributes, such as His love, holiness and goodness.  But not in His omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience…This is called theosis or divinization.

Reflecting upon the teachings, traditions, and truths of the Catholic faith, I am always directed back to the love of our God.  I am halted when I come to this.  I cannot help but marvel at Him.  It is a simple answer to those things that confuse me, those things that I do not understand, and yet there is a mysterious depth to it that I will never be able to fully explore.  I think that the Ascension is no exception.  I find the will of our Heavenly Father as He reveals His incredible love for us.

How does becoming like God affect what you do while still here on Earth? Does it change you in any way?

Have you ever thought about your own ascension at the end of all time when our mortal bodies will be raised from the grave? How do you think you will feel?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gospel Reflection - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Image
Genesis 2:18-24 & Mark 10:2-16 Both the first reading and the Gospel speak to the sanctity of the bonds of marriage and family.  In the first reading, we hear about God creating Eve to be a suitable partner for Adam.  The two become one flesh, man and woman joined together to not only keep one another company, but to procreate and tend to the land.  In the Gospel, once again those Pharisees are trying to trip up Jesus.  His reply is an admonishment to their hardened hearts, reaffirming that marriage is for one man and one woman and that no human can separate what God has joined.   Unfortunately, we have become a throwaway society.  We overbuy food that ends up spoiled and tossed.  Clothing and furniture tears or breaks and rather than repairing them, we throw them out.  We get rid of things in good condition when the newest model is released (game systems, cell phone).  The same applies even to marriages and friendships.  I have...
Read more

10th National Eucharistic Congress Highlights

Image
On May 17, 2024, four pilgrimage routes began in Mississippi, Connecticut, Wisconsin, & California. The purpose was to cross our nation, presenting Jesus to the people of America, & meeting in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress July 17. Along the way, with Jesus present in the monstrance, the perpetual pilgrims made stops at parishes, schools, & prisons. You can read more about the pilgrimage HERE . About 60,000 people gathered at The National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, July 17-21, to adore our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, attend Mass daily, pray together, & listen to great speakers.  Fr. Mike Schmitz, Monsignor James Shea, Bishop Robert Barron, Jonathan Roumie, Sr. Bethany Madonna, Chris Stefanik, & more shared their great love of our Lord & how much of an impact the Eucharist has had in their lives.  Unfortunately , I couldn't make it to Indiana, but I was able to watch many of the speakers live & on YouTube....
Read more

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Image
Well, here we are already...the 4th Sunday of Advent has arrived!  Have you finished your Christmas shopping & wrapped all the presents, baked your holiday delectables, mailed your Christmas greeting cards, decorated your home to rival any display of Martha Stewart's? If you're like most people, you probably answered that you're nowhere near being finished. But you know what? That's perfectly fine because none of those items are important in the grand scheme of things.  The bigger & most important question to be answered is, "Have you prepared your heart to receive Jesus on Christmas Day?" After all, without Jesus' humble birth in a stable over 2000 years ago, none of the other things above would have any significant meaning! Today's Gospel tells us that Mary, upon being told that she would bring our Savior into the world, set off in haste to her cousin, Elizabeth. Advanced in age, Elizabeth was experiencing a miraculous pregnancy, foretold by...
Read more