17 May 2026- Ascension of the Lord - Solemnity (Year A)
Mass
Readings: Acts 1:1-11 | Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 | Eph 1:17-23 | Mt
28:16-20
Key Verse
to Meditate: "And remember, I am with you always, to the end
of the age" (Mt 28:20)
My dear brothers and
Sisters in the Lord,
Today, Holy Mother Church
celebrates the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Today's Gospel reading
concludes with the final greeting and command of Jesus: "Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 28:19). Fifty days after Easter, we
celebrate the Lord's glorious ascension into heaven. Throughout these past
weeks, the Gospel of John has instructed us about Jesus' departure to the
Father. He spent those days following His resurrection strengthening His
disciples, promising them the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which we will
joyfully celebrate next Sunday on Pentecost.
The First Reading
The Acts of the Apostles
clearly describes the Ascension of the Lord, serving as the First Reading for
this solemnity every year: "...until the day when he was taken up to
heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom
he had chosen." After His suffering, He presented Himself alive to them by
many convincing proofs, appearing to them over the course of forty days and
speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, He ordered them not
to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for the promise of the Father.
"This," He said, "is what you have heard from me; for John
baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many
days from now" (Acts 1:2-5).
A few verses later, Acts
describes the ascension itself: "When he had said this, as they were
watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight" (Acts
1:9). Even when selecting a new apostle, Matthias, the necessary criterion was
that the chosen man must have been with them from the beginning until the
Ascension: "Beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was
taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his
resurrection" (Acts 1:22). Now that Jesus has left them to return to the
presence of the Father, the apostles are called to wait for the descent of the
Spirit of God, who will empower them to become bold witnesses to Jesus and His
message of salvation.
The Second Reading
In today's Second Reading
from Ephesians 1:17–23, the Apostle Paul prays for the Ephesian believers to be
filled with spiritual insight, that they might know Jesus better and understand
the fullness of God’s blessings in Christ. Paul asks the Father to give
believers a "Spirit of wisdom and revelation" (Eph 1:17). He then
prays for a special gift: "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be
enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the
riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (Eph 1:18).
Throughout the Bible, the
"heart" refers to the center of a person’s physical, emotional,
mental, and spiritual life—the whole inner person. Thus, the phrase "the
eyes of your heart" refers to our inner perception. True spiritual enlightenment
can only come from the Holy Spirit (cf. Is 11:2; Jn 14:25–26; 16:12–14; 1 Cor
2:9–16). The Spirit of God must open the eyes of our hearts so we can see,
receive, and understand the truth of God’s Word (cf. Ps 19:8; 119:18).
In the final part of this
reading, Paul recalls the great event of Jesus’ Ascension: "God put this
power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his
right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power
and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also
in the age to come" (Eph 1:20-21).
By ascending, Christ returns to the right hand of the Father. In His discourse after the washing of the feet in the Gospel of John, Jesus prepared His disciples mentally for this departure: "I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father" (Jn 16:28). The Ascension, however, is not a departure, but rather a different kind of presence in the world. Matthew, at the beginning of his Gospel, tells us that Jesus is Emmanuel (Mt 1:23), "God-with-us." Reassuringly, the final words of Jesus reported in today's Gospel echo this promise: "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Mt 28:20). He may seem physically absent, but He is always present among us. There is no day when God is absent; there is no moment or situation in which Christ is far from us. Though Jesus is seated in His heavenly abode, He dwells in our hearts and in our Church forever, guiding us through the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel Reading
Before departing from this
world, Jesus gathered His disciples on a mountain in Galilee. "Return to
Galilee" had been the watchword of the Risen Lord. When Jesus appeared to
Mary Magdalene and the other women at the tomb, He told them, "Do not be
afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me"
(Mt 28:10).
But why Galilee? Galilee
was the heart of Jesus’ public ministry (cf. Mt 4:15, 17, 23). It was the place
where He first called and gathered His disciples (Mt 4:18-22). There, He
preached the kingdom of God, healed the sick, and ministered in what was largely
considered pagan territory. God chose Galilee—the place of the poor, the
outcasts, and those considered outside the bounds of His merciful salvation.
Jesus met His disciples in these familiar surroundings before leaving them,
affirming His continual presence and the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. He
returned to the place of new beginnings to bring everything to fulfilment: the
Risen One is the decisive light illuminating all who walk in darkness and the
shadow of death (cf. Mt 4:15).
Why did Jesus Summon the
Disciples to the Mountain?
At the beginning of His
Galilean ministry, Jesus proclaimed the Beatitudes from a mountain: "When
Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his
disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them..." (Mt 5:1-2).
In the Old Testament, God summoned the Israelites to the foot of Mount Sinai to
form His blessed family (cf. Ex 19). Now, the Risen Lord stands on a mountain
in Galilee—a symbol of the encounter between heaven and earth—solemnly
declaring that He has received all authority in heaven and on earth (cf. Mt
28:18).
From this mountain, He
sends His disciples out to preach the Good News and to gather the Church from
the four corners of the earth into the kingdom. No one is excluded from hearing
the Word or participating in the divine family through the communion of baptism:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to
obey everything that I have commanded you" (Mt 28:19-20).
The Risen Lord Draws our
Gaze to Heaven
Speaking about the
Ascension, Pope Francis notes that the Risen Lord draws our gaze to heaven to
show us that "the goal of our journey is the Father." We, too, are
destined to return to heaven, the dwelling place of God, from which we
originated. Like those first eleven disciples on the mountain, we adore Him and
reaffirm our obedience to His missionary command. The same Emmanuel who took
flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary is the God who remains with His Church—and
with each one of us—until the end of the world.
Conclusion
The Solemnity of the
Ascension of Jesus Christ reminds us of the ultimate destiny of every human
being: eternity. Jesus returned to His eternal home by virtue of His divine
nature, and He has gone ahead to prepare a place for each of us, provided we
follow His teachings and live as true Christians.
Yet, in His going, there is
also the promise of His return. The First Reading reminds us: "Men of
Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been
taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into
heaven" (Acts 1:11). This feast calls us to live in faith and in joyful
expectation of our Lord’s return in glory. As disciples of the Ascended Lord,
we are called to live in hope, joy, and the absolute certainty that after our
earthly pilgrimage, we too will arrive where He is.
Points
for Personal Reflection
As we meditate on today's readings, we realize that the Ascension is not a story of abandonment, but a story of empowerment and profound hope. Jesus leaves our physical sight to be present to us in a deeper, more intimate way through the Holy Spirit. He entrusts us with a great mission—to be His hands, feet, and voice in the world—and promises that we are never alone in this task. As we await the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, let us not stand idle, looking up at the sky, but let us look inward and outward, examining our hearts and our mission.
- Do I truly believe in eternal life? How
does the reality of heaven shape my daily choices, priorities, and actions
here on earth?
- Are the "eyes of my heart" open? Do
I seek the Holy Spirit's guidance to understand God's Word and perceive
His presence in my life, or do I rely solely on my own understanding?
- Where is my "Galilee"?
Jesus met His disciples in the familiar, everyday places of their lives.
Am I attentive to the ways the Risen Lord is meeting me in my daily
routines and ordinary encounters?
- Do I ever feel that God is absent?
When I face moments of darkness or isolation, how can I better anchor
myself in Christ's promise: "I am with you always"?
