Seventh Sunday of Easter, Feast of the Ascension – Year C (2025)
Sunday, June 1, 2025
Forty days after Easter, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Ascension. It signifies not only Christ’s glorification but also humanity’s ultimate hope of union with God. Following the Passion, Resurrection, and preceding Pentecost, the Ascension completes the Paschal Mystery, which stands at the heart of the Good News proclaimed by the apostles and the Church, and is central to our Christian faith. The Ascension of Jesus Christ is primarily narrated in the Gospels of Mark and Luke, as well as in the Acts of the Apostles. It is also referenced in other books, such as Ephesians and Timothy. The Gospel reading for Ascension Sunday is taken from the end of Luke’s Gospel, and the first reading is taken from the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles. The readings invite us to reflect on the significance of Christ’s Ascension and its implications for our lives as followers of Christ.
Christ’s ascension into heaven marks the end of His earthly ministry and the beginning of a new era in which the Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, carries on His mission. It signifies His glorification and exaltation as He assumes His place as King of the Universe with all power and authority. As we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, we are called to set our minds and hearts on things above, where Christ is seated, and to live as witnesses to His love and salvation in the world. In today’s readings, we witness Jesus’ final moments with His disciples as He opens their minds to understanding the Scriptures, explaining that the Messiah was to suffer, die, and rise from the dead on the third day. He tells them, and us, that repentance and forgiveness of sins are to be proclaimed in His name to all nations, and He instructs the disciples to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not leave or abandon His disciples or the world, remember he said, “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” —Matthew 28:20. The disciples, rather than being sorrowful, worship Him and return to Jerusalem with great joy, continually blessing God in the temple.
Just as the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy, we too should live in hope and joyful expectation, knowing that Jesus’ triumph over death and His ascension will lead to communion with Him in the heavenly Jerusalem, the culmination of God’s saving plan and the final dwelling place of the People of God. And just as the disciples were commissioned to spread the Gospel, we too are called to share the Good News with those around us, empowered by the Holy Spirit. That is the mission of the Church. We pray for God’s grace to embrace the joy and hope of the Ascension, knowing that Christ has paved the way for us to enter into eternal glory.
Alleluia! Not as orphans are we left in sorrow now; Alleluia! He is near us; faith believes nor questions how.
Though the cloud from sight received him when the forty days were o’er, shall our hearts forget his promise, “I am with you evermore”?
Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.