(Mk 16:15-20)

 Mark 16:19 The Lord Jesus, after speaking with them, was taken up into heaven and seated at the right hand of God.

The Ascension is the elevation of Christ into heaven by His power in the presence of His disciples on the fortieth day after His resurrection. It is narrated in Mk 16:19, Lk 24:51, and in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.

Although the place of the Ascension is not explicitly stated, it is inferred from Acts that it was the Mount of Olives, since after the Ascension it is said that the disciples returned to Jerusalem from the "mountain called the Mount of Olives, which is as near to Jerusalem as the journey allowed on a Sabbath day". Tradition has consecrated this place as Ascension Mount and Christian piety has commemorated the event by erecting a basilica on the site.

St Helena built the first memorial there, which was destroyed by the Persians in 614. It was rebuilt in the 8th century, only to be destroyed again, but rebuilt one more time by the Crusaders. This too was destroyed, by the Mohammedans, and only the octagonal structure enclosing the stone bearing the imprint of Christ's feet was left, which is now used as an oratory.

The fact of the Ascension is not only referred to in the above-mentioned passages of Scripture, but is also foretold and stated elsewhere as an established fact. Thus, in Jn 6:62, Jesus Christ asks his disciples: "What if you saw the Son of Man ascending where he was before?" and in Jn 20:17 he says to Mary Magdalene: "Do not hold me back, for I have not yet ascended to my Father and your Father, my God and your God". Again, Eph 4:8-10 and 1 Tim 3:16 speak of Christ's Ascension as an accepted fact.

Catholics have always regarded this event as literal and miraculous. But the dogma has also had its detractors. Some scoffed at this, comparing the 'flying' Jesus to the Apollo spacecraft. This was a common joke among atheists in the 1970s. Others deny the possibility of the miraculous event altogether. Still others, interpret the ascension as not literal but symbolic... since he who rises from the earth does not go to heaven but goes into orbit. Given such criticism, how can Catholics defend the reality of Christ's Ascension?

Since St Luke is our primary source, how can we know that he is telling us a story and not an allegory? Well, the evangelist clearly states in the prologue of his Gospel that his intention is to tell a real story. Moreover, when Luke describes the ascension there is no hint of literary embellishment, which is really strange if he did not mean it literally. In the Gospel account it simply tells us that Jesus "departed from them and was taken up to heaven" (Lk 24:51). In Acts he writes that Jesus "was lifted up on high before their eyes and a cloud removed him from their gaze" (Acts 1:9). Coldly, like a serious historian interested only in facts, Luke simply tells us what happened and that is all. It is also noteworthy that since the Gospel accounts were written only a few decades after Jesus' crucifixion, there would have been eyewitnesses of Jesus still alive to correct or oppose Luke's account. But there is simply no trace of such an objection.

Indeed, the Gospel accounts are extraordinarily accurate, and Luke in particular is a first-rate historian. Therefore, when the New Testament authors describe the bodily ascension of Jesus into heaven, regardless of faith, we have every reason to believe that they are reporting a real story.

At this point a question arises. It is not difficult to understand why we should celebrate Good Friday (Jesus atones for our sins on the cross) or Easter Sunday (Jesus rises again, conquering death). But why celebrate the Ascension? Why is Jesus leaving the earth something to celebrate?

It is easy to misinterpret the Ascension as Christ abandoning his disciples. Furthermore, we misunderstand the Ascension if we imagine that Jesus is returning to heaven, as if he had ever left heaven. As St Augustine said, Jesus 'did not leave heaven when he descended among us; nor did he depart from us when he ascended again into heaven'.

If Jesus, in his divinity, was always in heaven, what is it that he ascended? His humanity! And that is why the Ascension is important. For many people, Christianity has become too disembodied, so that it can be seen as good news for souls but not for bodies. This is a problem, because Christianity does not make much sense if the body is not made to last forever. After all, why did John Paul II concern himself so much with the 'theology of the body', and why do we care for the bodies of the dead? Because Christianity is good news for both body and soul. In fact, the Catechism teaches: 'The flesh is the cornerstone of salvation. We believe in God who is the Creator of the flesh; we believe in the Word made flesh to redeem the flesh; we believe in the resurrection of the flesh, the fulfilment of creation and the redemption of the flesh" (CCC 1015).

In Eden, there was an intimate union between God and the earthly creation, symbolised by the fact that "the Lord God walked in the garden in the day breeze" (Gen 3:8). This union between heaven and earth was broken with sin. The rupture was healed first by the Incarnation (in which God assumed earthly humanity), then by the Cross (in which he offered his flesh for the life of the world), then by the Resurrection (in which Christ rose again with a glorified body), and then by the Ascension (in which Christ ascended physically to take his seat on the heavenly throne). Before the Ascension, heaven was a purely spiritual realm. Not any more.

That of Jesus Christ is the first body in heaven, but not the last. He is immediately followed by his mother, which is why the Assumption is celebrated. And one day, God willing, we too will be there. Hence, the angel's message on Ascension Day is far-sighted: "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from among you into heaven, will return one day in the same way as you saw him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). The union of heaven and earth has begun and is irrevocable. Our journey now is to prepare for that union to be completed in us and with us.

 Argentino Quintavalle, author of the books 

- Revelation - exegetical commentary 

- The Apostle Paul and the Judaizers - Law or Gospel?

Jesus Christ true God and true Man in the Trinitarian mystery

The prophetic discourse of Jesus (Matthew 24-25)

All generations will call me blessed

 Catholics and Protestants compared - In defence of the faith

(Buyable on Amazon)