THE JOY OF UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO GOD IN CHRIST

V/​ I will turn to you O God, 

R/​ to God who gives joy to my youth

V/​ Give me the Wisdom that sits by your throne; 

R/ that I may be counted among your children

Lord, in your all-providential plan, you have led me to this moment to rediscover me in your Word and Wisdom. Aid me to make this time of meditation and prayer enriching, transforming, and liberating for my well-being and others. Amen!

THE JOY OF UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO GOD IN CHRIST

By Fr. Clement Obiorah

Solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension

Acts 1:1-11; Psalms 47(46): 2-3, 6-9; Hebrew 9:24-28, 10:19-23; Luke 24:46-53

29th May 2025

The Ascension marks the conclusion of Jesus Christ’s ministry on earth in His bodily presence. It is a constant reminder for us also to set our sights on holiness and strive for an intimate relationship with Christ by which we are drawn into the very mysteries of God.

In the readings today, Luke in his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, we read that Christ “while he blessed them, parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy”. and as they were looking on, he was lifted, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” This reference to “cloud” here is unambiguously theological, as it resonates with previous theophanies. Here, it signals an abiding and real presence or closeness which is no longer calibrated by physical dimensions or cause, but solely by spiritual parameters. Hence, Ascension does not mean departure into a remote region of the cosmos. Rather, it is the continuing closeness that the disciples experience so strongly that it becomes a source of lasting joy, leading to worship. It is as though our Lord himself says, ‘rejoice, for see, “I am [now] ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Luke tells us that the disciples were overjoyed because they understood what this meant for them and their new mission.

Our second reading from Hebrews highlights the consequence of this ascent to God, namely, advocating “in the presence of God on our behalf.” This celestial setting is not only tied to responsibility but also to honour; He ascends and “stands at the Right hand of the Father.” Indeed, it is a priestly posture, characterised by devotion and profound mediation, in a way that transcends our understanding of active presence. God is intimately present to all of creation as its Lord, Creator, and Father. Christ’s ascension signifies our participation in this divine dominion over space, not in any way undermining our humanity, because Christ recapitulates creation by his holy incarnation draws us up forever unto God. As much as John of the Cross sketches in his Ascent of Mount Carmel, Teresa, in Chapter Two of her Life, speaks too of this spiritual ascent of the soul, and “how the path leading to the most exalted contemplation must be through the Humanity of Christ.” Just so, we should never abandon our humanity.

So much so, the human categories of friendship, intimacy and allegiance are transformed and elevated in a new way, a way only one who prays experiences. Teresa’s beautiful definition of prayer in terms of intimate sharing between friends, and being with the one whom we know loves us, encapsulates this experience of closeness at the “right hand of the Father.” Joseph Ratzinger has this to say, “Christianity is the present: it is both gift and task, receiving the gift of God’s inner closeness and – as a consequence – bearing witness to Jesus Christ.” Christ has shown us to be hopeful and await the gift of His Spirit, present when we are gathered in prayer and worship.

This has many implications for the prayer Cenacle convoked in company with Mary, the mother of redeemed humanity. As members of Christ’s body, we participate in the mediatory role of Christ our head, a stark truth that is often left out in the reading of 1 Timothy 2:1-4, where Paul calls for supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings to be made for all people. Thus, reinstates our original state of divine familiarity and stewardship of the many graces that abound in the Spirit. So, in our difficult and almost insurmountable weakness, may the unwavering assurance of faith in Christ and the prayerful intercession of all Christ’s faithful imbue a lasting Joy and hope. Amen