The mystery of the Ascension has to do with holding in tension a sense of God’s nearness, along with the burden caused by apparent signs of absence. The risen Jesus says to Mary Magdalene, “Do not cling to me,” perhaps pointing out to her that his physical presence to the disciples was time bound and temporary. It was a gift for their transformation, and after forty days, he vanished from their sight and hearing, though never out of their consciousness.

They do not mourn at his going this time: there is no trace of the disciples who hid in fear at his crucifixion, no sense of the women who wept softly as they carried ointments to the tomb through the dewy morning light. Instead, the scriptural accounts show them full of joy, comforted by his promise to be with them forever, and open to the Spirit’s power. They are joyful, energized, aware, and united with one another in love. They seem to grasp an awareness that if the mission to the whole world was a serious one, then the presence of the Risen Christ could not be pinned down to any one place or time, but had to be always and everywhere completely available. All peoples, all times, all cultures were opened to receive him in this moment of the Ascension. The energy of this feast is drawn not from absence, but renewed and deeper presence.

James Field, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co