During my years in college, my faith took on a greater maturity than I had known in my youth. One of the ways this happened was in my prayer of the rosary. It was at the Newman Center at North Dakota State University where I experienced the power of the prayer of the rosary — how through a meditation on the mysteries, God could share his love and mercy with me with great intimacy.
However, there was one mystery whose meaning and significance remained elusive to me for quite some time: the Ascension. The other mysteries, such as the Resurrection or the descent of the Holy Spirit, have a significance that is so obvious. But I was always confused by the significance of Jesus departing from his Apostles, his disciples, from the ones whom he loved. Finally, one quiet night in the chapel, the Lord helped me to understand this great mystery much more intimately: It was not about Jesus leaving humanity; rather, it was about humanity entering into the most intimate relationship with God.
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When Jesus descended to humanity in the incarnation, humanity was joined to divinity for all eternity. Now, the divine creator of the heavens has come down to our level, walked with us, talked with us and fully become one with us. But the joining was not yet consummate. Not until the Ascension was the relationship between God and humanity complete. In the Gospel of Luke, the author notes, “As (Jesus) blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven.” It was at this moment that a fully human being was brought to heaven, not just a “place” or “location” but into the very nature of God himself. As you read this column, there is now a human being, body, blood, soul, at the very center of who our God is.
First, the connection between God and humanity is now eternal. Through this occurrence, God has now lifted the humanity that we all share into his very heart. This means that when we speak to God in prayer, we are not merely speaking to a divine being who observes us from on high, but rather, we speak to one who knows the fullness of the human existence and freely embraces our humanity in love.
The second gift of the Ascension is that now human dignity has been elevated beyond its own nature. I am a fan of hockey, and I recall one time when I was invited into an NHL locker room. As I walked in, I knew this was not where I belonged. I am not good at playing hockey, and I certainly didn’t make the team. However, I was invited into the space, not because I was worthy, but because of the generosity of another. In a similar way, humanity is not worthy of being welcomed into the very heart of the Trinity. However, when Jesus Christ ascended back to his Father, the humanity that we all share was elevated to a dignity beyond our own imagining. This means that the way I see and interact with my fellow humans needs to respond to this great honor.
Our Lord’s ascension began as a rather elusive event for me to understand. Now, it is one of my favorite mysteries of the rosary. On this day, let us celebrate with the original witnesses and recognize the gift that this celebration is for all of humanity. Our God has united himself to us and elevated our nature to his love.
Father Gjengdahl is chaplain for Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria and sacramental minister for Sts. Peter and Paul in Medina and St. Thomas in Corcoran.
Sunday, May 29
The Ascension of the Lord
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