ASCENSION OF THE LORD: OVERCOMING OUR ANXIETIES THROUGH WITNESSING.

“As they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him from their sight” (Acts 1:9).

The disciples must have been overwhelmed, confused, and maybe even afraid as they watched Jesus disappear into the heavens. The one who had calmed their fears, walked beside them, and risen from the dead was now leaving. But God does not leave us in a vacuum. Two men in white garments appear and speak: “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” (Acts 1:11).

The Ascension of Christ takes place forty days after His Resurrection. During these forty days, Jesus had been preparing His disciples for the mission ahead. Their question—“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”—reveals the anxiety and uncertainty in their hearts. Jesus responds not with a timeline, but with a promise: “You will receive power from on high when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”

This marks a turning point. The Ascension inaugurates the age of the Spirit. It introduces us to what theologians call the “already but not yet.” The Kingdom of God is already at work in the world—but its full glory is not yet revealed. Jesus commissions His disciples to proclaim and live out this Kingdom until He returns.

The disciples have already seen so much: miracles, healings, exorcisms, teachings of truth and mercy. They have shared in the Last Supper, witnessed His suffering, and rejoiced in His Resurrection. Now, even as Jesus departs, He entrusts them with the most important mission of all: “Go, make disciples of all nations…” (Matt. 28:19). He makes them part of His family, His Body.

Yet this moment evokes something very human: separation anxiety. They are losing the physical presence of the one who brought them comfort, courage, and identity. After all they’ve been through—rejection, persecution, crucifixion—the thought of Him leaving again must have been terrifying.

As Marc Foley writes in The Context of Holiness, “We all seek security by staying within the circle of the familiar and become anxious when we perceive that the boundaries of the predictable have been breached” (p.12). The disciples had grown comfortable with the “circle of the familiar.” But Jesus is now calling them—and us—into new and unfamiliar territory.

He tells them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17). His Ascension is not abandonment—it is empowerment. It is not a break—it is a bridge. Through His return to the Father, Jesus draws us into the very heart of the Trinity. He promises the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who will guide, strengthen, and comfort.

So we might ask: Where is Jesus now, in a world filled with hatred, violence, division, and despair? Where is God when people feel alone, anxious, or forsaken?

The answer is found in today’s Gospel:

1.      “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in His name to all nations.”

2.      “You are witnesses of these things.”

3.      “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you…”

Even in suffering, Christ is present. Even in loss, He is near. Even when we feel anxious or abandoned, He sends the Holy Spirit—the Comforter—to be with us. He is present in our hearts, in the community of faith, and most profoundly, in the Blessed Eucharist.

His final words remain: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). That is our confidence. That is our mission.

The Ascension is not a call to stand still, staring into the sky. It is a call to missionary discipleship. To be witnesses. To trust the Spirit. To step out of our circle of comfort and the familiar. To bring Christ to the world.

As we prepare for Pentecost, let us pray for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit—wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. These are the tools we need to overcome our anxieties and fulfill the mission Christ entrusts to us.

Let us not be afraid. Christ has ascended—but He has not left us. He reigns from heaven and walks with us on earth. Amen.

Readings: Acts 1:1-11 | Ephesians 1:17-23 | Luke 24:46-53