ASCENSION OF THE LORD - MAY 12, 2024

SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION

Does it matter what Christ looked like? When we think about the appearance of Christ, we all have our own conception of what he looked like, and they often share similarities: a kind face, long brown hair, an impressive beard, etc. These are artistic interpretations that have developed over time. But only in recent history have artists gone in a different direction in depicting Christ - to depict him with muted features, or faceless, or any other method that allows a viewer to see their own depiction in Christ in the form. We must reject this art at all cost specifically because Christ was real, he did exist, he had a body, and that body with all of its unique features was the means by which God communicated to us that we can adopt His perfection in our own human forms. This message culminated in the solemnity we celebrate today - the Ascension.

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READ THIS SUNDAY'S MESSAGE

Christ’s body was crucial to his public ministry and to the instructive miracles he performed for the sake of witnesses. This was the body that was transfigured on Mount Tabor so that Peter, James, and John could know what the glorified body becomes. This was the body that Mary Magdalene and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus did not recognize at first because of some change, either within themselves or in the recognizable body of Christ. This was the same body that Christ had Thomas place his fingers into its wounds. The solemnity of the Ascension is not just to mark the end of Christ’s teaching mission on earth; central to this feast is the understanding that Christ went to a place reserved for him in heaven with both his soul and his body. This body of Christ, which we glimpsed its perfection in the Transfiguration and in the Resurrected appearances, was actually complete for all to see when it ascended into Heaven. All the while, it was still unmistakably the body of the man known as Jesus. How he looked matters; he was not faceless or formless or featureless because he did not want us to see him in whatever way we desire. He wanted us to see him as he came to us - a product of his time, a son of his mother, a man of flesh and bone. But most importantly, he wanted us to know that our own bodies are just as capable of being transfigured, of being resurrected, of being brought to its home where it belongs in heaven, all while being uniquely our own. There are many potential reflections on the feast of the Ascension, but to reflect on the participation of Christ’s body in this great moment allows us to have an actual way to reflect on our own participation in the life to come without having to resort to bizarre or unusual artistic interpretations. We participate in Heaven only through the Body of Christ, and the Body of Christ is real and recognizable.

This year, the Solemnity of the Ascension falls on Mother’s Day here in the United States. This weekend, we should be showering our mothers with love and appreciation specifically for the unique form of love they express; motherly love is about as close to divine love that anyone on earth can experience from another human. However, motherly love often goes unappreciated fully until one becomes a parent on their own. When we talk about the Body of Christ, we talk about the single most valuable gift that God gave to us as his creation. He sacrificed this body for us and brought it back into His embrace perfected while allowing us to continue to participate in this gift through the Eucharist. A mother does the same: she sacrifices her entire self for the sake of the ones she loves. As we reflect on the Body of Christ, let us most importantly reflect on love, and reciprocate the perfect love we are given in life to those who give it to us.