The Ascent into the Depths
In reflecting on the Feast of the Ascension and the gospel this past Sunday, Fr. Robert draws upon the Christological, anthropological, and ecclesiological dimensions of this pivotal moment in the life of Christ and His Body, the Church.
As Christ ascends to the Father, He does not leave behind His humanity—He brings it with Him. In doing so, He brings our humanity, wounded and broken though it may be, into the glory of the divine life. And yet, our ascent as members of the one Body of Christ carries with it a profound responsibility: how we manifest the Church in the world today.
If our eyes are fixed only on heaven—on spiritual heights—without concern for the world Christ came to redeem, then we risk betraying the very mission of the Incarnation. The Ascension is not an escape from the world, but a call to deeper engagement with it.
Christ descended into the depths of human suffering, took on the darkness of the world, and in doing so, redeemed it. As His Body, we are called to the same descent. If the light of Christ is to permeate the world through us— we must acknowledge our sins, to bear one another’s burdens, and—as Christ did—to heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, clothe the poor, and love without condition.
The Church and the gospel do not call us to greatness and triumphalism as the world defines it, but to humility, compassion, and solidarity with the least of these.
In ascending, Christ does not abandon the world; rather, He ascends in order to send the Holy Spirit upon it. And now, through us—His Church—His light continues to shine in the darkness.