Glorious Mystery: the Ascension to Heaven
The second glorious mystery is the Ascension of Jesus to Heaven. The fruit of this mystery is the desire and the hope of Heaven.
After rising from the dead, Jesus spent forty days with the community of disciples. The closeness of this time is especially shown in the Emmaus story, when two disciples were accompanied by Jesus, taught by him, and broke bread with him. In his time with his disciples, Jesus wanted to confirm the early church in the reality of his Resurrection and in his teachings on love, mercy, and reconciliation.
After this period of time with his disciples, Jesus ascended to the Father.
When Christ ascended into heaven, he did not leave his human nature behind. He brought that nature, our human nature, into heaven with him. The Son of God did not leave us orphans. He still has his human nature, and still bears the wounds of his Passion in the kingdom of heaven.
By bringing his human nature into heaven, Jesus Christ opened paradise for the human family. With a glorified human body and a human soul, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity sits at the right hand of God the Father for all eternity. This incorporation of the human and the divine makes him our presence in eternity and the mediator between God and humanity.
This is the pressing and inspiring lesson of the Ascension. It touches the core of the Christian faith, our own dignity as human beings, and the life available to us after death. It is a strong reminder to us of how greatly we are loved and how intensely God desires fellowship with us. - Father Jeffrey F. Kirby, Recovering the importance and the lessons of the Ascension, Crux News, 5/28/2017
Prayer intention: for the families and relatives of the victims of abuse
Father, we entrust to your care the families and relatives of the persons who were abused by Church persons. Come and comfort them, remind them that Your son offered himself in sacrifice on the Cross for each one of them, innocent victim who suffered for our sins. Give them the right words and the right actions to support those who were wounded. Put in their life people who will reconcile them with Your Church, and give them the necessary strength to forgive those who violated their loved ones.
With Mary and Saint Michael Archangel, we ask You in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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One Our Father.
Ten Hail Mary.
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Picture: The Ascension, by Giotto, fresco detail, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy, 14th century.
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Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. Col 4:6