Seventh Sunday of Easter - Ascension 05/17/26

We gather to mark the Ascension as the completion of what God began in the Passion and the Resurrection. We note that Matthew omits a dramatic travel-to-heaven scene and instead closes with the promise that God is with us, which reshapes how presence and absence function in salvation. We insist that heaven does not sit up in space like a distant address but exists as a restored relationship with God in which our human nature now has a place. We affirm that Jesus ascended not to abandon but to lead, to open the way for our final home, and to change the mode of divine presence among us.

We see the Ascension move history into a new phase. Jesus ascends in his divine power, not as a human taken by force, and he promises to send the Spirit so that the mission will continue through those he sent. We must look for Jesus not as an image in the sky but where he promised to remain: in the sacraments he instituted, especially the Eucharist, and in the faces of the poor and the body of believers. The angels’ question, Why do you stand looking at the sky, calls us away from passive spectacle and toward active participation in the life of grace.

We recognize the Ascension as an orientation for hope. If Christ had stayed visibly among us, death would make our departures final in a different way. Instead, Christ precedes us into the Father’s presence so that death becomes a passage toward the kingdom. The Ascension completes the redemptive arc: the cross reveals love, the tomb reveals victory over death, and the ascension reveals our destiny beyond suffering and loss.

We commit to living between the times with courage and attention. We practice the presence of Christ by receiving the sacraments, by serving neighbors who embody him, and by setting our sights on the kingdom where suffering ends and joy is full. We live now as a people accompanied by the risen and reigning Lord who remains with us until the end of the age.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Ascension completes the paschal mystery The Ascension crowns the work begun on the cross and fulfilled by the resurrection, showing that redemption moves history toward a definitive goal. That goal refocuses suffering and death as passages under Christ’s lordship rather than final defeats. Holding this truth reframes grief and loss as waypoints on a journey already entered by the Savior. [29:53]
• 2. Jesus remains with us always The promise I am with you always changes presence from physical proximity to reliable participation in our lives. This presence operates through Word, sacrament, and the Spirit so that the work of Christ continues without visible biography. Relying on this promise calls for trust in means God established rather than nostalgia for visible signs. [21:46]
• 3. Heaven is relationship not location Heaven does not exist merely as a spatial destination but as participation in the life of God made available to our human nature. Understanding heaven relationally corrects childish notions of a place to fly to and invites a life oriented to communion with the Father through the Son. This relational view shapes how we pray, hope, and grieve. [24:45]
• 4. Encounter Christ in sacraments and neighbor The ascension redirects searching eyes from the skies to the sacraments and to those in need where Christ now dwells among us. Receiving Eucharist and serving the poor become primary ways to meet the risen Lord who identifies with the least. Practicing these encounters forms a community that embodies the kingdom in present time. [27:43]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [12:11] - Penitential Rite and Invitation
• [13:51] - Opening Prayer for Ascension
• [21:25] - Gospel Reading from Matthew
• [22:12] - Why Matthew Omits the Ascension
• [24:45] - Heaven as Relationship
• [27:43] - Presence in Sacraments and Neighbor
• [29:53] - Ascension and Our Destiny
• [38:22] - Eucharistic Prayer and Memorial
• [57:58] - Blessing and Dismissal

1. What specific promise does Jesus make to his disciples at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, and how does this connect to the sermon’s emphasis on his ongoing presence? [21:46]
2. Why does Matthew’s Gospel omit a visible ascension scene, according to the sermon? How does this omission shape the focus of his message? [22:12]
3. The angels ask, “Why do you stand looking at the sky?” (Acts 1:11). What does this question challenge the disciples—and us—to prioritize instead? [28:35]
4. How does the sermon connect serving “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40) to encountering Christ after his ascension? [28:17]

1. If Jesus promised to remain with his followers “always,” why was his physical departure (ascension) necessary? How does his absence deepen our understanding of presence? [27:17]
2. The sermon states that the Ascension redefines death as a “passage” rather than a final defeat. How does Christ’s ascension reshape the way we grieve or face mortality? [29:53]
3. How does viewing heaven as a “relationship with God” rather than a distant location change the way we pray, hope, or live daily life? [24:45]
4. Why might sacraments like the Eucharist and acts of service to others be called “primary ways” to encounter Christ after his ascension? [27:43]

1. Jesus’ presence is promised in sacraments and service. What practical step could you take this week to intentionally seek him in one of these ways (e.g., prioritizing Communion, volunteering, or caring for someone in need)? [27:43]
2. The angels’ question (“Why do you stand looking at the sky?”) calls for action, not passive waiting. Where in your life are you tempted to “look at the sky” instead of engaging in the work Christ has given you? [28:35]
3. How might viewing death as a “passage” under Christ’s lordship change your perspective on a current struggle, fear, or loss? [29:53]
4. The sermon warns against “nostalgia for visible signs” of God’s presence. Are there areas where you struggle to trust Christ’s hidden presence (e.g., in hardship, unanswered prayer)? How can you lean into his promise instead? [21:46]
5. If heaven is a relationship, how could you intentionally cultivate that relationship today—through prayer, repentance, or acts of love? [24:45]
6. The Ascension calls us to live “between the times” with hope. What habit, attitude, or priority might need to shift in your life to reflect this eternal perspective?