Archbishop of Sydney

His Eminence,
Cardinal George Pell
Cardinal Priest of the Title of S. Maria Domenica Mazzarello

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Home > Our Archbishop > Homilies 2001 > Article	Printable Version

Ascension Sunday

St Mary's Cathedral

By + George Pell
ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY
27 May 2001

The ascension of Our Lord into heaven marks the end of his post- Resurrection appearances, and concludes that remarkable period after his death and resurrection when he was seen and conversed with a limited number of his followers. Everyone saw him die, but only those with faith, a limited number saw him in his risen state.

He ate with his disciples, walked and talked with them on the way to Emmaus; Thomas placed his hands in his wounds. But they all realised that he was changed, more than human.

Where Jesus is, we too hope to go and Our Lord's risen state is the best evidence we have of what life will be like after the resurrection of the body. In eternity we shall not survive as ghosts or spirits; because of the Incarnation our bodies will survive in a new heaven and a new earth.

Obviously none of this is simply common sense, so St Paul writing to the Ephesians asks the Lord to give them a spirit of wisdom to perceive, or understand what has been revealed to them. He uses a strange image "the eyes of our mind" i.e. the capacity to understand important things, the working of hearts, the stirrings of love, God's activity in the community under the surface. The Russians speak of a "third eye" for this type of understanding, and the beatitudes, Our Lord's most beautiful teachings speak of the pure in heart seeing God. It's possible to develop this capacity in faith through prayer, good works and wanting to understand and it is possible to lose this capacity as our heart hardens, and dries up.

We need faith to believe in Jesus' resurrection and therefore in his ascension.

His followers were sad to see him leave them, and some of them were still hoping for a political solution. Was it the time now for him to restore the Kingdom of Israel? Old habits die hard, old ways of seeing things persist, as happens with us too.

But Jesus ascended with two promises: 1. that he would send them the Holy Spirit, the Go-between God, the Spirit of love to be with his followers everywhere (as God is with us during these prayers, this Eucharist); and 2. that at the end of time Jesus will come again for the final judgement. Jesus, as Son of God sits at God's right hand, is the ruler of all creation and the head of the Church which is his Body.

St Leo the Great, lived in the 5th Century, as the Roman Empire declined through the barbarian invasions. The first great Italian Pope, he was a fine theologian and preacher. Leo explained that Our Lord used this period between the resurrection and the ascension to reveal great truths and great mysteries.

The first truth revealed is that the horror of death is taken away. Jesus' resurrection shows there is life after death, not an abyss, not annihilation. We have already mentioned the second truth, that our bodies will be immortal as well as our souls.

Leo emphasised that Our Lord used this period before the ascension to hammer home the basic truths that Jesus was truly born, truly suffered, truly died and, it must be recognized also, was truly risen.

The disciples were frightened by Jesus' death; they were doubtful, like Thomas, about claims that he had risen.

Now they rejoiced to see the Lord so completely vindicated as the Son of God, as Christ the King of heaven and earth.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.