Why did Jesus ascend to the Father? Why did he not just stick around until the end of the age? Read on…As always, you can catch the video on the St. Pat’s Facebook page and our YouTube channel.
Happy Memorial Day Weekend. It is good for us as a nation and as a Church to pause and remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy, especially religious freedom. All have given some, some have given all. Let us always remember them with honor and gratitude.
How very appropriate that this national celebration should occur in such close proximity to the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord.
I like to listen to Science Fantastic! with Dr. Michio Kaku. Dr. Kaku is a super smart guy who has one mantra: There are no stupid questions. It’s true in the physical as well as the theological sciences.
So here’s a fun theological question for you. In the Nicene and Apostles’ Creed, we say, “He ascended to heaven…” But did you ever wonder why? I mean, come on, Jesus is truly human and truly divine. He is the Eternal Word of God Incarnate, the perfect self-expression of the Father. He can do anything he wants! Why didn’t he just stick around after the Resurrection until the end of the age? He certainly could have if he wanted to. Why didn’t he?
Think about it for a minute. If you want to see the Pope, you have to go to Rome, because that is where he is. If you want to see the President, you have to go to Washington, because that is where he is. But if you want to encounter the Risen Christ, where do have to go? Really, you don’t have to go any farther than your own home and parish, because that is where he is. How is this possible?
It all has to do with sacramentality. Back in 1963, a Dutch theologian name Edward Schillebeeckx wrote a book called Christ, the Sacrament of the Encounter with God. It’s a rich work, with lots of fancy theological terms, but it all boils down to this.
Sacraments are all about true presence. Jesus wasn’t some great prophet who simply taught us about God, Jesus IS God.
So, after the Incarnation, how was God truly present to humanity? Through Jesus Christ. So in the broad sense of the term, Christ can be said to be the “Sacrament of God.”
But if Jesus was still walking the face of the earth, where would you want to be now? I don’t know about you, but I’d like to be there. But there is a problem with such a localized Messiah, the only way to be in his presence is to be where he is. If only there was a way to overcome this physical limitation and transcend the temporal order while being truly present to it….
Fortunately for us, God is waaaay smarter than Michio Kaku. If God was truly present to humanity in the person of Jesus Christ at one time and place, how is Jesus truly present to humanity in all times and in all places? The answer is surprisingly simple. Through the Church. So in a sense, the Church can be said to be the “Sacrament of Christ.”
The physical Christ simply cannot be present in all times and in all places, but through His Body, the Church, he certainly can, and indeed is.
Finally, within the life of the Church, there are those seven sacramental moments
Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist
Reconciliation, Anointing
Holy Orders, Holy Matrimony…
when we truly encounter the Risen Christ, especially in the Eucharist.
To sum up, physicality brings with it, the limitations of time and space. Sacramentality transcends those limitations. Had Christ remained on earth, humanity would only be able to encounter Him in a very limited way. But through the Church and the grace of the sacraments, there is no limit to where and when we can encounter the Risen Christ. The Kingdom of God is very much within our grasp.