It is 08th May 2016. We celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. It is the celebration of a mystery. We begin the prayers for Christian unity until the Pentecost. The readings are from Acts 1:1-11; Eph. 1:17-23 and the Gospel from Luke 24:46-53. The first reading presents the glorious moment of the Ascension of Jesus into Heave. Jesus completes his earthly mission of saving us all and goes back to the Father with the promise of returning to judge us. “This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” (Acts.1:11). His parting gift to the believers was the decent of the Holy Spirit. The elevation of Jesus into Heaven reminds us that we are entitled to be with God one day in heaven. We must not be spending time in analysing looking up what is out there rather we need to learn to look ahead with the task of spreading the Good News all around the world. The responsorial Psalm praises, “God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.” (Ps.47:6). In St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he reminds us about the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit. St. Paul is trying to make clear that one of the most important things we can do is gain knowledge of God. To do so, our lives should be centred around the purpose to know God. St. Luke offers the second account of the ascension in which he highlights the promise of Jesus in giving the Holy Spirit. Luke points out that after the ascension, the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy, praising and worshipping God. The fear and lethargy too were lifted up from the hearts of the believers. “As Jesus blessed them He parted from them and was taken up to heaven.” (Lk.24:51). As we live this Ascension of our Lord, let us look forward to experience him in our lives and be his messengers in the world of today. The Catechism teaches us (Nos. 659-664) that the ascension of Jesus is the exaltation to His eternal priesthood. He is our access to the Father. He is reunified with the Father again. Jesus is our all-time intercessor to the Father. Let us too ascend from our petty ideas, prejudices, partialities, favoritisms, selective priorities, nepotisms, discriminations to life giving human relationship and presence. May you have a good day.