“Goodbye.”  For those who love, “goodbye” might be the hardest word to say.  We want to remain with the ones we love.  Yet, forty days after His resurrection, Jesus said “goodbye” to the apostles, His Mother Mary, and us.  He ascended to His Father in Heaven.

At the Last Supper Jesus told the apostles that it was necessary for Him to leave.  He said: “I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.  For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.  But if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16: 7).  Jesus ascended into Heaven in order to send the Holy Spirit.

But Jesus also promised He would not abandon us.  Again, at the Last Supper, He said: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14: 18).  And the last words of Jesus according to Matthew were a great promise: “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28: 20).

Jesus left this world yet promised to remain.  How could He do that?  “This is My Body. This is My Blood.”  Jesus remains with us in the Holy Eucharist.  Now He is not confined to just one place, Jerusalem or Bethsaida or Nazareth.  Now He is present wherever Holy Mass is celebrated and He remains in the tabernacle.

Pope Francis said that “the Ascension does not point to Jesus’ absence, but tells us that He is alive in our midst in a new way.  He is no longer in a specific place in the world as He was before the Ascension. He is now in the lordship of God, present in every space and time, close to each one of us. In our life we are never alone…” (General Audience 04/17/13).

Moreover, He has blazed a trail for us to follow.  If we stay close to Him, He will lead us to a place in Heaven prepared for us from the beginning of creation.  He said: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” (John 14: 2).

Pope Francis also said: “The Ascension of Jesus into heaven acquaints us with this deeply consoling reality of our journey: in Christ, true God and true man, our humanity was taken to God. Christ opened the path to us. He is like a roped guide climbing a mountain who, on reaching the summit, pulls us up to Him and leads us to God.”

The Holy Spirit whom we received at Baptism and the Holy Eucharist keep us always connected to Jesus who “pulls us up to Him.”  Our celebration of Christ’s Ascension helps us fix our eyes on our ultimate goal.