At the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles Jesus did not ascend immediately; he spent a highly symbolic 40 days—reminiscent of his 40 days in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry—speaking to the apostles “about the kingdom of God.”

The narratives about Jesus by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John fit nicely into a classic American genre: the road story. Jesus and his friends leave the familiarity of home and hearth to light out for the territories, see the world in all its fascination and misery, give some help and get into some trouble, make a few allies and a few more enemies, and take the ultimate journey to the center of their society, Jerusalem, where, according to the genre, they would either triumph or be vanquished.

One of the very first homilies that I was supposed to preach as a newly ordained priest was the Solemnity of the Ascension. I was to preach at the children’s liturgy. I stopped at a local mall and picked up a dozen helium balloons to use as visual aids with the children in my homily.

After serving as president of the Sears company from 1908-1924, Julius Rosenwald concentrated on philanthropy, giving away $63 million—a much larger amount in today’s dollars—to educational and cultural institutions and charities.

We pray now to the Lord who is head over all things.

As sign and wonder this exaltation is a pointer to the revelation . . . of Jesus Christ as the heart of all powers in heaven and earth.