Occasion: Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
Readings: Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:17-23; Matthew 28:16-20

ONE OF MY FAVORITE STAINED-GLASS WINDOWS, certainly one of the more memorable, is in the church where I served as a deacon intern a quarter century ago. The window depicts the apostles standing around a large rock that has two very clear footprints improbably imbedded in its surface. Their heads are all turned upward in that unusual tilt peculiar to stained-glass art, and if you follow their gaze up the harlequin medley of color that composes the window, you come to a pair of feet dangling from the top of the frame. Even though you can't see anything above the knees, there's no question to whom the feet belong: The stylized wounds are unmistakable. It is the Lord being "lifted up" into heaven while the apostles look on.

With this amazing liftoff, Jesus joined a select fraternity of biblical ascenders. The first was Enoch of that long list of "begats" in the fifth chapter of Genesis. Enoch was the great-great-great-great-grandson of Adam and Eve. His son Methuselah lived to be an astonishing 969 years old and was the oldest man who ever lived. Imagine the birthday cake. Enoch himself was no spring chicken, but his time here on earth may have been cut a little short when, at the tender age of 365, it says in Genesis 5:24, he "walked with God, and he was no longer here, for God took him."

The only other character in the Bible who departed without the benefit of a funeral was Elijah, who "went up to heaven" in 2 Kings 2:11. His conveyance to the hereafter was a whirlwind, à la Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, accompanied by a flaming chariot with a flaming horse, a paint scheme that inspired a generation of hot-rodders. Apart from the biblical accounts there is one more flight into the heavenly realm: At the end of her life, the Blessed Mother was assumed body and soul into heaven.

But Catholics, remember, are not strict Bible literalists. Since Pope Pius XII's landmark encyclical of 1943, Divino Afflante Spiritu, we are obliged to delve deeper into the biblical account of Christ's Ascension to discover its fuller sense and meaning, the story beyond the account.

But Catholics, remember, are not strict Bible literalists. Since Pope Pius XII's landmark encyclical of 1943, Divino Afflante Spiritu, we are obliged to delve deeper into the biblical account of Christ's Ascension to discover its fuller sense and meaning, the story beyond the account.

The Ascension marks the rising of Christ above everything. "He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together," Paul writes in Colossians 1:17. Sacred scripture and the creed proclaim that he has taken his seat at the right hand of God "far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion." From this position he assures us, through the apostle Paul, that "neither death, nor life . . . nor powers . . . nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).

"May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened," Paul writes in the second reading, "that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call." He calls us to life on high with him. That means we are invited to share the "riches of glory" and the "surpassing greatness of his power." But it's all "for us who believe."

The empty tomb and encounter with the risen Christ places God's stamp of truth on the message of the gospel. In Christ, our lives are eternal and our sins are forgiven. This is the life on high we share with Jesus, far above the limitations of this passing world. Though we are sinners who draw near to death, our faith in the Lord's gospel lifts us above the doubts and fears that can hold us down. Like the apostles in the stained-glass story of the Ascension, we stand transfixed, staring up as Christ is taken from our sight.

"Why are you standing there looking at the sky?" the angel asks. This is not about the dangling feet disappearing into the clouds. This is about who we are and the task we are called upon to undertake. We are the witnesses of this revelation sent to welcome all people into this new life. We have friends and family who fear death, with whom we need to share our hope in eternal life. There are sinners in my life and yours who need our forgiveness. The power is passed to us. Now go and make disciples.