"After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.'"
— Acts 1:9-11
There are moments in our lives when we feel too small for God's great promises. We look at our limitations, our failures, our daily struggles, and we question whether there really is a God who governs all things with power and glory. Today, at the Ascension of Christ, we are invited to lift our eyes and contemplate the most transformative reality in the universe: Jesus, our Lord, is alive, risen, and seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven.
On that memorable day on the Mount of Olives, the disciples witnessed something that would forever change their understanding of who Jesus was. He was not merely the Rabbi who walked with them through Galilee. He was not merely the one who multiplied loaves and calmed storms. He was the King of kings, exalted in glory, whose feet would no longer touch earthly soil, but whose kingdom would expand throughout all eternity. The cloud that covered him symbolized God's glory—that same cloud that guided Israel in the desert, that rested upon the tabernacle, that filled the temple with divine presence.
But observe the tenderness in the angels who remained: they did not leave the disciples in despair. They told them that this Jesus would return. This promise was not empty consolation for abandoned outcasts. It was the most powerful declaration in history: He who ascended to heaven will also come down again. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit would be poured out, transforming those frightened men into bold witnesses who would turn the world upside down. The Ascension did not mark the end of their story; it marked the true beginning.
Do you feel the weight of this truth? Your Jesus is not far away somewhere distant in the cosmos. He is enthroned, invested with all authority in heaven and on earth, interceding for you in this very moment. Your weaknesses do not disqualify you from grace. Your stumbles do not surprise him. He knows, he understands, and he continues to work on your behalf. The Christian life is not about passively waiting for his return; it is about living in communion with the one who ascended, allowing his Spirit to guide us, strengthen us, and empower us to fulfill our mission here on earth.