Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension, marking forty days since Easter morning. During this sacred time, the Risen Christ walked with the disciples, opening their minds to the Scriptures, revealing the wounds of his love, and commissioning them as witnesses to his death and Resurrection. Now, he withdraws from their sight, but not from their lives. And not from ours.

Jesus entrusts his followers with a mission: to be witnesses of his death and Resurrection and proclaim repentance and forgiveness to all nations. However, he does not send them alone. He promises they will be ‘clothed with power from on high’ with the gift of the Holy Spirit. That same Spirit is still with us today, renewing our hearts, transforming us and our communities, and enabling us to live the Gospel with courage and hope.

This Gospel calls us to remember that we, too, are part of this mission. We are his witnesses. Our lives are meant to point to Christ—in our words, in our actions, and in our love for others, especially in a world so in need of healing.

After Jesus’ Ascension, the disciples return to Jerusalem with great joy. Their hearts are full, their eyes lifted, their lives newly oriented toward heaven. They have seen the glory of Christ, and they know his promise is true.

Today, may we lift our eyes with them. May we see with the hope of the Resurrection and the assurance of the Spirit. The Ascension is not a farewell—it is a commissioning. So, let us go forth and be the witnesses Christ calls us to be.

By Lisa McKerr