The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 94: Christ’s Ascension into Heaven

Episode Date: April 4, 2023

The Catechism unpacks the line from the Creed, “He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” Fr. Mike highlights the reality that we do not have direct access to the Father without his Son, Jesus. Christ’s ascension into heaven means, “the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory,” uniting our humanity with God’s divinity in a remarkable way—which finds its earthly culmination in the Holy Mass. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 659-667. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy If you have found this podcast to be helpful in your faith life and would like to help us continue bringing this Catholic media to as many people as possible, please consider making an ongoing financial gift at ascensionpress.com/support. Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Before we get started, I just wanted to offer a quick thank you to all those who have supported the Categism and Ear or the Bible in Ear podcasts. We hear stories every day about how those shows have transformed people's lives. And because of your prayers and financial gifts, you are a significant part of that. You might ask a question though. The question is, what does the ascension do with these financial gifts? Great question. The answer is we make authentically Catholic podcasts and videos and other digital content to help people know the Catholic faith and grow closer to God every day. And we do it all for free. If you found this podcast be helpful in your life and would like to help us continue making

free Catholic content we can post online. Please consider making a financial contribution and ongoing financial contribution by going to ascensionpress.com slash support. That's ascensionpress.com-support. That's AscensionPress.com-support. Thank you and God bless. [♪ Music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing the background, music playing in the background, music playing in the background, music playing the tradition of the Catholic faith. The Catechism in a year is brought to you by Ascension. In 365 days, we'll read through the Catechism of the Catholic Church, discovering our identity in God's families. We journeyed together toward our heavenly home in his day 94 reading paragraphs 659-667. In fact, it's kind of the entire section on Christ ascended into heaven about his Ascension. Speaking of Ascension, I'm using the Ascension edition of the Catechism, see how I did that, which includes the foundations

of faith approach, but you can follow along with any recent version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You can also download your own Catechism any year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash C-I-Y. And lastly, you can click follow or subscribe in your podcast app for daily updates and daily notifications, as I said today. Is day 94 reading all about the ascension. Just remarkable.

Article 6, he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. You guys, there's some really incredible things about the ascension. One of the things about the ascension is that Christ's body was glorified at the moment of his resurrection. His paragraph 659 is so important. His body was glorified at the moment of his resurrection. His paragraph 659. It's so important. His body was glorified at the moment of his resurrection. Got it. Incredible.

But that glory is hidden during the 40 days when he eats and drinks with the disciples and teaches them about the kingdom. It remains veiled under the appearance of ordinary humanity. Jesus' final apparition ends, it says here in the Catechism, 659, ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory. Now I cannot overemphasize this, we've talked about this before, but it is worth highlighting once again that this final apparition, this final presence of Jesus Christ on the earth in this particular way, ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory.

We said this before, but in the ascension, Christ unites definitively and absolutely humanity to divinity, which is remarkable. So we're gonna talk about this, how the reality of the ascension completes the saving work of Jesus Christ on earth. Now, because we believe in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension into

heaven. He's also, tomorrow, we're going to talk about this, sends the Holy Spirit that brings all these graces, like the Holy Spirit in this, you know, economy of salvation. Holy Spirit imparts all of these graces that Jesus Christ won through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven to us. That's tomorrow in the following after these days. But in this moment, we recognize that Christ's ascension completes the saving mission that he began in the incarnation. It's just, well, I guess you know, you could say the saving mission began at the moment God started pursuing us right after the fall, but it culminates with this ascension into heaven.

Why? Because we recognize that right, Christ's death provides our redemption, that makes satisfaction for our sins, but it's his resurrection and ascension into heaven that opens the gates of heaven for humanity. We say those terms like that, open the gates of heaven for humanity, because why? Because the humanity that Jesus assumed is brought definitively up into divinity. Which is again, I keep saying these words, hopefully they make sense, hopefully they're touching

your heart as we continue this day with our prayer if you just turn to the Father and say Father in heaven, we thank you, we thank you for the gift of your Son, we thank you for the gift of his life, of his suffering, his death, his resurrection. And today Lord, we thank you for the gift of the ascension of your Son, into heaven. Thank You for bringing the humanity that You took upon yourself, that You united to Yourself.

Thank You for bringing that humanity into heaven so that we could have access to You. And You permanently have access to us. Help us to always recognize that as the Son continue to offer Himself to You, Father, that we are united to that offering. And we become part of that offering, participate in that offering so that we ourselves may offer ourselves to you continually in this life, and with your grace, in your presence, and in eternal life forever. And Jesus, then we pray in the name of the Father, in the Son, in the Holy Spirit. Amen. As I said, it is a 94 reading paragraph 659-667.

Article 6. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. The Apostle Mark wrote, so then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. Christ's body was glorified at the moment of His resurrection, as proved by the new and supernatural properties it subsequently and permanently enjoys. But, during the 40 days when He eats and drinks familiarly with His disciples and teaches them about the kingdom, His glory remains veiled under the appearance of ordinary humanity. Jesus' final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory,

symbolized by the cloud and by heaven where he is seated from that time forward, at God's right hand. Only in a holy exceptional and unique way would Jesus show himself to Paul as to one untimely born, in a last apparition that established him as an apostle. The veiled character of the glory of the risen one during this time is intimated in his mysterious words to Mary Magdalene when he said, I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to

my God and your God. This indicates a difference in manifestation between the glory of the risen Christ and that of the Christ exalted at the Father's right hand, a transition marked by the historical and transcendent event of the ascension. This final stage stays closely linked to the first, that is, to his descent from heaven in the incarnation. Only the one who came from the Father can return to the Father, Christ Jesus. As he said, no one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

Left to its own natural powers, humanity does not have access to the Father's house, to God's life and happiness. Only Christ can open to man such access that we, his members, might have confidence that we too shall go where he, our head and our source, has preceded us." Jesus said, and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself. The lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and announces his lifting up by his ascension into heaven, and indeed begins it. Jesus Christ, the one priest of the new and eternal covenant, entered not into a sanctuary made

by human hands, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. There Christ permanently exercises his priesthood, for he always lives to make intercession for those who draw near to God through him. As high priest of the good things to come, he is the center and the principal actor of the liturgy that honors the Father in heaven. Henceforth Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, as St. John Damocene wrote, by the Father's right hand, we understand the glory and honor of divinity where He who exists as son of God before all ages, indeed as God, of one being with the Father, is seated bodily after He became incarnate and his flesh was glorified.

Being seated at the Father's right hand signifies the inauguration of the Messiah's kingdom, the fulfillment of the Prophet Daniel's vision concerning the Son of Man when he wrote, to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. After this event, the apostles became witnesses of the kingdom that will have no end. In brief, Christ's ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus' humanity into God's heavenly domain once He will come again.

This humanity in the meantime hides Him from the eyes of men. Jesus Christ, the head of the church, precedes us into the Father's glorious kingdom so that we, the members of His body, may live in the hope of one day being with Him forever. Jesus Christ, having entered the sanctuary of heaven once and for all, intercedes constantly for us as the mediator who assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Okay, there we are, day 94 you guys. I wanna highlight a couple things briefly.

I already mentioned the fact that here is Jesus Christ in the ascension, who unites humanity, due to divinity in a revocable way, right? This is impermanent, I love it, paragraph 659. Jesus' final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory. So important, a couple things more. Paragraph 661 and 662.

This is the reality that we have access to the Father. In the middle of paragraph 661, you know, the descent of Jesus, the Word of God, into humanity in the incarnation. Only one who came from the Father can return to the Father. As St. Paul wrote, no one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended from heaven the Son of Man. Right after that, in the middle of paragraph 661, it highlights this truth. Left to its own natural power, humanity does not have access to the Father's house, to

God's life and happiness. And this is so incredible. This is, again, when we talk about Jesus unlocking the gates of heaven, this is what we're talking about, that on our own, we don't have access. On our own, we cannot have access to the Father's house to God's life and happiness. The last sentence says this, only Christ can open to man such access that we as members might have confidence that we too shall go where he, our head

and our source has preceded us. And this is so remarkably important, just to take a moment and reflect on the fact that on our own, we do not have access to the Father. No, God is good, obviously, right? God is good and he always reaches out to his children. He always reaches out to his creations, right? God reaches out to all human beings

because he loves us, he loves every human being he's ever created. And yet we don't have access to the Father's house, we don't have access to his life and happiness, except for the fact that Jesus has brought our humanity to heaven. And because of that, we now have access to the Father. And he has access to us, which is again, just remarkable.

It's worth praying about deeply, speaking of prayer, paragraph 662, begins with that quote from Jesus in John's Gospel, and I, when I'm lifted up from the earth will draw all men to myself I don't know if you've thought about this if you maybe you prayed about this in the past where here's Jesus on the cross When he's lifted up from the earth all men are drawn all men are drawn all human beings right are drawn By the love of God on the cross his is self offering on the cross drawn to him Yes, that's that's completely true. We recognize this cross, drawn to him. Yes, that's completely true. We recognize this. It said this, the lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and announces his lifting up by his ascension

to heaven and it begins it. But here's the next sentence, and this is highlights this so importantly. Jesus Christ, the one priest of the new and eternal covenant, entered not into a sanctuary made by human hands, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. What does Jesus do when he ascends to heaven? Well he lives as the eternal priest, and he continually offers himself up as a sacrifice of love to the Father. United, that divinity, I mean, think about this, remember that we talked about the Trinity in the past, and this is worth reflecting on. We talked about the Trinity in the past. What is the Trinity?

God is love. The innermost secret of the Trinity is eternal exchange of love. And so the sun, from all eternity, has been offering himself to the Father. That's an offering of love. Now, with the ascension, there's a new reality that's introduced into the life of the Trinity, where the Son of God, the eternal Son of the Father, who has always been offering himself to the Father in an offering of love, is also offering humanity to the Father in this offering of love, that this sacrifice that he made on the cross, the one in eternal sacrifice, the one sacrifice, the actual sacrifice once for all, is constantly being poured out as Jesus' humanity,

is united to his divinity. And he as great high priest, pours himself out on our behalf. Again, this line, this is so important, he appears in the presence of God on our behalf, pouring himself out on our behalf. And it says this last couple of sentences here in paragraph 662 there, Christ permanently exercises his priesthood. And this is from Hebrews, for he always lives to make intercession for those who draw near to God through him. Christ permanently exercises his priesthood, for he always lives to make intercession for those who draw near to God through him.

And the last sentence says, As the high priest of the good things to come, He is the center and principal actor in the liturgy that honors the Father in heaven. Just think about this. Every time we offer the Mass, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the ministerial priest on earth, he shares in the priesthood, the one eternal priesthood of Jesus. He shares in that Jesus shares that with the ministerial priests.

But Jesus himself is the center and principal actor of the liturgy that honors the Father in heaven. And when we participate in that liturgy, and when we go to the mass, that is what is happening. We are tapping into that once for all sacrifice. We're tapping into not only what happened in Calvary, not only what happened in the last supper were tapping into what is constantly permanently happening in heaven. We're there in heaven. Christ permanently exercises his priesthood for he always lived to make intercession for those who brought near to God through him. This is just incredible. Incredible. What difference does the ascension make? Man, for one, completes the work of redemption.

For two, unites humanity to divinity. For three, we have access now, access to the Father's house in a way that was impossible before, for the great worship that we participate in on earth. Is a participation in the worship that's happening in heaven. All of these things are possible. All these things are made real because of the ascension. And so when we ask the question, like, what difference do the ascension make?

Here's the difference the ascension makes. And it is all of the difference in the world, all the difference in heaven and on earth. And so I just praise God today for this reality of the ascension, praise God today for the fact that, man, this article that we say that Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, is part of our faith and is part of our relationship

with God. Man, the work of redemption completed. Humanity united to divinity irrevocably, heaven opened. We have access to the life and the love, the happiness of the Father, and we get to participate in this worship that is happening constantly in heaven, every time we participate in the worship of the mass on earth. Oh my gosh, what a gift. Lord, thank you so much. Thank you so much for this gift. You guys, let's keep going. Let's keep trucking along. We are, I feel like we're flying to this now. Hopefully it feels like that for you. And if not, hopefully it feels like we're going deep. And

because this is just incredible, what a gift, please pray for each other. I'm praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.