The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 94: Christ’s Ascension into Heaven (2025)

Episode Date: April 4, 2025

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. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy 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 Catechism in the Ear or the Bible in the 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 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've found this podcast to 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, an ongoing financial contribution, by going to ascensionpress.com slash support. That's ascensionpress.com slash support. Thank you and God bless. Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz and you're listening to the Catechism in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's plan of sheer goodness for us, revealed in Scripture and passed down through 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 family as we journey 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 and a 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 the resurrection his paragraph 659 so important his body was glorified at the moment of his resurrection. This is paragraph 659, 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 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 he's also tomorrow we're gonna talk about this sends the Holy Spirit that brings all these graces like right the Holy Spirit in this you know economy of salvation the 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 heaven to us, that's tomorrow and 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 that right Christ's death provides our redemption that 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, his suffering, his death, his resurrection. And today Lord, we thank you for the gift of the ascension of your Son Jesus into heaven. Thank you for the gift of the ascension of your son, Jesus 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 can have access to you and you permanently have access to us. Help us to always recognize that as the son continued the offers 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 in Jesus name we pray in the name of the Father in the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, in the name of the Holy Spirit. Amen. As I said, it is day 94, reading paragraphs 659 to 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. 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 forty 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 Damascene 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 want to highlight a couple things briefly. I already mentioned the fact that here is Jesus Christ in the ascension who unites humanity to divinity in irrevocable way, right? This is permanent.

I love it, paragraph 659. Jesus' final apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory, so important. Couple things more, paragraph 661 and 662. This is the reality that we have access to the Father. In the middle of paragraph 661, 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 Saint 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 am 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 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 says this, the lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and announces his lifting up by his ascension into heaven and he begins it. But here's the next sentence, and this 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 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 and says sacrifice of love to the Father United that divinity that's I mean think about this remember that we talked about the Trinity in the past

This is worth again just worth reflecting on we talked about the Trinity in the past. This is worth again for just worth reflecting on We talked about the Trinity in the past. What is the Trinity? God is love at the innermost secret of the Trinity is eternal exchange of love And so the son from the all eternity has been offering himself to the father. Yeah, that's an offering of love now with the ascension There's a new reality that's introduced into the life of the Trinity 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. This sacrifice that he made on the cross, the in eternal sacrifice right right the one the one sacrifice the sacrifice once for all is

Constantly being poured out as Jesus's humanity is united to his divinity and he as great high priest Pours himself out on our behalf again. This line is so important He appears in the presence of God on our behalf pouring himself out on our behalf 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 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 of the one eternal priesthood with 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, 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 on Calvary, not only what happened at the Last Supper, we're tapping into what is constantly, permanently happening in heaven. Where there, in heaven, Christ permanently exercises his priesthood, for he always lived to make intercession for those who draw 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. Four, the great worship that we participate in on Earth is a participation in the worship that's happening 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, oh, what difference does 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, it feels like we're flying through 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.