The Ascension of Jesus

THE ASCENSION OF JESUS: MIRACLE, MYSTERY OR MAGIC
The homily was presented Thursday May 14, 2026 - Year A
St. Vincent de Paul Church, Albany, NY

​    The popular show Penn and Teller: Fool Us challenges audiences to think critically about everything. These modern magicians mix skepticism, comedy and illusion to challenge our perceptions. 
    Beneath the magic they present a philosophy that can be summarized as the pursuit of truth and transparency. It can influence the way we think about a lot of what’s going on around us today.
    When we try to understand the ascension of Jesus, this age old biblical event, should we consider it as miraculous, or mysterious or a magical act. Have we been fooled by focusing only on the outward appearances of Jesus elevating into the clouds.
    Magic is the use of rituals or actions based on what is super natural. In Medieval times magic often happened with the help of paranormal beings, secret forces in nature. The presence of angels seems to confirm the divine nature of the ascension.
    A miracle is an extraordinary event that cannot be explained by natural laws and is often attributed to divine intervention. Jesus turned water into wine, fed thousands with two fish and some bread. He himself was raised from the dead. So was the Ascension another miraculous incident? One that we should just accept on faith?
    A mystery is something that exists but is beyond full human understanding. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe was a big 18th century influence on literary, political, Christian, and philosophical thought. He suggested: “Mysteries are not necessary miracles.” 
    So what is the Ascension? Mystery, miracle, magic? As it turns out the Ascension of Jesus, that occurred around the year 30 CE, was not so unusual. Ascension stories are found in the Hebrew bible. Enoch, Ezra, Baruch, Elijah, Moses all ascended to heaven after their deaths.
    The Greek hero Hercules and many others were also lifted up as well. In the annals of Roman history Augustus and Romulus were taken into the clouds. These ascensions, it was thought, had something to do with the deification of a noteworthy person. They were perceived as modalities of divine disclosure or acknowledgement that a person did something significant.
    But then there is also the cosmological factor. Space travels today (e.g., Artemis II) renders the ancient understanding of the universe obsolete. In the time of Christ the cosmos was perceived as a three part structure. 
    The heavens were above, the earth was in the middle and the underworld was below. So heaven would be separated by a dome filled with perforations through which the stars would shine and rain would pour. Jesus would have had to break through the layer above earth to reach heaven.
    That understanding of space existed until the 16th and 17th centuries. It was not until then that scientists like Copernicus, Galileo and later Newton discovered that the earth and other planets revolved around the sun.
    Ok. The Ascension of Jesus was not a new idea. Other notable humans were lifted up to the heavenly realm and the understanding of the cosmos at the time was primitive. What then is the importance of the Ascension for you and me today?
    The Gospels and other New Testament writings imply the resurrection of Jesus and his exaltation (ascension to heaven) as a single event. So the Ascension story reminds us that the resurrection of Jesus was not an isolated one time event. It continues on and on. 
    In the gospel (Matt 28:16-20) Jesus tells his followers when the Spirit comes upon them they will have the power to make disciples of all nations. That master plan was huge! It was a tall order for the disciples then and for us today as we witness that Christianity is being defined in many ways and is no longer considered the sole influential global religion. 
    There is a tendency for us to perceive and celebrate the events of in the life of Christ as separated calendar occurrences — Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost. 
    If we understood these episodes as an overarching continuum of chapters in a never ending story of salvation history, we can find a way to insert our own callings as Christian disciples into the narrative. Thus the stories are not in the past. We become part of the story, we embody it as our own story, as it continues to unfold today.
    The second reading (Ephesians 1:17-23) restores our missionary energy. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, our eyes are enlightened and we become more aware of the hope that sustains our mission. When we remember what Jesus taught us we too can rise up help other to do the same and experience the riches of glory. 
    The Ascension -- was it a  one-time miraculous, mysterious or magical event? Or, is it a part of the history of salvation, that continues forward with you and me? What do you think?