As Jesus ascends to heaven, angels appear to the apostles telling them to stop looking up at the sky. It would be logical to want to focus on Jesus as long as possible but, after the Ascension, Jesus is not “up in the sky.” He’s nowhere on earth or even in this universe. In fact, it would be better not to think of Jesus as being “somewhere else” at all. Rather, Jesus is now “somehow” else.
In modern times especially, we tend to reduce our acceptance of what is “real” down to what we can see. We have become so fixed on science, that we now think that science tells us everything that is real, and if science can’t test it then it isn’t real. Today’s feast of the Ascension offers us an important reminder. Not everything that is real can be tested by science.
As Jesus leaves this world at his Ascension, he promises us that he is actually still going to be with us. This is not possible if we reduce reality to the merely scientific. Yet, this “somehow else” of Jesus’ existence means that he actually can be even more present to us now than when he walked the earth. While in this world, Jesus chose to be somewhat limited by time and space. When he was with the apostles, he wasn’t with other people. Now he truly is with us forever. In fact, Jesus is even more present to us now than he ever was to the apostles.
So today’s celebration of the Ascension is not a sad day to remember “when Jesus left.” Rather, we rejoice today in the sure knowledge that Jesus is with us in an unseen, but real way. This whole day reminds us that what is real goes beyond this tangible world. What is real is so much more than what meets the eye.