The Horizon of Glory: The Ascension, The Divine Mercy, and the Witnesses of the Ages

On this sacred day, the Church gazes upward, yet her heart is anchored firmly to the earth in a mission of radical love. The Ascension of the Lord is not a story of divine departure, but the ultimate realization of Christ’s presence—transcending physical limits to fill the entire universe. As He breaks the boundaries of space and time, He invites us to look not into the clouds, but into the depths of His Mercy and into the eyes of the world around us.

The Liturgy of the Word: A Cosmos Filled with His Majesty

Today’s readings weave a tapestry of power, promise, and perpetual presence. We are given a roadmap that moves from the historic moment of Christ’s departure to the boundless horizon of the Church’s global mission.

First Reading: Acts 1:1-11

Luke opens his second narrative with the dramatic climax of Christ’s earthly ministry. For forty days, the risen Lord prepares His disciples, promising a baptism not of water, but of the Holy Spirit. When the disciples ask about political restoration, Jesus reorients their vision toward global transformation:

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and then you will be my witnesses… indeed to the ends of the earth.”

As He is lifted up and obscured by a cloud, two angelic figures gently rebuke the staring apostles: “Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky?” The message is clear: the era of watching has ended; the era of witnessing has begun.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 46(47)

The liturgy bursts into exultation, bridging earth and the heavenly courts:

“God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.”

This is the cosmic victory song of the Ascension. Christ does not slip away into the shadows; He enters His kingdom triumphantly, claiming dominion over all nations and reigning on His holy throne.

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:17-23

Paul prays for the community to receive a “spirit of wisdom and perception” so that the eyes of our minds might be enlightened. He reveals the true magnitude of what occurred at the Ascension: God exercised His infinitely great power, raising Christ from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in heaven, “far above every Sovereignty, Authority, Power, or Domination.” Crucially, Paul reminds us that the Church is Christ’s body—“the fullness of him who fills the whole creation.”

The Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

Standing upon the mountain in Galilee, the eleven disciples encounter the ascended Lord. Despite their worship, “some hesitated.” Meeting them in their human frailty, Jesus delivers the Great Commission:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit… And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.”

Echoes from the Abyss of Mercy: St. Faustina’s Diary

The apparent paradox of the Ascension—that Jesus leaves yet remains with us always—finds its perfect explanation in the mystical writings of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska. In her Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, the mystery of Christ filling all creation through His Mercy is beautifully articulated.

+--------------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| Liturgical Theme                                       | Saint Faustina’s Mystical Insight                      |
+--------------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| Ephesians 1:23                                         | Diary, Paragraph 1553                                  |
| "The fullness of him who fills the whole creation."     | "My love reigns here; it penetrates everything... My   |
|                                                        | mercy is boundless, filling all that is made."         |
+--------------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------+
| Matthew 28:20                                          | Diary, Paragraph 257                                   |
| "And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end   | "Jesus, You do not leave me alone... Your presence     |
| of time."                                              | is more real to my soul than the very world I touch."  |
+--------------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------+

When Jesus ascended, He did not distance Himself from our suffering. Rather, by sitting at the right hand of the Father, He poured out His Divine Mercy upon the cosmos. St. Faustina captures this breathtaking reality when she writes:

“The Ascension is the day the King of Mercy took His seat on the throne of glory, not to judge, but to open wide the floodgates of His grace upon us.”

When the apostles stood staring into the sky, they were looking for a physical body. Faustina reminds us that the ascended Christ is found by looking inward with the eyes of faith, encountering the Lord who promised never to leave us orphans.

The Witnesses of May 17th: Stars in the Ascended Sky

The clouds that took Jesus from sight are replaced by a “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). On this 17th day of May, the Church honors specific saints whose lives beautifully mirror today’s scriptures and the depths of the Divine Mercy.

Saint Paschal Baylón (1540–1592)

A humble Franciscan lay brother, Paschal spent his life as a shepherd, cook, and doorkeeper. Despite his lack of formal education, he possessed an extraordinary mystical understanding of the Holy Eucharist. He famously defended the Real Presence against violent mobs with fierce, quiet conviction.

• Scripture Reflection: Paschal perfectly embodied the “spirit of wisdom and perception” Paul speaks of in Ephesians. He did not need to stare into the sky to find Jesus; he knew the ascended Lord was fully, vibrantly alive in the Blessed Sacrament.

• Faustina Alignment: His adoration mirrors Faustina’s profound relationship with the Eucharist. Like Faustina, Paschal understood that the Monstrance holds the same Jesus who stood on the mountain in Galilee.

• Living it in 2026: In our highly digital, hyper-accelerated world, Paschal challenges us to cultivate stillness. We can reflect his life by stepping away from our screens to spend quiet moments in Eucharistic Adoration, recognizing the extraordinary in the ordinary, everyday tasks of our lives.

Saint Giulia Salzano (1846–1929)

Known as the “Prophetess of the New Evangelization,” Giulia was a schoolteacher in Italy who founded the Catechetical Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She boldly declared, “While I have any life left in me, I will continue to teach the catechism.”

• Scripture Reflection: Giulia lived out the Great Commission of Matthew 28: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations… and teach them.” She recognized that the ends of the earth begin in our own neighborhoods and classrooms.

• Faustina Alignment: Giulia’s ceaseless prayers for the conversion of the “indifferent” directly parallel Faustina’s mission to pray for hardened souls who refuse the rays of Divine Mercy.

• Living it in 2026: We can echo Saint Giulia by using our modern tools—social media, blogs, podcasts, and daily conversations—not to cause division, but to authentically share the joy of the Gospel. Teaching the faith today means being a patient, loving mentor to those searching for meaning in a secular age.

Saint Restituta of Carthage (venerated 4th Century)

A North African martyr, tradition states she was placed on a boat filled with pitch and oakum, set on fire, and cast out to sea by her persecutors. Miraculously, the fire turned back upon her executioners, and her vessel was safely guided by angels to the shores of Ischia.

• Scripture Reflection: She is the ultimate fulfillment of Acts 1:8: “You will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.” Her martyrdom was the ultimate witness to the supreme authority of Christ over any earthly domination.

• Faustina Alignment: Restituta trusted completely in the face of death, embodying the classic Divine Mercy phrase: Jesus, I trust in You.

• Living it in 2026: While we may not face a fiery vessel, we regularly face cultural fires—peer pressure, moral compromises, and systemic indifference. Reflecting Restituta means standing firmly by our Christian convictions and trusting that Christ will guide our ship through the cultural storms of our era.

A Symphony of Thanksgiving

Let us lift our hearts to the Creator of the stars and the author of our salvation.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving to the Heavenly Father

O Heavenly Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

We lift our voices to You in a profound symphony of praise and thanksgiving. We thank You for the majestic gift of all creation—from the sweeping expanse of the cosmos to the quietest whisper of the wind, for every mountain that reflects Your stability and every ocean that speaks of Your vastness.

We thank You for the mystery of this day, the Ascension of Your Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who took our human nature and elevated it to Your right hand in glory. We thank You that He did not leave us abandoned, but filled the entire universe with His unfathomable Mercy and the constant fire of the Holy Spirit.

We give You thanks, Lord, for the radiant cloud of witnesses You have given us—especially Saint Paschal Baylón, Saint Giulia Salzano, and Saint Restituta. Thank You for showing us, through their diverse lives, how to be Your hands and feet on earth. Following their example, grant us the grace to stop staring idly into the sky, and instead give us the courage to go out into the world of 2026 as bold, joyful witnesses of Your eternal love.

We ask this through Christ our Ascended Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

Amen.