The Ascension and the Holy Ghost

Chapter 82: Of the Ascension of the Lord, and of His last appearance

I BLESS You, and give You thanks, O Lord Jesus Christ, King of Glory, Maker of Heaven and earth. Lord of Angels, and Saviour of men, Who abhor the proud, and comfort the humble: I bless You and give thanks to You for having on this day — in the sight of Your disciples, with joyful countenance, and with Your glorious Body clad with light as with a garment, amid the songs of angels, with the voice of the trumpet and with a merry noise, by the power of Your own might — ascended in triumph far above the heavens in all their vastness, above the starry firmament, above the Cherubim and the Seraphim, above the glory of the Angels, and the most exalted of created things. I bless and thank You for that, after having overcome the prince of this world, You did open the way of life and glory to the friends, whom You had chosen and united to You, whom You had called out of the world, and to whom You had given strength to follow You along the rough way of the Cross.

Lord, my God, how excellent is Your Name in all the world! O King of Heaven, how glorious was Your return to the Kingdom of Your Father \ With what great honour and glory were You crowned above all Your Saints, and how worthy were You of being made to sit at the Right Hand of Your Father, because You did deliver Your Soul to death, and did vouchsafe to die for the ungodly, in order that You might give life to Your people, and might make them sit down with You at Your table in Your Kingdom — prepared for them before the foundation of the world, not because of their own merits or virtues, but for Your mercies' sake alone, and of Your unbounded love and pity. How surpassing is the dignity of man's estate, in that our nature, taken into the Person of God, should be placed above every creature in Heaven and on earth. Right and meet therefore is it, that at Your Name, O most sweet Jesus, all creatures, whether in Heaven, or on earth, or in Hell, should in thanksgiving and bounden duty of praise fall down and bow the knee; should adore Your glorious Presence; should kiss the footstool of Your Feet; and should praise and magnify Your glorious and Holy Name above all things, world without end.

I praise and magnify You for Your gracious visitation of, and last appearance to. Your disciples as they were sitting assembled together in the Room of the Last Supper, conversing devoutly about You, and wishing above everything to see You again. Glad indeed were they when, during the meal. You did come to them for their special comfort. Whenever they came together for meals or friendly intercourse the first thing they did was to speak together about God, and the Kingdom of God, about peace and charity, about godly living and the salvation of souls. The care and thought they gave to the meat and drink to be set before them was less and only secondary. Having all things in common, they had no craving for special or dainty dishes. The community life of holy men is ample and sufficient; but those who wish to have things specially for themselves are seldom inwardly content, and lose the good that comes of having things in common.

Especially do I praise You, most exalted and everlasting King, for so lovingly sharing the life of those poor Apostles of Yours instead of choosing for your companions kings and chief priests, and men rich in this world's goods. To such as these You and Your disciples, whom You had chosen out of the world, and had kept from associating with evil men, were objects of hate.

Thanks then be to You for having before Your Ascension into Heaven visited and encouraged Your poor and faint-hearted disciples, who were being left to battle with the waves of this troublesome world. You did reveal to them many heavenly secrets concerning things past and future, in order that, having been comforted by Your words, they might not give way under the stress of the afflictions which they would have to endure for Your Name's sake.

I praise and glorify You, O Lord Jesus Christ, Teacher more excellent than all Doctors of Divinity, for every word which, whether in plain or obscure language, You did speak to Your disciples and to the multitudes; for Your many most beautiful and deep parables; for your simple teaching suited always to the capacity of your hearers; for Your true interpretation and clear exposition of the Divine utterances in the books of Moses and of the Prophets, who bore true witness to You, concerning all those holy works and glorious miracles which You did work while dwelling amongst men, and did command to be afterwards proclaimed throughout the world.

I praise, and with all the powers of my soul I bless You, O most loving Christ Jesus, eternal Shepherd, for Your tender care of Your poor and humble flock, surrounded as it was by wicked men, which on this day You did visit and fill with joy and gladness in that Upper Room. After instructing them, and upbraiding them with the stubbornness of their unbelief, You did lead them forth outside the walls of Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives, in order that they might behold with their own eyes Your Ascension in all Your Majesty into the glory of Your Father in Heaven — fit consummation of Your long pilgrimage upon earth, and of Your work of righteousness and perfect obedience, now fully complete. There, then, in the presence also of Your most holy Mother, of Mary Magdalene, and of the other women and disciples who were so dear to You, You did once more, in the abundance of Your love, speak to them profitable words concerning the Kingdom of God, contempt of the world, expectation of grace to be given them, and the coming to them of the Holy Ghost not many days after; restraining the while the over-curious questioning of some of them about the end of the world, a matter which was none of theirs.

Having spoken thus, having blessed them with Your sacred Hands, and having bidden them farewell, You were taken up, by the Power of God, in Your glorified Body, to the Heaven of Heavens, at whose threshold an innumerable company of saints and angels and of all the inhabitants of heaven (patriarchs and prophets and holy men of old, whom You had mightily delivered from the power of Hell and made to dwell for ever in a Paradise of delight) came forth to meet You, singing and rejoicing together with pipes and harps. Amid all these glorious and rejoicing crowds of holy ones You did mount, joyfully, openly, mightily, and sublimely, to that kingly and highly exalted Throne in the Heavens, which from all eternity had of right been set apart for You alone.

I praise You, and from the bottom of my heart I thank You, You only begotten Son of God, for that heavenly and enduring blessing with which You did bless Your most holy Mother and all Your holy Apostles and other disciples gathered together on the summit of the Mount of Olives. There did You stand, and there, as it is reported, have You left, for a memorial of Your Name, holy footprints of Your Feet impressed upon the soil.

Wherefore now upon my bended knees I adore, I praise, and I humbly worship You, my Lord, King of Glory, kissing the Holy Rood, and making the sign of the cross upon the earth or on the floor, in remembrance of Your love, and for the comfort of my heart in this my exile here below. I rejoice with You, O my God, in all, and for all Your Saints on account of the surpassing joy of this day's festival; for never before was the like seen or heard of in heaven or upon earth — man's nature raised to the Right Hand of the Father, in Majesty everlasting.