The Ascension of Jesus to heavenly glory forty days after his Resurrection marks the final act of his earthly ministry and the necessary prelude to the birth of the Church. This is not an ending, but a new beginning. Jesus ascended in his visible body to make way for his Mystical Body, the Church, which was filled with the living breath of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Cardinal Donald Wuerl
Artwork: Dossi, Dosso. Ascension of Christ. 16th Century. Oil on panel. n.p. Location unknown