Concerning the Ascension of our Lord it behoves you to re-kindle your devotion, and if you have already striven to be present in spirit, hearing His words and seeing His actions, you must now more than ever gather up the powers of your soul in meditating upon this event.
Now, this Mystery surpasses all the rest, as I shall clearly show you. Let this at least stimulate you to give your attention, that now our Lord is about to withdraw His bodily presence, having completed the days of His pilgrimage. Wherefore His words and actions should be very attentively considered. For every faithful soul ought to regard with watchful eyes her Spouse, her Lord and God, when He is about to leave her, contemplating His every word and act with the utmost attention, and with all the affection of her heart; and with increased devotion and lowliness to commend herself to Him, totally withdrawing her thoughts from all other subjects.
Thus, on the fortieth day after the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus, knowing that His hour was come, that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own, He loved them to the end.1 Therefore, taking with Him from the earthly Paradise the Holy Fathers and other souls, and giving His blessing to Elias and Enoch, who remained there, and still lived on, He came to His disciples who were in the upper room at Mount Zion, with His mother and others ; and appearing to them, He manifested a desire before His departure to sit at meat with them, in token of His loving remembrance of them and joy in their company. Whilst all were eating and rejoicing in this last feast with their Lord, the Lord Jesus says to them, “It is time that I return to Him who sent Me; but you remain in this city until ye be endued with power from on high,2 for within a few days ye shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, as I have promised you. Afterwards ye shall go through all the world, preaching My Gospel, baptizing those who believe, and ye shall be witnesses to Me even to the ends of the earth.” Also He upbraided them for their unbelief,3 because they believed not those who had seen Him risen, gamely, His angels. This He does with an express purpose, when He was speaking to them of preaching, as though He would have them understand Him to say — “Much more ought you to have believed Angels, even before you saw Me ; than the Gentiles to believe your preaching, which they will do without seeing Me.” In doing this, He had the further purpose of making them more humble through the consciousness of their fault ; thus giving them, at His departure, a last instance of His love of humility, and in what an especial manner He willed that it should be cultivated. But when they asked Him about the future, He would not answer them, because it was not expedient for them to know it. Thus they remained together, eating, speaking, rejoicing before the presence of their Lord, but yet ill at ease through the thought of His departure. For they loved Him with such a tender love, that they could not even bear the mention of His leaving them without being overcome by it
But what shall I say of His mother, who was haply near Him at this meal, and of course loved Him in a way none other could ? Must not these words about going away have touched her very keenly, as we may image her reclining with her head upon her Son’s breast, full of maternal affection? For if John did this at the Supper, much more may we conceive that she might have thus reclined now; and that she begged Him, with many sighs and tears, “If Thou must go, take me with Thee.” And our Lord comforted her : “I pray thee, most beloved mother, grieve not at my departure, for I go to the Father. You must remain a time, confirming others in what thou knowest of Me, and then afterwards I will come to thee, and receive thee to glory.” To which she replied, “Thy will be done, most beloved Son. I am ready not only to remain, but to die, if I may benefit those for whom Thou hast died; but remember me.” Then the Lord comforted her, the disciples, Magdalen, and the other women, saying, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. I will not leave you comfortless. I go away, and I will come to you again, I will be with you always.”
At length, He says to them that they should go forth to the Mount of Olives, for it was from thence He willed to ascend ; and then He disappeared from them. Then His mother and all the rest, without delay, went to the appointed Mount, which is from Jerusalem about a league, and there again the Lord appeared to them. Lo, on this day you have two Appearances. He then, we can imagine, embraced His mother, and bade her adieu, and His mother most tenderly parted from Him. But the disciples, and Magdalen, and the rest, fell down, and gave vent to their grief, kissing His Feet Then He raised up His Apostles, and embraced them graciously.