He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
Ever look upward toward heaven? What are you looking for? Imagine yourself walking and talking with your Risen Lord and he brings you to the mountaintop and before your eyes he ‘departs’ from you while leaving you His blessing. He is simply lifted up. It’s a moment of incredible clarity, sadness and joy all combined into one moment in time. He leaves us with His blessing, and we are all called to continue His mission of proclaiming the Good News to the ends of the earth.
It is a moment of sadness as His faithful companions watch on knowing that this is what is meant to be. It is a moment of incredible joy and we now all share in the gift that was left to us. The gift of the Holy Spirit. How are each of us called to be a witness to His Ascension into heaven? What are we going to do with the gift that was left us?
We also know that He has not abandoned us. We have the miraculous gift of the Holy Eucharist where Jesus is truly present, truly among us.
“The right hand of the Father”…again terminology we use all the time can apply here. “He’s my right-hand man” for example. Here in the Creed, seated at the right hand has significant meaning, both historically and figuratively. Jesus has been established by God as Lord over all creation. To Him, ‘all authority for heaven and on earth has been given’ (Matt. 2:18).
The promise of heaven as our home, gives us strength so we can act in this world. We have hope and trust in Jesus. We are called to journey through this life the best we can, sharing the love of Jesus with everyone we encounter.