After following Jesus for three years and seeing Him risen from the dead, the apostles still do not quite grasp what is happening. They still “don’t get it.” They are still waiting for angelic hosts to sweep away the Romans and restore the Promised Land to Israel.
After everything they have seen and heard they still ask Jesus if now is the time, will he now restore the Kingdom to Israel?
The Heavenly Kingdom is not an earthly one concerned with the problems of this age. It is something far greater, transcending this age and the one to come. And the apostles are sent, just as we are sent, to build up that kingdom.
It is easy for us to get distracted by holy things and forget the mission that has been entrusted to us. We are not here to stare at the sky, spending all our time contemplating heavenly things. The angels remind us of our duty. Our task is before us.
Let us go out and preach the good news of salvation to every creature. Our charge is to bear witness to the world of the great love God has for us, all that He has done for us, and the promise He gives to us. Keep our eyes fixed on Christ and not on the sky. The center of all creation is no longer the place where Christ lived in the flesh; the center is now everywhere, which is where the Church will constantly have to go.
Pax Vobiscum
The Ascension