Visio Divinia:

Look at the painting below carefully. Decide which Apostle you want to be and imagine yourself in the scene. You have just spent three years of your life with Jesus. You ate with him, camped out with him, followed him from town to town, saw him work amazing miracles and listened to all his teachings and parables. You saw him die on the cross and now it has been 40 days since he rose again. Jesus told you to meet him on the mountain today and you are all there together, wondering what will happen now. Jesus gives you a mission! He tells you to go into the whole world and make disciples. How are you possibly going to do such a huge thing as that? But wait – he says he is giving you his authority. And, he says to wait until you are “clothed with power” by the Holy Spirit. You are excited, and maybe a little bit afraid. But look! Where is Jesus going? He is starting to float off the ground! He is going up, up, up to the sky. Where is he going? Why is he leaving? Didn’t he just say, “and behold, I am with you always, unto the end of the age”? Are you feeling sad? Are you confused? Are you excited?

This great event is called the Ascension. Jesus returns to God the Father. Jesus told the disciples that he was going away so that he could prepare a place for each of them in Heaven AND so that he could send the Holy Spirit. He told them that it was better that he go away so that he could send the Holy Spirit. That was probably very hard to understand at first. But once the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost, they began to experience the closeness and power of Jesus like never before! Jesus’ promise to be with them always was true! Jesus wants YOU to experience his closeness and power through the Holy Spirit too! But wait, there’s more. Did you know that Jesus promised to return again? Yes, he did! It is called the “Second Coming” or the “Parousia”. The creator of the Ascension artwork put a clue in his painting – a clue that shows Jesus’ promise to come back again. Can you find the clue? Look at this detail from the painting:

  Francisco Camilo painted Jesus’ footprints! They are a reminder to us that Jesus is real, that he really lived here on Earth, and that he is really coming back – coming back in glory! And do you want to know something really cool? It was not just a fun idea for the painter to draw the footprints. There is actually a tradition that Jesus left his footprints in the ground, just before he ascended! If you ever go to the Holy Land, go to see the Chapel of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. There you will see what is believed to be the footprints of Jesus. Below is a picture. What do you think?