"You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; praise the Lord, who ascends above the highest heavens; his majesty and might are in the skies, alleluia." - Entrance Antiphon for the Vigil Mass of the Ascension of the Lord
"Men of Galilee, why gaze in wonder at the heavens? This Jesus whom you saw ascending into heaven will return as you saw him go, alleluia." - Entrance Antiphon for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
These two Entrance Antiphons form an interesting pair for each other. For those who attend the Vigil Mass of the Ascension, they hear an antiphon which bids them to sing to God in the heavens, where Jesus Christ, the Conqueror of Sin and Death is seated in glory at the right hand of the Father. Yet those who attend Mass on the day of the Solemnity of the Ascension hear apparently the exact opposite. They have proclaimed the words of the angel to the Apostles immediately after Christ disappeared from their sight, to not gaze at the heavens.
The difference, we may say, lies in what each party is dwelling upon. The Apostles are at first rebuked for gazing at the heavens because they were still thinking in earthly terms. They had, right before the Ascension, asked Jesus when He was going to restore the Kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6). Jesus tells them, however, they are to go forth to every nation to proclaim the Gospel (Acts 1:8). After the Resurrection, though He dwelt upon our earth, Christ lived a glorified, spiritual life, and this is what He is calling the Apostles towards.
And this is what they finally began on the day of Pentecost, which shall occur in ten days. Pentecost ushered in the Age of the Church, and thus an age of spiritual living. We do not yet dwell upon this earth in glorified bodies, for that shall only occur after the Resurrection of the Dead when the new heavens and earth are ushered in, but we do begin to live spiritual lives.
But let us further define what we mean by the spiritual lives we now live, for we do not wish to fall into the Manichean heresy, which claimed that everything associated with the flesh was evil and all that was spirit was good. Indeed, this is a recurring idea throughout time. Similar versions are found in Plato, Gnosticism, and even some Christian denominations. It is true, after death, until the Resurrection of the Dead, we will dwell in Heaven in only a spiritual way, for the body is the physical component of man. Thus, without it we cannot have a physical presence in Heaven. Nonetheless, if we look at our Lord, the firstborn of the dead (Revelation 1:5), we know that on this day He ascended to Heaven and now dwells there in His physical body. Therefore, it cannot be that Heaven is closed to the realm of the physical.
Now as nothing impure can enter Heaven, it must follow that the body is not of itself naturally evil. So to say we now live spiritual lives is not to say we reject our physical lives. Instead, let us look at Christ and how He dwelt upon this earth for the forty days after His Resurrection. There is one key aspect we should look at, and it is that He eats with His Disciples (John 21:12-15). While theologians disagree on whether or not it will be necessary to eat after the Resurrection of the Dead, we can at least infer the body will be capable of eating. What's important for us to notice, though is the union the body and soul maintain.The body still partakes of its physical pleasures of eating, and this brings joy to the soul; the body is not mortified, but is able to enjoy itself through perfect temperance.
Just as on our earth, we are composed of body and soul, so at the end of time, we shall again be composed of body and soul forever in Heaven. If we ask for the difference, though, we may say that after the Resurrection of the Dead, there will no longer be discord between these two principles of man, but a perfect union. This, then, is what is meant by living a spiritual life, living a life where the body and soul are in union with one another.
But why call it a spiritual life, when the physical capacities of man are also involved. It is on account of the relation living a spiritual life bears to the Divine Life of God, Who is Spirit. We must recall that we believe and profess faith in One God, in Three Divine Persons. These Three Persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, have a union of the one same Divine Nature, and therefore, there is but one God. In a similar manner, man, made in the image of God, most perfectly shows forth that image when his soul and body are united, both in action and in will.
Some may now object, there are many times when a man wills and acts towards something evil, and thus how can he show forth the image of God perfectly at this time? The simple and accurate response is that his will and actions are not in union with one another, nor is his soul and body. Although he might will this immediate evil, perceived as good, and act towards it, his action is not in accord with his ultimate will, which is for God, Perfect Goodness. The discord within the soul becomes greater as the evil acts increase, for although man can only ever will the good, the acts he performs will become more insidious, and this shall decrease his capacity to recognize good from evil. In fact, it will be so bad so that it will actually make him detest the good.
When the soul acts for true good, on the other hand, it becomes ever more united and conformed to God, for it is being conditioned to love Goodness Itself through created things which also reflect the goodness of their Creator. And this is what Jesus constantly wished to instill into His Disciples, an outlook for the Ultimate Good, i.e. God. This is why He upbraided the Apostles for their focus on the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel; they were thinking in terms of earthly happiness. While this does not sound bad at first, we should recall the Gospel passage where Jesus rebukes Peter for this thought:
"Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, 'God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you.' But he turned said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men (Matthew 16:21-23)."
These words sound harsh to us, but we must glean from them the seriousness of only focusing on earthly affairs. While it is true that planning and work for earthly goods is necessary and praiseworthy, to do so without thought of Heaven and our final end is not. This was the constant mistake of the Apostles. Nationalism in and of itself is at the very least an indifferent sentiment, if not a good one, but when all one is focused on is the success of that nation, it becomes problematic. For one must love one's nation and assist it on account of Jesus Christ, the King of all Nations. Every government is given authority ultimately from God and it is to use that authority to promote the laws of God.
And these laws are those that benefit the bodies and souls of men. Governments are tasked with making sure all peoples are protected and to promote justice. While we often think of them as primarily tasked with the earthly needs of man, they do have a share in the spiritual needs of man. While they do not have the authority over souls that the Church has, in the natural needs of the soul, such as to teach and instill virtue and right living, they participate.
Thus we come to the first of our Entrance Antiphons, which calls on the "kingdoms of the earth," to "sing to God." It does not give a singular or personal usage, such as "peoples," but addresses the kingdoms on earth, states and nations. Jesus ascends into Heaven to reign over all the earth seated at the right hand of the Father, but the nations of the earth, which have always derived their authority from God, are called to a higher degree of governance, just as their citizens are called to a higher life, the life of the Gospel!
The nations of earth must now be spiritual nations; no longer can they just be concerned with conquest and power. Instead, just as the perfection of the union of body and soul in men shows forth more perfectly the image of God, so the union of the spiritual and earthly lives of the citizens of each nation, and the union of the kingdoms of the earth themselves will manifest the image and authority of God. While the Church is meant to be the spiritual kingdom, which transcends all earthly borders and is subject to no earthly power, each earthly nation is still called to live lives of the spirit and to focus on the promotion of the laws of God within its borders. Moreover every nation is called to promote and contribute to the spreading of the Gospel.
While we may disagree on how this may come about, we can say at the basis it will involve how the government is responsible for making sure all the requirements are met for its people to live in a healthy society. And for a deeper understanding of the meaning of what a healthy society is, let us turn to Pope St. John XXIII's encyclical, Pacem in Terris, which is quoted by the Catechism:
"Human society must primarily be considered something pertaining to the spiritual. Through it, in the bright light of truth, men should share their knowledge, be able to exercise their rights and fulfill their obligations, be inspired to seek spiritual values; mutually derive genuine pleasure from the beautiful, of whatever order it be; always be readily disposed to pass on to others the best of their own cultural heritage; and eagerly strive to make their own the spiritual achievements of others. These benefits not only influence, but at the same time give aim and scope to all that has bearing on cultural expressions, economic, and social institutions, political movements and forms, laws, and all other structures by which society is outwardly established and constantly developed (Pacem in Terris, 36)."
One may notice here the interesting paradox, if governments promote healthy and true Christian ideals, that nation will be given the means to flourish and will be itself conformed to Christ. And this is on account of the spiritual aims of its citizens. A good Christian wants his civil leaders to flourish, because even in their offices, the authority of Christ is seen. A two way street is created when both parties help each other to attain Heaven, which is in itself a reflection of the Faith. God comes to meet us, who journey to meet Him. While we do not help Him, He helps us, but also asks us to participate with Him in our salvation!
And this brings us to our second Entrance Antiphon, where the Apostles are rebuked for continuing to gaze into the sky. But this rebuke comes, not because their minds are set on Heaven, for as we have said, that is the disposition we must have in all our earthly acts in order to act rightly and progressively. Instead, their rebuke comes because their minds are set on things of earth and they expect Jesus to have done all the work for them, without any need of participation.
This is contrary to what Jesus Himself had told them before His Passion. He explained to them at the end of the world, the Son of man will come in glory with all His angels, and sit upon His throne for all the living and the dead to see (Matthew 25:31-32). But He then explained that they would be judged according to their deeds, primarily their service to their neighbor (Matthew 25:34-46). After His Resurrection as well, He enjoined His Disciples to go out and preach to the nations. Through their actions, they participate in Jesus' mission of salvation, but they also reflect Him to the nations.
We may conclude that this is one of the meanings of Jesus' final words at the end of the Gospel of Matthew, "Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age (Matthew 28:20)." While He was physically upon earth, He was bound to one location. Yet now that He has ascended into Heaven, He may be present to every people and nation. Indeed, the preeminent way He is present is through the Holy Eucharist, where He is truly present. Yet He is also, as we know, present in His members, insofar as they are conformed to Him.
This is why the angel says to the disciples and to us, "This Jesus whom you saw ascending into heaven will return as you saw him go," so that we remember we will be judged on how much we have conformed ourselves to Jesus Christ. While He walked this earth, He gave us an example of service and prayer. Now that He is ascended, as St. Teresa of Avila said, "Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks with compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world." This is the importance, then, of making sure our bodies and souls are in harmony with each other, for only by a healthy disposition can we show Christ to the world, for only then can we be in His image. But this is also the importance of making sure our nation is conformed to the laws of God, for without them, not only will it be a tool for the destruction of the Gospel in society, it will spread its errors throughout the world.
Let us, then, understand these two antiphons not as oppositional ones, but as two parts of the whole. We cannot gaze in wonder at the heavens, wondering why Christ does not return to save us and subdue the nations. Rather, we ourselves must go forth and make disciples of all the nations. We must promote cultures which give food and drink to the hungry and thirsty, which clothe the naked, and visit the sick and those in prison, for these are cultures which shall endure as Christ does, because they minister to Him in their midst, and He shall continue to abide with them. But we must never lose sight of Whom we are serving or Whom we are conformed to. If we do this, we shall become embittered and angry, for only with Christ can we have authentic charity.
The Ascension of the Lord is then, an opportunity for us. It is an act of mercy of God. Through us, He now wishes to go forth to the nations in a way He could not while on earth. Through us, He wishes to show His love. Let us submit to this reign of love now so that we may not have to submit to the reign of justice. Let us look towards Heaven, not with wonder, but with love and adoration, and with that vision still in our minds, may we go forth and transform our culture, by first transforming ourselves! Then, we shall understand Christ is still present among us, and that the Second Coming at the end of time will be the glorification of that presence!
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