This year, I cannot help but notice how kingdom-centric the readings for the Solemnity of the Ascension are. In our first reading, Jesus appears to his disciples for forty days after his resurrection and speaks to them about the kingdom of God. Our psalm beckons us to rejoice that God is mounting his throne – another kingdom image! Our second reading tells us that God has given Christ authority over “every principality, power, and dominion” – a clear sign that he is the one reigning over all.

Several years ago, while praying in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, I heard the words, “I just couldn’t bear to leave you.” It was one of the clearest responses to prayer that I have experienced, and it occurred at a time when I was feeling incredibly lonely. I have spent years reflecting on those words, which resurface often as I receive Christ in the Eucharist. In the Gospel today, I hear echoes of those words again as Christ explains to the Apostles the many ways in which they – and we – will not be abandoned after his ascension into heaven.

When the needs of ministry became overwhelming, the Apostles did not say they would sleep less or pray less in order to have more time to serve others. Instead, they appointed leaders from the community to help so they could continue to devote themselves to prayer and preaching. This reminds me of a story I read about Saint Teresa of Calcutta, in which the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity asked to be excused from the mandatory daily Holy Hour because the needs of the poor were so overwhelming.

Today’s readings invite us to reflect on our willingness to hear the voice of the Lord, especially when he speaks a word that will convict our hearts. In the first reading, Peter stands up and proclaims Christ crucified and risen, and some three thousand people who heard this were “cut to the heart” and were baptized. Peter’s message was not an easy one to hear; he was, in part, reminding them that they had put Jesus to death. But something about Peter’s words made it clear that he was speaking the truth. And they repented.

If I lived at the time of Christ and caught Jesus’ eyes while passing him in the streets, would I recognize him as the Messiah? You and I are made in the image and likeness of God. We are the adopted children of the Father. Would my soul be drawn to Christ as two magnets are drawn to one another? I believe that when we are in full and perfect communion with Christ, our entire being will be drawn to the Lord and instinctively rejoice in the glory of God. But on this earth – a world broken by sin – our eyes are clouded and we do not see clearly.

Can you imagine being Thomas and finding out that while you were gone from the Upper Room, the resurrected Jesus appeared to the other disciples? And then, according to the evangelist John, it was a full week later when Jesus returns to that room. If I were Thomas, I would probably be consumed with thoughts about how unfair the situation was – that I was being asked to believe without seeing while the other disciples were able to see the glorified Christ. And, of course, we don’t know how Thomas reacted, except that he demanded to see and touch the wounds of Christ.

Today we celebrate the Lord’s resurrection, the pinnacle of the Church’s entire liturgical year. As disciples, we know that Christ’s resurrection is not something that happened to him alone; his resurrection offers us the promise that all who believe in him will one day rise with him. But the new life Christ promises is not something we have to wait for the next life to experience! Everything we have been doing throughout Lent to prepare for today’s celebration also gives us a foretaste of the fullness of life we will share with him at our own resurrection.