In the Acts of the Apostles Jesus promises the power of the Holy Spirit, "...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) Then right after saying these words, He ascends to heaven in all His glory, right before their very eyes. We can only imagine the look of awe and surprise on their faces as they watch Jesus ascend into the sky. Their mouths must have been wide open as they were staring into the heavens looking for Jesus.
The Catholic Church commemorates this special event with the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. The Ascension of Jesus completes his earthly ministry. For three years he taught and showed the love of God for all people. He reached out and healed those who were sick and in pain and he called sinners back to a relationship with God. He paid the ultimate price and showed us the full extent of God's mercy when He allowed himself to be crucified on the Cross of Calvary so that we might obtain eternal happiness with our God in heaven. Then He rose again from the dead on Easter Sunday morning and spent the next fifty days with His disciples teaching them further about what God expected of them in order that the good news of salvation would be spread to the whole world.
