In our Physics class, we have studied the Law of Universal Gravitation. This law says: “Every object in the universe attracts every other object with a force directed along the line of centers for the two objects that is proportional to the square of the separation between two objects.” In short, the law of gravity is faithful to its name: “gravity”—“grave”—“descend”—“down”—“falling”. Anything that rises must go down. For us Christians, believers of the Resurrection of Jesus adds another law, the Law of Ascension: what goes down, must go up.

In the First reading and the Gospel the following phrases like: “he was taken up”; “he was lifted”; “taken up from you into heaven”; “Jesus was taken up into heaven” were descriptions used by Luke and Mark to tell us that the earthly life of Jesus as a human being like you and me except sin was finally over. There is always an end to every journey and every story. And the ending part is always the best part like the Ascension of Jesus.

Cardinal Antonio Tagle in his book, An Easter People: Our Christian Vocation to be Messengers of Hope, wrote “without our farewells, love does not grow; we remain in the perpetual past. Time seems to stop because we have not said goodbye.” In this time of the pandemic, I witnessed family members were not given time to say goodbye to their loved ones because their bodies were cremated immediately. These families were like in the First Reading “standing there looking at the sky”. One of my humble “practice” in the burial or blessing of the urn is I ask first the family members to say a message to their departed loved ones before I bless with the holy water the urn. Many of them felt that their parting words and thanksgivings were lifted to heaven.

The law of gravity has no final say, always the law of ascension. The “rising” of community pantries elevates the spirit of Bayanihan among Filipinos. The “mounting” of servant leader like Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner, OP, Vice President Leni Robredo, Mayor Vico Sotto, Mayor Isko Moreno, Patricia Non, and many more are attestations that in going down to the least, last and lost in our Church and our society they will be “ascended” to the level of gifts to be given to the whole world. “Ang sarap maging Filipino” because of these leaders.

In this time of the pandemic, the ascension of Jesus is a great consolation to each one of us. The Law of ascension always wins because difficulties have expiration dates but rising has none.