CHAPTER I Of the Ascension of the Lord, and of His last appearance
CHAPTER I
Of the Ascension of the Lord, and of His last appearance
I BLESS Thee, and give Thee thanks, O Lord Jesus Christ, King of Glory, Maker of Heaven and earth, Lord of Angels, and Saviour of men, Who abhorrest the proud, and comfortest the humble: I bless Thee and give thanks to Thee for having on this day—in the sight of Thy disciples, with joyful countenance, and with Thy glorious Body clad with light as with a garment, amid the songs of angels, with the voice of the trumpet and with a merry noise, by the power of Thy own might—ascended in triumph far above the heavens in all their vastness, above the starry firmament, above the Cherubim and the Seraphim, above the glory of the Angels, and the most exalted of created things. I bless and thank Thee for that, after having overcome the prince of this world, Thou didst open the way of life and glory to the friends, whom Thou hadst chosen and united to Thee, whom Thou hadst called out of the world, and to whom Thou hadst given strength to follow Thee along the rough way of the Cross.
O Lord, my God, how excellent is Thy Name in all the world! O King of Heaven, how glorious was Thy return to the Kingdom of Thy Father! With what great honour and glory wast Thou crowned above all Thy Saints, and how worthy wast Thou of being made to sit at the Right Hand of Thy Father, because Thou didst deliver Thy Soul to death, and didst vouchsafe to die for the ungodly, in order that Thou mightest give life to Thy people, and mightest make them sit down with Thee at Thy table in Thy Kingdom—prepared for them before the foundation of the world, not because of their own merits or virtues, but for Thy mercies’ sake alone, and of Thy unbounded love and pity. How surpassing is the dignity of man’s estate, in that our nature, taken into the Person of God, should be placed above every creature in Heaven and on earth. Right and meet therefore is it, that at Thy Name, O most sweet Jesus, all creatures, whether in Heaven, or on earth, or in Hell, should in thanksgiving and bounden duty of praise fall down and bow the knee; should adore Thy glorious Presence; should kiss the footstool of Thy Feet; and should praise and magnify Thy glorious and Holy Name above all things, world without end.
I praise and magnify Thee for Thy gracious visitation of, and last appearance to, Thy disciples as they were sitting assembled together in the Room of the Last Supper, conversing devoutly about Thee, and wishing above everything to see Thee again. Glad indeed were they when, during the meal, Thou didst come to them for their special comfort. Whenever they came together for meals or friendly intercourse the first thing they did was to speak together about God, and the Kingdom of God, about peace and charity, about godly living and the salvation of souls. The care and thought they gave to the meat and drink to be set before them was less and only secondary. Having all things in common, they had no craving for special or dainty dishes. The community life of holy men is ample and sufficient; but those who wish to have things specially for themselves are seldom inwardly content, and lose the good that comes of having things in common.
Especially do I praise Thee, most exalted and everlasting King, for so lovingly sharing the life of those poor Apostles of Thine instead of choosing for thy companions kings and chief priests, and men rich in this world’s goods. To such as these Thou and Thy disciples, whom Thou hadst chosen out of the world, and hadst kept from associating with evil men, were objects of hate.
Thanks then be to Thee for having before Thy Ascension into Heaven visited and encouraged Thy poor and faint-hearted disciples, who were being left to battle with the waves of this troublesome world. Thou didst reveal to them many heavenly secrets concerning things past and future, in order that, having been comforted by Thy words, they might not give way under the stress of the afflictions which they would have to endure for Thy Name’s sake.
I praise and glorify Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, Teacher more excellent than all Doctors of Divinity, for every word which, whether in plain or obscure language, Thou didst speak to Thy disciples and to the multitudes; for Thy many most beautiful and deep parables; for thy simple teaching suited always to the capacity of thy hearers; for Thy true interpretation and clear exposition of the Divine utterances in the books of Moses and of the Prophets, who bore true witness to Thee, concerning all those holy works and glorious miracles which Thou didst work while dwelling amongst men, and didst command to be afterwards proclaimed throughout the world.
I praise, and with all the powers of my soul I bless Thee, O most loving Christ Jesus, eternal Shepherd, for Thy tender care of Thy poor and humble flock, surrounded as it was by wicked men, which on this day Thou didst visit and fill with joy and gladness in that Upper Room. After instructing them, and upbraiding them with the stubbornness of their unbelief, Thou didst lead them forth outside the walls of Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives, in order that they might behold with their own eyes Thy Ascension in all Thy Majesty into the glory of Thy Father in Heaven—fit consummation of Thy long pilgrimage upon earth, and of Thy work of righteousness and perfect obedience, now fully complete. There, then, in the presence also of Thy most holy Mother, of Mary Magdalene, and of the other women and disciples who were so dear to Thee, Thou didst once more, in the abundance of Thy love, speak to them profitable words concerning the Kingdom of God, contempt of the world, expectation of grace to be given them, and the coming to them of the Holy Ghost not many days after; restraining the while the over-curious questioning of some of them about the end of the world, a matter which was none of theirs.
Having spoken thus, having blessed them with Thy sacred Hands, and having bidden them farewell, Thou wast taken up, by the Power of God, in Thy glorified Body, to the Heaven of Heavens, at whose threshold an innumerable company of saints and angels and of all the inhabitants of heaven (patriarchs and prophets and holy men of old, whom Thou hadst mightily delivered from the power of Hell and made to dwell for ever in a Paradise of delight) came forth to meet Thee, singing and rejoicing together with pipes and harps. Amid all these glorious and rejoicing crowds of holy ones Thou didst mount, joyfully, openly, mightily, and sublimely, to that kingly and highly exalted Throne in the Heavens, which from all eternity had of right been set apart for Thee alone.
I praise Thee, and from the bottom of my heart I thank Thee, Thou only begotten Son of God, for that heavenly and enduring blessing with which Thou didst bless Thy most holy Mother and all Thy holy Apostles and other disciples gathered together on the summit of the Mount of Olives. There didst Thou stand, and there, as it is reported, hast Thou left, for a memorial of Thy Name, holy footprints of Thy Feet impressed upon the soil.
Wherefore now upon my bended knees I adore, I praise, and I humbly worship Thee, my Lord, King of Glory, kissing the Holy Rood, and making the sign of the cross upon the earth or on the floor, in remembrance of Thy love, and for the comfort of my heart in this my exile here below. I rejoice with Thee, O my God, in all, and for all Thy Saints on account of the surpassing joy of this day’s festival; for never before was the like seen or heard of in heaven or upon earth—man’s nature raised to the Right Hand of the Father, in Majesty everlasting.