The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord celebrates the historical aspect of His glorification with His Father in heaven.

The feast affirms our Catholic belief that the human person of the risen Christ is no longer present among us. Furthermore, the Scriptures express Christ’s exaltation as God’s Son in using such terms as “taken up” and ‘sitting at the right hand of the Father:’ “Then, after speaking to them , the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and took His seat at God’s right hand” (Mk 16:19) and “As He left, He blessed them and was taken up to heaven” (Lk. 24:51). The gospels of Sts. Luke and Mark also highlighted the connection between our Lord’s resurrection and ascension. These Eastertide events are seen as tied to each other in Christ’s return to His Father.

Although all four gospels do make reference to Jesus’ ascension, the only lengthy description of it in the New Testament is given in the Acts, notes that after Jesus’ resurrection with the disciples to prepare them before they would begin their ministry without Him. Hence, Christ’s ascension should be understood more as a passage than a complete departure from us and the world. It is our Lord entrusting us, His followers, with His mission: “You are to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, yes even to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Belief in the Ascension of our Lord then means going beyond “looking in the sky” (Acts 1:11) —it means living our faith in the resurrected Christ who has been taken from our human sight.

To Raise Cain
No other volume compares with the Bible in its influence upon speech. Its impact was especially great in the late eighteenth century, when religious leaders turned to Scripture for rules to govern every area of life.

Most parents of the era were quite strict with their children. But occasionally a lax or indifferent father would let his youngsters run wild. Neighbors usually took it upon themselves to give a bit of advice in such cases. After making a pointed reference to the biblical story of the first murderer, the advisor would declare that Adam and Eve were largely responsible. After all, it was they who reared the boy who became his brother’s killer. And the reasoning went that any careless parent was therefore likely to raise another Cain.

Since the killer’s name was synonymous with trouble and grief, any person who created a disturbance—by rearing an unruly child or violating convention—was said to raise Cain.

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