Lectio the Liturgy: Sunday, June 1, 2025

Maria Morera Johnson shares a reflection on the Collect for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord.

This week we Lectio the Liturgy with the Collect for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the lord.

"Gladden us with holy joys, almighty God, and make us rejoice with devout thanksgiving, for the Ascension of Christ your Son is our exaltation, and, where the Head has gone before in glory, the Body is called to follow in hope. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever."

This brief prayer acknowledges that all we have, and in particular, the manner in which we live our faith, comes from the Almighty God. We ask God to “gladden us with holy joys” and “make us rejoice with devout thanksgiving.” Our own ability to celebrate and rejoice pales in comparison to what He can inspire in us. We may be joyful, but through Him it will be a holy joy. We may give thanksgiving, but through Him it will be devout. When we surrender ourselves to God, He multiplies our meager offering and turns it into something greater.

We celebrate because we understand Christ’s Ascension has deep implications for humanity, so profound, in fact, that we cannot express the awe and joy alone, but ask God for the graces we need in order to give Christ what He is due.

The Ascension of Christ is Our Exaltation

Exaltation means to be raised in status or dignity. In this context within the Collect, it implies honor, power, and glory. What is remarkable here is the placement of the word “our.” Christ’s Ascension is our exaltation. We associate honor, power, and glory with God, and yet this prayer imbues us with these things. I had to pray with this for a while.

This beautiful exaltation is a way to say that we, all of humanity, have been raised with Christ, that in His ascension into Heaven, we are taken with Him. Christ invites us to enter Heaven, not as a place in the celestial plain, but entering into a new intimacy with God.

We Follow Christ in Hope

The last part of the Collect speaks to the natural progression of these events: “where the Head has gone before in glory, the Body is called to follow in hope.” Christ brings humanity with Him as He ascends to Heaven and sits next to the Father. He places our hopes (that is, God’s plan for each and every one of us) next to God, with Him. We are already there, and so, as members of the Body of Christ, it is right and just that we follow Him with confidence. We live in the Hope that we will join Him in the place He has prepared for us. We are joyful that Christ’s victory is ours. We are grateful for the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. And thus, Christ’s Ascension is our exaltation!

Lectio the Liturgy Sunday June 1, 2025