ASCENSION
OF
OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.
Touching the wonderful ascension of our Lord Jesus, it behoves thee, pious reader, to awaken thy heart, and render thyself with more than ordinarly attention to all that is here said or done, relating to this subject, if thou desire to feed thy soul with heavenly comfort, and reap the spiritual unction, which plentifully flows from the devout contemplation of so divine a subject.
On the fortieth day after the resurrection, our Lord Jesus, knowing that his time was now come to depart from this world, and to pass hence to his Father, taking with him the holy patriarchs, prophets, and others, who after his resurrection were in the terrestrial paradise, and blessing Enoch and Elias, who remained there still alive, he came, to his apostles, who were gathered together on Mount Sion, which was the place where he made his last supper the night before his passion. There were likewise with the apostles at this place, the blessed Virgin, and many other disciples; and our Lord appearing to them said, that he would eat with them before he departed from them, as a special token and memorial of the love he bore them. And as they were all eating, being full of joy and spiritual comfort at this last refection of our Lord Jesus, he said to them, “The time is now come in which I must return again to him that sent me: but you shall remain in the city till you are clothed with the virtue descending from above; for within a few days you shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, as I before promised you. After which, you shall be dispersed throughout the whole world, to preach my gospel, baptizing all that shall believe in me, so that you shall be my witnesses to the utmost confines of the earth.” He likewise reproved them for their incredulity in not believing them who had seen him rise, that is the angels. This he chose to do at the time he was speaking to them of preaching his gospel, to give them to understand, that they ought to have believed the angels, even before they saw him, much sooner than they ought to be believed by those to whom they were to preach, who, nevertheless, would believe them (the apostles) though they should not see him, (Jesus Christ.) And this he did, that by knowing their fault they might remain humble; shewing them at his departure how much he admired that virtue, and that he recommended it to them in a singular manner. They asked him concerning many things that were to come to pass; but he would not resolve them, inasmuch as it was not necessary for them to know the secrets of God, which his father had reserved in his own power, to fulfill at his own will and pleasure. And thus they continued discoursing and eating together, with great comfort and satisfaction, occasioned by the presence of their Lord; yet their comfort was mixed with some grief, by reason of his departure from them. For they loved him so tenderly, that they could not hear him speak of leaving them without heaviness and sorrow.
And what can we think of his blessed Mother? May we not devoutly imagine that, sitting near him, and hearing what he said concerning his departure, she was moved with the tenderness of her motherly affection; and that overcome with grief, which suddenly seized, and oppressed her blessed soul, she inclined her head towards him, and rested it upon his sacred breast! For, if John the Evangelist at the last supper, took this freedom, with much more reason may we suppose her to do the same on this doleful occasion. Hence, then, with tears, and many sighs, she spoke to him in this manner: “Oh my beloved son, I beseech thee not to leave me; but if thou must depart, and return again to thy heavenly Father, take me, thy afflicted Mother, along with thee!” But our blessed Lord endeavoured to comfort her, and said, “Grieve not, oh beloved parent, at my leaving you because I go to my Father; and it is expedient that you remain here a short time longer, to confirm in their faith, such as shall be converted, and believe in me, and afterwards I will come again, and take you with me, to be a partaker of my glory.” To whom again, our Lady replied, “My beloved Son, may thy will always be fulfilled in all things, for I am not only contented to remain here during thy pleasure, but also, to suffer death for love of those souls, for which thou hast so willingly vouchsafed to lay down thy life: this, however, I beseech thee, be thou ever mindful of me.” Our Lord then again comforted her, with the disciples, and Mary Magdalene, saying, “Let not your hearts be troubled, nor fear ye any thing, I will not leave you desolate; I go, but will shortly return again to you, and will remain always with you.” At length he bid them remove from thence, and go to Mount Olivet, because from that place he would ascend into heaven, in the presence of them all: saying this, he disappeared.
His holy Mother, with the rest of the company, without any delay, hastened to the said mount, about a mile distant from Jerusalem, as he had appointed them, where our Lord again soon appeared to them. Behold on this day we have two different apparitions of our Lord. Thus being all together, our Lord embraced his holy Mother, and she again embraced him in a most tender manner, taking leave of each other. And the disciples, Mary Magdalene, and the rest falling down to the ground, and weeping with tenderness, kissed his blessed feet, and he, raising them up, embraced all his apostles most lovingly.