Ascension: the time of bread and fish around the fire on the lakeshore is over. The time of names spoken one by one —names that seemed to burn on his lips—is over. The Ascension is the feast of His presence
in a different way: Jesus has not gone far away,
but forward and deep within; not beyond the clouds, but beyond forms.
If before He was with the disciples, now He will be within them. His final gathering is in the Galilee of the beginning; they walked together for three years, and though they did not understand much, they loved him deeply. And they are all there for the gathering on the final mountain.
“Go!” He has just revealed himself and immediately invites them to set out, urging them to think big, to look far ahead: he opens up the world, erases borders, and sends them to immerse themselves in the countless human experiences.
“Baptize”: immerse every life in the ocean of God,
so that it may be submerged and lifted by his gentle yet mighty wave. What must the disciples do? Immerse his people in God, announce it on the rooftops for the world to know that love has triumphed.
How great is Jesus, who does not present himself as someone who solves your problems, but as the one who opens up new horizons and makes life more meaningful. Yet he does not leave them alone with their limitations: “I am with you always,” until the end of the age.