This is a day of great joy for us. There are few things in this life that make you so happy as to see someone rewarded for the good that they have done. Today is the day that Our Lord receives His reward for the great good that He did for the human race. At the Last Supper, Our Lord prayed to the Father, saying, “Father, the hour has come! Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You, even as You have given Him power over all flesh, in order that to all You have given Him He may give everlasting life.” Today is the day that His prayer is answered, when He receives the glory that the Father has prepared for Him. And it makes us very happy to see this triumph of Our Lord, because we love Him and we know so well how much He deserves it. It makes us happy because His triumph is a very wonderful thing. It makes us happy because it gives us a glimpse of the glory that we hope to receive one day We are familiar with ceremonies of triumph that take place on this earth. Ancient Rome was famous for its triumphal processions. Julius Caesar would come back from conquering a foreign nation that he had subjugated to the Empire. The people would line the streets. First would pass by them the treasures of the conquered nation, all of the spoils that were going to Rome. Then would come the people of the nation who were now going to be made slaves of Rome. Then the defeated king and defeated general who would soon be executed. Then the Roman senate. And finally Julius Caesar himself, the great hero who was responsible for the victory. The celebration was so overwhelming that they would have a slave stand by Caesar to whisper in his ear to remind him that he was going to die one day, that he was not a god. This is an example of one of the greatest triumphal celebrations in human history. If we tried to compare it to something closer to us, we can think about when the Denver Nuggets won their championship in 2023. Thousands of people lined the streets. They put the players in the top of a fire truck and drove them down the streets. They received the adulation and adoration of the crowds. These triumphs are nothing compared to the triumph of Our Lord Jesus Christ on the day of His Ascension. Our Lord took His followers to the Mount of Olives. He blessed them. Then, on His own power, using the glorified body that He earned through His death, He lifted Himself up to Heaven. When He reached Heaven, He opened its gates. All of the angels were assembled to receive Him. He went first into Heaven. Behind Him, He brought with Him His spoils. These were all of the souls in the history of the world who had died in the state of grace. Thousands upon thousands of souls followed Him into Heaven, from the first man and woman Adam and Eve to St. Joseph and St. John the Baptist. Our Lord took His place in Heaven on His throne seat, at the right hand of the heavenly Father. He assigned to everyone else their place in Heaven. A new song was sung in Our Lord’s honor, a more triumphal song than any we have ever heard on this earth. This triumph of Our Lord was greater than any triumph that we have ever seen here below, because it was more magnificent than anything that happens here on earth. It was a supernatural triumph, a celebration prepared by God Himself.
