6/2/19: Ascension Sunday: Why the Disciples were Happy that Jesus Left

Normally when someone leaves us it is a sad occasion, unless we are sick of that person. In Luke's Gospel account of the Ascension, however, we hear that the disciples returned to Jerusalem "with great joy" after Jesus was taken up into heaven. Diving into what it means for Jesus to be taken up into heaven -- Jesus's being taken up into God's existence -- helps us to understand that, at the "right hand of the Father", Jesus can be more present to me hear and now than he could while on earth. So the disciples gained closer a more intimate presence to Jesus when they "lost" him to the Ascension. Truly a "joyful" reality!