The Cause of the Canonisation of John Henry Cardinal Newman

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A Meditation for the Feast of the Ascension: Tribulation and Triumph

Categorised as Featured and published Thursday, May 21st, 2009
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The Ascension, Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, Musée Condé, Chantilly, France

The Solemnity of the Ascension of Christ is in some places celebrated today, and in others this coming Sunday. We publish here an extract from John Henry Newman’s 1838 sermon ‘Warfare the Condition of Victory’. In the sermon, he talks of the Apostles, their state and mind and spiritual condition, after Christ had ascended into heaven. According to Newman, their joyous attitude reveals something to us about what it means to be a Christian:

“They worshipped Him,” says the text, “and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the Temple praising and blessing God.” [Luke 24: 52-53] Now how was it, that when nature would have wept, the Apostles rejoiced? … Christ surely had taught them what it was to have their treasure in heaven; and they rejoiced, not that their Lord was gone, but that their hearts had gone with Him. Their hearts were no longer on earth, they were risen aloft. When He died on the Cross, they knew not whither He was gone. Before He was seized, they had said to Him, “Lord, whither goest Thou? Lord, we know not whither Thou goest?” [cf. John 13: 36; 14: 5] They could but follow Him to the grave and there mourn, for they knew no better; but now they saw Him ascend on high, and in spirit they ascended with Him. Mary wept at the grave because she thought enemies had taken Him away, and she knew not where they had laid Him. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” [Matt. 6: 21] Mary had no heart left to her, for her treasure was lost; but the Apostles were continually in the Temple, praising and blessing God, for their hearts were in heaven, or, in St. Paul’s words, they “were dead, and their life was hid with Christ in God.” [cf. Col. 3:3]

Strengthened, then, with this knowledge, they were able to face those trials which Christ had first undergone Himself, and had foretold as their portion. “Whither I go,” He had said to St. Peter, “thou canst not follow Me now, but thou shalt follow Me afterwards.” [John 13: 36] And He told them, “They shall put you out of the synagogues, yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” [John 16: 2] That time was now coming, and they were able to rejoice in what so troubled them forty days before. For they understood the promise, “To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His Throne.” [Rev. 3: 21]

It will be well if we take this lesson to ourselves, and learn that great truth which the Apostles shrank from at first, but at length rejoiced in. Christ suffered, and entered into joy; so did they, in their measure, after Him. And in our measure, so do we. It is written, that “through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God.” [cf. Acts 14: 22] God has all things in His own hands. He can spare, He can inflict: He often spares (may He spare us still!) but He often tries us,—in one way or another He tries every one. At some time or other of the life of every one there is pain, and sorrow, and trouble. So it is; and the sooner perhaps we can look upon it as a law of our Christian condition, the better. One generation comes, and then another. They issue forth and succeed like leaves in Spring; and in all, this law is observable. They are tried, and then they triumph; they are humbled, and then are exalted; they overcome the world, and then they sit down on Christ’s throne.

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