May 13, 2026

Fr. John Riccardo

“He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father” (Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed).

Today’s feast is one that is easily misunderstood. On a host of levels. It appears as though we’re celebrating Jesus “going away”, or “going up to heaven.” What are we actually rejoicing over?

To better understand that, we perhaps first need to make sure we have a biblical worldview, and then try to understand what sitting “at the right hand of the Father” means.

Let’s start with where, or perhaps better, what is heaven? It's not uncommon, when someone dies who, say, loved to play golf, to hear friends say things like, “He’s playing great golf courses all day long now” — as if heaven was each person’s wish fulfillment. But that’s not what heaven is. Heaven, or perhaps we could say, the Kingdom of God, is quite simply where God’s will is done. It’s where all things are in accord with how God created them to be, where all is made new, where Sin and Death have no power, where there is no idolatry. Though it is beyond what we can imagine or conceive, the Scriptures help us “picture” heaven through various images: it’s where the lion and the lamb lie down together; where the child puts his hand on the adder’s lair; where we feast on rich, juicy meat and choice wine; where night is no more; where every tear is wiped away; where there is no sickness or death; where the streets are paved with gold and more. All of these are but images; we simply do not have the capacity to grasp what God has prepared for us. Most importantly of all, however, is that God is at the center of it all. He is known, loved, worshiped, adored, and glorified. We are, after all, created for Him, and, as Augustine famously wrote, “Our hearts are restless, and always will be restless, until they one day rest in Thee.” Or, in the words of Jesus, “And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). All of this is to say that heaven isn’t “up there,” way beyond the stars in space.

What, then, does it mean to say that Jesus “is seated at the right hand of the Father”? Most succinctly, it means He reigns. To profess in the Creed that Jesus is seated right now at the right hand of the Father means that Jesus, the God-man, Lord of the universe, is “in charge.” It means to profess that He holds the world, the Church, history, and each one of us in His hands. This position is rightfully His because by His loving self-offering on the Cross He defeated the powers of Sin, Death and Satan himself who had held the world captive since that dark day in Eden.

Here’s the rub, though. It doesn’t look like Jesus is reigning or in charge — does it? Wars continue, people do wicked things, we all still struggle with sin and selfishness, people get sick and die and so much more. Yes. For now. One day — one real day — when Jesus returns in glory, all will be made new and those things will all cease. Here’s where the 1st Reading and Gospel this coming Sunday come into play. The angel tells the apostles in Acts 1:6-11 to stop looking into the sky. In other words, to get to work, to let others know about what God has done in Jesus, how He has defeated the powers and rescued His creation from their hellish grip. And not only to let others know about this, but to put into effect — to implement — the power of the Risen Jesus in every dimension of human life, whether art and entertainment, athletics, medicine, law, politics, sexuality, or any other aspect of human life. To do this is to make all of life ever more authentically human.

As we approach the great celebration of Pentecost, let us beg the Holy Spirit to put into our hearts an ever deeper longing for the kingdom, where all is made new and as it should be. But let us ask Him also to give us the courage and wisdom now to get to work, and to do all we can to build for that kingdom in our daily lives.

He Reigns

The Game Changer