Even Now (Ascension)

In a few days we will be celebrating with great joy the Ascension of our Lord Jesus into Heaven. Now He sits at the right hand of the Father, there to constantly intercede for us before Him. And as the Catechism says the Ascension of Jesus gives us the hope of one day being with Him forever in Heaven. For where the Head is so will the Body follow. We therefore, as members of Christ, live in the hope of one day going to Heaven.

But even now we can already ascend with Jesus, there to be with the Father and the Holy Spirit, though not yet bodily, but spiritually.

One way to do this is through the exercise of the three Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. We possess these three supernatural virtues habitually when we are in the state of
grace, but it becomes actual only when we turn to God in living faith, hope, and charity. These virtues are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in us (CCC #1813). And so we ought to frequently make acts of these virtues. For if we don't use them we run the risk of losing them.

We do so by exciting in our hearts that inner conviction, and making that conscious expression, verbally or mentally, of our faith (total commitment and surrender to God), hope (desire for Heaven, trusting in God's grace), and love of God, preferring God to all things. Indeed all our prayer ought to be a conversation flowering into acts of faith, hope, and charity. These are powerful will-acts. We may simply pray fervently: "O My God, I believe, I adore, I trust, I hope, and I love Thee" (or the longer form).

["These virtues here and now bridge the chasm between creature and Creator, between the soul and God. When we believe with a living faith God is as truly present to us as he will be in Heaven. Nothing whatever separates the soul from the being of God except the veil of the present life. In the act of hope the soul already possesses for its own use the omnipotence of God. And in the act of charity we are already united to God in an immediate spiritual embrace. These three sublime acts establish true and direct contact between the soul of the creature and the Infinite Spirit of God."] (From the article, "The Beginner at Mental Prayer", by Benedict M. Ashley OP).

And so let us frequently ascend to God (Heaven) through prayer. For the goal of prayer is union with God. And repeated acts of prayer, flowering into sublime acts of faith, hope, and charity makes this sanctity habitual and ever growing. It is this union with God that inflames charity in us and impels us to observe the Commandments with all our strength. It is this union with God that strengthens our resolve to detach from all sin and moves us to love God and neighbor in the concrete situations of our daily life.

[“Prayer is nothing other than a union with God. When your heart is pure and united with God, you feel within yourself a balm, a sweetness that is inebriating, a light that is dazzling. In this intimate union, God and the soul are like two pieces of wax that have melted together: you can no longer separate them. It is a very beautiful thing, this union of God with his little creature. It is an incomprehensible blessing.” (from “The Power of Silence”, by Cardinal Sarah)]

Let us also heed St. Paul's admonition: "Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for things that are in Heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God's right hand. Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on things that are on the earth, because you have died, and now the life you have is hidden with Christ in God. But when Christ is revealed–and he is your life– you too will be revealed in all your glory with Him." (Colossians 3:1-4)

No wonder some Saints like St. Joseph of Cupertino are said to have levitated. [Many times he would float to the top of the high altar during Mass, and just kneel on the air in ecstasy with God.] Perhaps the degree of their sanctity and intense desire for God made their bodies unable to help it but follow their spirit's ascent to God even during their earthly life.
Isn't that an incredible thing?