Lord Jesus,
You who ascended into heaven in the glory of the Father,
We adore you and give you thanks for your work of love,
Completed to the end, even on the cross,
And crowned today in eternal light.
You did not leave your disciples as one leaves forever,
But you filled them with hope,
Lifting their eyes to heaven, they understood that you were opening a way,
A new way, invisible, but very real,
A way of life, of trust, of eternity.
You who have ascended into heaven,
You are not far from us, you are closer than ever.
By your Ascension, you have lifted our humanity into the heart of God.
You have taken with you our sorrows, our struggles, our prayers,
And you present them to the Father, as a breath of love.
We pray to you, glorified Lord,
Again in us the desire for heaven, without turning us away from earth.
Make us women and men who stand upright,
Engaged in the world, our eyes lifted to the light,
And our hearts inhabited by your Spirit.
Give us the strength to be your witnesses,
In our families, our parishes, our workplaces,
In every gesture of love, every word of peace,
In every fight for justice and dignity.
Be our strength when we falter,
Our hope when heaven seems closed.
Send to your Church the Spirit you promised,
He who renews the face of the earth,
He who enlightens, guides, comforts,
He who brings forth in us the deep joy of being children of God.
O Jesus, exalted in glory,
You are the firstborn from the dead,
The Prince of peace, the Lord of history,
The Way, the Truth and the Life.
We worship you, we follow you,
And we wait for you, for you have promised to return.
One day you will return in glory, and then,
You will wipe away every tear from our eyes,
And your reign will have no end.
Till then, keep us in your peace.
May your unseen presence sustain us each day.
And may your love, lifted up on the cross and into glory,
Illuminate our lives and draw us to you, forever.
Amen.
