Christianity is a religion rooted in history, time and space. It is the incarnation that qualifies our basic belief. Yet it is heaven that provides the right vision and that puts our earthly existence in perspective. The story of the Ascension connects heaven to earth.

While the disciples looked on and Jesus was lifted up, their thoughts return immediately to earth - for there is work to be done: 'Go and make disciples'. Faith in the Ascension means a renewed commitment to the world. When the Creed states that Jesus now sits at the right hand of God, it is suggesting that the risen, ascended and glorified Christ intercedes for us.

But there are always different ways of looking at things. As today's Gospel says, when the disciples saw Jesus, some fell down in adoration, others hesitated. It is only the spirit of wisdom and revelation that reveals to our minds and hearts the way in which Jesus has been exalted and has all power. Some people see nothing but the rut of everyday life, ending in death, while others raise their eyes to heaven, knowing that their ultimate destiny lies with God. Our situation here on earth may be more or less the same - but the outlook on life can vary substantially. The question is our attitude to life. Some people are not just firmly rooted in this world; they are trapped by it. They pursue happiness, thinking they are conquering the world - when in fact it has conquered them.

We definitely cannot separate the coming of God's kingdom from our daily earthly commitments. Jesus's ascension is his glorification, the confirmation that now, after the Resurrection, all authority belongs to him. There is no doubt that a major challenge for churches throughout the ages has always been to justify the claim that Jesus is alive and that the spirit of the risen Jesus actually guides and protects the Church until the end of times. The feast of the Ascension today marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new one, when the Church now is in the power of the Spirit.

Undoubtedly there is a stark contrast between today's feast of the Lordship of Christ and what we see and experience daily in our societies. At times the power of evil seems by far to outweigh the power of Christ. But the Lordship of Christ continues to be rooted in the paradox of the Cross and Resurrection. We need not wait in the sense of looking into the sky. His return is a question of continued revelation in our lives that comes about through the spirit of wisdom and revelation that we have received.

His going is not abandonment. Ascending into heaven is transcending time and space. Yet our hope cannot have deadlines. When the disciples asked Jesus whether the time has come, he replied: "It is not for you to know times and dates". The guarantee in all this is the power the Spirit gives. Giving deadlines is putting this power to the test. Simone Weil writes that "we do not obtain the most precious gifts by going in search of them but by waiting for them".

Thinking about the Ascension helps to put right our outlook on life. Our citizenship is in heaven and this gives a new perspective to everyday life. It is like an oasis in a desert - vital refreshment in the midst of the heat of life. As Jesus had told his disciples, we are in the world but not of the world. The world can too easily become a substitute for God. We can too easily substitute the desert, a place of exile, for the promised land, our permanent home.