Whether It Was Fitting for Christ to Ascend into Heaven?
Objection 1: It would seem that it was not fitting for Christ to
ascend into heaven. For the Philosopher says (De Coelo ii) that
"things which are in a state of perfection possess their good without
movement." But Christ was in a state of perfection, since He is the
Sovereign Good in respect of His Divine Nature, and sovereignly
glorified in respect of His human nature. Consequently, He has His
good without movement. But ascension is movement. Therefore it was
not fitting for Christ to ascend.
Obj. 2: Further, whatever is moved, is moved on account of something
better. But it was no better thing for Christ to be in heaven than
upon earth, because He gained nothing either in soul or in body by
being in heaven. Therefore it seems that Christ should not have
ascended into heaven.
Obj. 3: Further, the Son of God took human flesh for our salvation.
But it would have been more beneficial for men if He had tarried
always with us upon earth; thus He said to His disciples (Luke
17:22): "The days will come when you shall desire to see one day of
the Son of man; and you shall not see it." Therefore it seems
unfitting for Christ to have ascended into heaven.
Obj. 4: Further, as Gregory says (Moral. xiv), Christ's body was in
no way changed after the Resurrection. But He did not ascend into
heaven immediately after rising again, for He said after the
Resurrection (John 20:17): "I am not yet ascended to My Father."
Therefore it seems that neither should He have ascended after forty
days.
_On the contrary,_ Are the words of our Lord (John 20:17): "I ascend
to My Father and to your Father."
_I answer that,_ The place ought to be in keeping with what is
contained therein. Now by His Resurrection Christ entered upon an
immortal and incorruptible life. But whereas our dwelling-place is
one of generation and corruption, the heavenly place is one of
incorruption. And consequently it was not fitting that Christ should
remain upon earth after the Resurrection; but it was fitting that He
should ascend to heaven.
Reply Obj. 1: That which is best and possesses its good without
movement is God Himself, because He is utterly unchangeable,
according to Malachi 3:6: "I am the Lord, and I change not." But
every creature is changeable in some respect, as is evident from
Augustine (Gen. ad lit. viii). And since the nature assumed by the
Son of God remained a creature, as is clear from what was said above
(Q. 2, A. 7; Q. 16, AA. 8, 10; Q. 20, A. 1), it is not unbecoming
if some movement be attributed to it.
Reply Obj. 2: By ascending into heaven Christ acquired no addition to
His essential glory either in body or in soul: nevertheless He did
acquire something as to the fittingness of place, which pertains to
the well-being of glory: not that His body acquired anything from a
heavenly body by way of perfection or preservation; but merely out of
a certain fittingness. Now this in a measure belonged to His glory;
and He had a certain kind of joy from such fittingness, not indeed
that He then began to derive joy from it when He ascended into
heaven, but that He rejoiced thereat in a new way, as at a thing
completed. Hence, on Ps. 15:11: "At Thy right hand are delights even
unto the end," the gloss says: "I shall delight in sitting nigh to
Thee, when I shall be taken away from the sight of men."
Reply Obj. 3: Although Christ's bodily presence was withdrawn from
the faithful by the Ascension, still the presence of His Godhead is
ever with the faithful, as He Himself says (Matt. 28:20): "Behold, I
am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." For,
"by ascending into heaven He did not abandon those whom He adopted,"
as Pope Leo says (De Resurrec., Serm. ii). But Christ's Ascension
into heaven, whereby He withdrew His bodily presence from us, was
more profitable for us than His bodily presence would have been.
First of all, in order to increase our faith, which is of things
unseen. Hence our Lord said (John 26) that the Holy Ghost shall come
and "convince the world . . . of justice," that is, of the justice
"of those that believe," as Augustine says (Tract. xcv super Joan.):
"For even to put the faithful beside the unbeliever is to put the
unbeliever to shame"; wherefore he goes on to say (10): "'Because I
go to the Father; and you shall see Me no longer'"--"For 'blessed are
they that see not, yet believe.' Hence it is of our justice that the
world is reproved: because 'you will believe in Me whom you shall not
see.'"
Secondly, to uplift our hope: hence He says (John 14:3): "If I shall
go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will take you
to Myself; that where I am, you also may be." For by placing in
heaven the human nature which He assumed, Christ gave us the hope of
going thither; since "wheresoever the body shall be, there shall the
eagles also be gathered together," as is written in Matt. 24:28.
Hence it is written likewise (Mic. 2:13): "He shall go up that shall
open the way before them."
Thirdly, in order to direct the fervor of our charity to heavenly
things. Hence the Apostle says (Col. 3:1, 2): "Seek the things that
are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Mind the
things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth": for
as is said (Matt. 6:21): "Where thy treasure is, there is thy heart
also." And since the Holy Ghost is love drawing us up to heavenly
things, therefore our Lord said to His disciples (John 16:7): "It is
expedient to you that I go; for if I go not, the Paraclete will not
come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you." On which words
Augustine says (Tract. xciv super Joan.): "Ye cannot receive the
Spirit, so long as ye persist in knowing Christ according to the
flesh. But when Christ withdrew in body, not only the Holy Ghost, but
both Father and Son were present with them spiritually."
Reply Obj. 4: Although a heavenly place befitted Christ when He rose
to immortal life, nevertheless He delayed the Ascension in order to
confirm the truth of His Resurrection. Hence it is written (Acts
1:3), that "He showed Himself alive after His Passion, by many
proofs, for forty days appearing to them": upon which the gloss says
that "because He was dead for forty hours, during forty days He
established the fact of His being alive again. Or the forty days may
be understood as a figure of this world, wherein Christ dwells in His
Church: inasmuch as man is made out of the four elements, and is
cautioned not to transgress the Decalogue."
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