The time had now come, however, for Jesus to make clear to the Apostles that they could no longer expect to continue seeing him as they had been doing since Easter Day, and it was for this reason that, at his last Resurrection appearance, he took his leave of them in so dramatic a fashion.

On what we call Ascension Day he appeared to them in Jerusalem and led them out of the city to the top of the Mount of Olives.  There he gave them their final commission to go out into all the world and preach the Gospel to every nation.  Then, lifting up his hands he blessed them, and as he did so, he went up from them towards the sky, and while they watched, a cloud of divine light and glory enveloped him and they saw him no more.

Thus Jesus returned to that supernatural life of God which surrounds us on every side and from which he had come when he was born in Bethlehem.  As the Creed puts it, he came down from Heaven and ascended into Heaven; and yet in using such terms we do not mean that he travelled from one place to another, any more than when we speak of someone coming into a person’s life, or of individuals going back to their former way of life.