Forty days after His glorious Resurrection, Our Lord Jesus Christ ascended triumphantly into heaven before the eyes of His Apostles. Yet before ascending, the Gospel reminds us of something striking and deeply human: Our Lord “upbraided” the disciples for their incredulity and hardness of heart. Even after witnessing the empty tomb and hearing the testimony of others, some still struggled to believe.

And yet Christ did not abandon them in their weakness. In His mercy, He continued to strengthen and confirm them in faith.

Forty Days of Preparation

For forty days after Easter, Jesus appeared repeatedly to His disciples throughout Galilee and Jerusalem. These appearances were not symbolic visions or mere spiritual experiences. Our Lord desired to confirm beyond doubt the reality of His bodily Resurrection from the dead.

He spoke with them.
He walked with them.
He ate with them.
He allowed them to touch His sacred wounds.

The Apostles encountered not a ghost or memory, but the living Christ Himself.

Yet despite these many proofs, some still doubted. This should remind us that faith has never depended upon seeing alone. Faith always requires trust in God’s word and openness to His grace.

The Gift of Faith

Faith is one of the greatest treasures entrusted to the human soul. At Baptism, supernatural faith is infused into us as a gift from God.

St. Thomas Aquinas defines faith as:

“An act of the intellect assenting to divine truth by command of the will moved by God.”

Faith is not merely an emotion, a personal opinion, or a vague spirituality. It is a supernatural virtue by which we believe all that God has revealed because God Himself can neither deceive nor be deceived.

True faith anchors the soul in truth. It enables us to persevere when emotions fluctuate, when trials come, and when the world pressures us to compromise.

Strengthening the Gift

Because faith is a gift, it must be nourished, protected, and strengthened.

We strengthen our faith:

• Through prayer and the sacraments
• Through faithful Catholic reading and sound spiritual formation
• Through fidelity to the teachings of the Church
• Through regular examination of conscience and repentance
• Through living what we profess to believe

Read what strengthens your faith. Avoid what weakens it.

Pray daily for an increase of faith because supernatural faith depends entirely upon the grace of God. Just as a fire dies without fuel, faith gradually weakens when neglected.

Many souls do not lose their faith suddenly. More often, faith erodes slowly through spiritual carelessness, neglect of prayer, habitual sin, bad influences, or constant exposure to confusion and error.

Guard Your Faith Carefully

When doubts or questions arise, seek guidance from trustworthy and faithful sources.

You would not ask a beautician to repair your car; neither should you entrust your soul to those who neither know nor live the Catholic faith.

If you leave the screens off your windows, mosquitoes inevitably enter. In much the same way, if we leave our minds and hearts spiritually unguarded, error and confusion eventually find their way in.

We live in a time of tremendous noise and distraction. Many voices compete for our attention, and not all of them lead toward Christ. Some voices weaken confidence in God, undermine morality, or sow confusion regarding the truths of the faith.

Protect your soul carefully.

Never willingly expose yourself to what corrodes your faith. Once faith is lost, there is no guarantee it will easily return.

Make the prayer of Sacred Scripture your own:

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”
— Mark 9:24

Christ Ascends — But Remains With Us

Today, as Our Lord ascends into heaven, He does not abandon His Church. Rather, He opens the gates of heaven for humanity and calls us to persevere faithfully until He comes again in glory.

The Ascension reminds us that our true homeland is not here below. We are pilgrims journeying toward eternity.

Stand firm in the faith.

Hold fast to the truth entrusted to you.

Persevere through trials, temptations, and uncertainties.

And may each of us one day be able to proclaim with St. Paul:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
— 2 Timothy 4:7