No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven

14 SEPTEMBER (Jn 3,13-17)

Jesus ascends to heaven with his glorious resurrection. He descend from heaven with his Incarnation. Here is how the Apostle John presents the life of the Word in Heaven before, during and after the creation of the world. Before, during and after his incarnation. This truth is his alone and no one else’s, either in God or out of God, either in heaven or on earth, either before or after the Incarnation. Only Jesus is the eternal Word, the Only Son of the Father by generation, only He is the Incarnate God.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth. John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.'” From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him. (Jn 1,1-18).

Jesus does not ascend to heaven through a path of exaltation, glory, honor, and magnificence. He ascends through a very narrow gate: the one of his crucifixion, refusal, delivery to the Gentiles, denial, death condemnation for idolatry and impiety. He does not rise to heaven for himself. He ascends for all of us, to prepare a place for us. He ascends to make the Holy Spirit of God descend upon all of humanity. He ascends raised on a cross. The ladder that must take Jesus to Heaven is the one of the cross.

From Mount Hor they set out on the Red Sea road, to by-pass the land of Edom. But with their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!” In punishment the Lord sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died. Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned in complaining against the Lord and you. Pray the Lord to take the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people, and the Lord said to Moses, “Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover.” Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered. (Num 21,4-9).

On the cross Jesus is in all similar to the bronze serpent hoisted on a pole in the center of the camp. Who looked at it with faith, did not die. Who was obstinate in his non faith, was sentenced to certain death. So it is also for every man. Who looks with faith at Christ Jesus is saved. Who does not want to look at him with faith, is condemned.

No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

Jesus is the way of true salvation for all humanity. Today and after his death, if any man wants to enter eternal life, he must necessarily pass through the faith in Jesus Christ Crucified and Risen, the gift of God for our redemption. No man might heal, cure the bite of the ancient dragon, but Lord Jesus. He alone is our medicine, the medication of our immortality. It’s a matter of faith.

Virgin Mary, Mother of Redemption, Angels, and Saints give us the true faith in Jesus.