For those places where the Ascension is not celebrated today the Gospel includes the great question, "What is this ‘little while’ of which he speaks?"
It's been almost 2000 years and yet the second coming has not happened.
Firstly it reminds us that it is all relative. The Sahara seems big until you compare it to the universe, and 2000 years seems like a long time until you compare it to eternity.
Secondly, we are reminded of the very mixed feelings we have about the second coming. Even the Greek word for it, Apocalypse, does not conjure up in the minds of most people the beautiful "new heavens and a new earth" imagery of John. But it should!
We pray the words "Thy kingdom come" all the time and yet how often do we think about what we are actually praying for. We must be people who keep our eyes fixed on the kingdom to come, not as a form of escapism, but a source of perspective. Otherwise, the problems of the moment could swallow us up. A speck in the universe can seem like the world.
