One of the many problems with materialism is its ability to lead us away from God, making us entirely engrossed with the things of this world.
This modern mentality tempts us to put all of our focus on earthly success and possessions, instead of on God and our heavenly homeland.
Pointing us toward Heaven
St. Paul VI meditated on this reality in a homily on the feast of the Ascension in 1976, mourning the pervasive spirit of secular culture:
We know that the modern mentality rejects this constitutive plan of human existence. The modern mentality, we mean the one without the guiding beacon of Christian hope, is all committed to conquering temporal well-being. Natural science is its only light; economic well-being his earthly paradise.
The good news is that Jesus' Ascension can help reorient our lives, reminding us that life on earth is not the end-goal, but only the pathway to eternity.
The Ascension attracts and fixes the looks of our souls towards this splendid and luminous image of the Lord, who rises up in the sky..."If you are risen with Christ - St. Paul warns us – look for the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God: think of the things above, not those of the earth" (Col. 3:1-2); and again: "Our homeland is in heaven and from there we await the Lord Jesus Christ as savior" (Phil. 3:20). We must live eschatologically, that is, towards "the hope that does not disappoint" (Roma. 5:5).
When we live in this way, oriented towards our heavenly homeland, we become less obsessed with all the material things of this world and desire to only use things that will lead us to our ultimate goal.
Aching for home
Furthermore, while meditating on Jesus' Ascension, we begin to have an ache in our soul. Like the apostles on that day, we gaze up toward Heaven and yearn to be with Jesus.
We continue on with our daily lives, carrying around that ache for eternity, knowing that only God can truly fill our lives with lasting happiness.
St. Paul VI ends his homily with the words, "the Ascension of Christ in heaven illuminates, guides and supports our journey on earth."
The Ascension is a beautiful feast, one that is full of joy, but tinged with sorrow, reminding us that we have much work to do on this earth until God calls us home to join his Son for all eternity.
