Seeking The Risen

Descendisti quidem Filius hominis, nec Patri, cum descenderes, abfuisti: sed descendisti nobis; ut te oculis ac mentibus videremus, ut in te crederemus. Ergo et ascendisti nobis; ut et te sequeremur mentibus, quem oculis videre non possumus. Ascendisti apostolis, quibus dixisti: Qui me videt et Patrem. Denique Joannes ubi te quaereret, scivit. Apud Patrem quaesivit, et reperit, et ideo ait: Et Verbum erat apud Deum. Ascendisti et Paulo, qui non contentus solus te sequi, nos quoque docuit quemadmodum te sequamur, et ubi te reperire possimus, dicens: Si ergo consurrexistis cum Christo, quae sursum sunt, quaerite ubi Christus est ad dexteram Dei sedens. Et ne oculorum magis hoc quam animorum putaremus officium, addidit: Quae sursum sunt sapite, non quae super terram. Ergo non supra terram, nec in terram, nec secundum carnem te quaerere debemus, si volumus invenire; nunc enim secundum carnem jam non novimus Christum. Denique Stephanus non supra terra, quaesivit, qui stantem te ad dexteram Dei vidit: Maria autem quia quaerabat in terra, tangere non potuit. Stephanus tetigit, quia quaesivit in coelo; Stephanus inter Judaeos vidit absentem: Maria inter angelos non vidit praesentem. Sed quare non potuerit illa tangere, evangelista ipse nos docuit dicens, quia cum te videret, nesciebat quia tu es; sic enim habes: Conversa est retrorsum, et vidit Jesum stantem, et non sciebat quia Jesus est. Merito tangere non potuit, quae videre non potuerat; nam qui videt tangit. Sanctus Ambrosius Mediolanensis, Expositio Evangelii secundum Lucam, Liber X, Cap XXIV Source: Migne PL 15.1843d-1844b

You descended the Son of Man, not being separated from the Father when you descended, but you descended for us, that we see you with our eyes and minds, that we might believe in you. Thus you ascended for us, that we follow you with our minds, whom with eyes we are not able to see. You ascended for the Apostles to whom you said, 'He who sees me, sees the Father.' 1 John knew where he should seek you. With the Father he sought you, and he found you and so he said: 'And the Word was with God.' 2 You ascended for Paul, who was not content to follow you alone, but also taught us how we should follow and where we would be able to find you, saying, 'If therefore you have risen with Christ, seek things above, where Christ is at the right hand of the Father.' 3 And lest we think this is to be done more with eyes than with the soul, he adds: 'Know the things that are above, not the things that are below.' 4 Therefore not upon the earth, nor in the earth, nor according to the flesh should we seek you, if we wish to find you. For now we do not know Christ according to the flesh. Stephen did not seek upon the earth and he saw Him who stands at the right hand of the Father; 5 Mary Magdalen, however, because she sought on the earth, was not able to touch Him. 6 Stephen touched him, because he sought Him in heaven; Stephen among the Jews saw Him absent; Mary among the angels did not see Him present. And why was she not able to touch Him, the Evangelist has taught us, saying that when she saw you she did not know that it was you, for he writes: 'She turned behind her and saw Jesus standing, and she did not know that is was Jesus.' 7 With reason she was not able to touch what she was not able to see, for he who sees, he touches. Saint Ambrose, from the Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Luke, Book 10, Chap 24 1 Jn 14.9 2 Jn 1.1 3 Col 3.1 4 Col 3.2 5 Acts 7.55 6 Jn 29.17 7 Jn 29.1