The Ascension of the Lord

A reflection by G-pa.

“I have seen the Lord.” John 20:18

Mary Magdalen excitedly reported the good news to the disciples gathered in the upper room on the first Easter morning. But that was only part of the story. When she recognized Jesus near the open tomb, He told her not to cling to him, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (John 20:17)

The Church celebrates the Feast of the Ascension forty days after Easter Sunday. The Catholic Encyclopedia defines the Ascension as “the elevation of Christ into heaven by His own power in the presence of His disciples the fortieth day after His Resurrection.” “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. They worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.” (Luke 24:50-53)

The observance of the Feast of the Ascension began in the early church. It is frequently mentioned in the writings of St. John Chrysostom, and other fourth century writers. St. Augustine wrote that its observance dated back to the apostles. Many different customs have been connected with the feast including the blessing of first fruits. Until the late 1960’s, the three days before Ascension Thursday were called Rogation Days, celebrated with litany processions and prayers chanted to the saints in Latin. Then, during the Ascension liturgy, the paschal candle, first lighted at the Easter Vigil, was extinguished to symbolize the end of Christ’s visible presence among us and His entry into heaven. Pope Leo XIII set aside the weekdays between the Ascension and Pentecost as the Pentecost Novena, a preparation period for the outpouring of the Spirit.

Today the Feast of the Ascension doesn’t receive the attention and fanfare that Easter and Pentecost do, but it does have an important role to play in the story of our redemption. It is the vital link between the salvation of mankind accomplished by Christ on Good Friday, His Resurrection on Easter, and the birth of the Church at Pentecost. As the Apostles stood on that mountain and watched Christ ascend to the Father, perhaps they recalled how, in the Book of Genesis, God had “looked with favor” on the sacrifice that Abel offered. Because ever since Easter morning, when they peered into that empty tomb, they had known beyond question, that God had looked with favor on Jesus’ sacrifice. With the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, they would be ready to accept the commission that Christ had given them. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)