The Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ…as celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Christian Church

May 25, 2006

The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is celebrated each year on the fortieth day after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha (Easter). Since the date of Pascha changes each year, the date of the Feast of the Ascension changes. The Feast is always celebrated on a Thursday.

Artist: Minerva Kohlhepp Teichert; from www.storesononline.com; www.familyart.org

Biblical Story

The story of the Ascension of our Lord, celebrated as one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Church, is found in the book of the Acts of the Apostles 1:3-11. It is also mentioned in the Gospels of Mark (16:19) and Luke (24:50-53). The moment of the Ascension is told in one sentence: “He was lifted up before their eyes in a cloud which took Him from their sight” (Acts 1:9).

Christ made His last appearance on earth, forty days after His Resurrection from the dead. The Acts of the Apostles states that the disciples were in Jerusalem. Jesus appeared before them and commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the “Promise of the Father”. He stated, “You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5).

After Jesus gave these instructions, He led the disciples to the Mount of Olives. Here, He commissioned them to be His witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). It is also at this time that the disciples were directed by Christ to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Jesus also told them that He would be with them always, “even to the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).

As the disciples watched, Jesus lifted up His hands, blessed them, and then was taken up out of their sight (Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9). Two angels appeared to them and asked them why they were gazing into heaven. Then one of the angels said, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him going into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

1. Christ ascending into heaven in a mandorla.

Icon of the Feast

The icon of The Ascension of Our Lord is a joyous icon. It is painted with bright colors. Christ is shown ascending in His glory in a mandorla 1. A mandorla is a design which is almond-shaped or round. Inside the mandorla is the figure of a holy person. Christ blesses the assembly with His right hand 2. In His left is a scroll. The scroll is a symbol of teaching 3. This icon shows that the Lord in heaven is the source of blessing. In addition, Jesus is the source of knowledge. The icon reminds us that Christ continues to be the source of the teaching and message of the Church, blessing and guiding those to whom He has entrusted his work.

2. Christ blessing with His right hand those who are witnessing His glorious Ascension into heaven (detail).

3. The Scroll in Christ’s left hand (detail).

The Theotokos occupies a very special place in this icon 4. She is in the center of the icon, immediately below the ascending Christ. The gesture of her hands is gesture of prayer. She is clearly outlined by the whiteness of the garments of the angels 5. The Theotokos is depicted in a very calm pose. This is quite different from the appearance of the Disciples. They are moving about, talking to one another and looking and pointing towards heaven. The entire group, the Theotokos and the disciples represent the Church.

4. The Theotokos amongst the Angels and Apostles
The icon of the Ascension includes some who did not witness the Ascension. St. Paul is shown to the left of the Theotokos, but we know that he was not present at the Ascension 6. At that time, St. Paul did not yet believe in Jesus. But he became a Christian and one of the greatest Apostles and missionaries of Church.

5. The Theotokos (detail).

6. Saint Paul, who did not witness Christ’s Ascension, is depicted in the icon (detail).

The icon expresses the sovereignty of Christ over His Church; He is its Head, its guide, its source of inspiration and teaching; it receives its commission and ministry from Him, and fulfils it in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Orthodox Christian Celebration of
the Feast of the Ascension
This Feast of our Lord is celebrated with the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, which is conducted on the day of the Feast and preceded by the Matins service. A Great Vespers is conducted on the evening before the day of the Feast. Scripture readings for the Feast are the following: At Vespers: Isaiah 2:2-3, 62:10-63:9; Zechariah 14:1,4,8-11. At the Orthros (Matins) Mark 16:9-20; At the Divine Liturgy: Acts 1:1-12; Luke 24:36-53.

Hymns of the Feast

Apolytikion (Fourth Tone)

O Christ our God, You ascended in Glory and gladdened Your disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit. Your blessing assured them that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.

Kontakion (Plagal of the Second Tone)

O Christ our God, upon fulfilling Your dispensation for our sake, You ascended in Glory, uniting the earthly with the heavenly. You were never separate but remained inseparable, and cried out to those who love You, “I am with you and no one is against you.”

Icon of the Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, used with permission from Theologic
© Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
t and the Virgin Mary, Cathering Aslanoff, editor and Paul Meyendorff, translator (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1995).Festival Icons for the Christian Year by John Baggley (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2000), pp. 134-13
The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will.
The Hour of the Triumph. Apparitions of Jesus.
The Fugitives cling around the Virgin as the Ark of Salvation and of Forgiveness.
Jesus departs for Heaven.

The soul to her Mother Queen:

Admirable Mother, here I come to You again, on your maternal knees, to unite myself with You in the feast and triumph of the Resurrection of our dear Jesus. How beautiful is your appearance today – all loveliness, all sweetness, all joy. I seem to see You risen together with Jesus. O please, oh Holy Mama, in so much joy and triumph, do not forget your child. Rather, enclose the seed of the Resurrection of Jesus in my soul, so that, by virtue of It, I may rise again fully in the Divine Will, and live always united with You and with my sweet Jesus.

Lesson of the Queen of Heaven:

Blessed child of my maternal Heart, great was my joy and my triumph in the Resurrection of my Son; I felt reborn and risen again in Him. All my sorrows changed into joy and into seas of graces, of light, of love, of forgiveness for creatures, and laid my Maternity over all my children, given to Me by Jesus, with the seal of my sorrows.

Now listen to Me, dear child: you must know that after the death of my Son I withdrew in the cenacle, together with beloved John and Magdalene. But my Heart was pierced because only John was near Me, and in my sorrow I said: “And the other Apostles - where are they?”

But as they heard that Jesus had died, touched by special graces, all moved and weeping, one by one, the fugitives drew around Me, surrounding Me like a crown; and with tears and sighs, they asked for my forgiveness for they had so cravenly abandoned their Master, and had run away from Him. I welcomed them maternally in the ark of refuge and salvation of my Heart; I assured all of them of the forgiveness of my Son, and I encouraged them not to fear. I said to them that their destiny was in my hands, because He had given them all to Me as my children, and I recognized them as such.

Blessed child, you know that I was present at the Resurrection of my Son. But I did not say a word to anyone, waiting for Jesus Himself to manifest Himself as risen, glorious and triumphant. The first one to see Him risen was the fortunate Magdalene; then the pious women. And all came to Me telling Me that they had seen Jesus risen, that the sepulcher was empty; and I listened to all, and with an air of triumph I confirmed all in the faith in the Resurrection. By evening, almost all of the Apostles had seen Him, and all felt as though triumphant at having been the Apostles of Jesus. What change of scene, dear child - symbol of those who have first let themselves be dominated by the human will, represented by the Apostles who run away, abandoning their Master; and their fear and fright is such that they hide, and Peter reaches the point of denying Him. Oh! if they had been dominated by the Divine Will, they would never have run away from their Master, but, courageous and as triumphers, would never have departed from His side, and would have felt honored to lay down their lives to defend Him.

Now, dear child, my beloved Son Jesus remained on earth, risen, for forty days. Very often He appeared to the Apostles and disciples to confirm them in the faith and certainty of His Resurrection; and when He was not with the Apostles, He was with His Mama in the cenacle, surrounded by the souls who had come out of Limbo. But as the term of the forty days expired, beloved Jesus instructed the Apostles, and leaving His Mama as their guide and teacher, He promised us the descent of the Holy Spirit. Then, blessing us all, He departed, taking flight for the vault of the heavens, together with that great crowd of people who had come out of Limbo. All those who were there, and they were a great number, saw Him ascend; but as He went up high, a cloud of light removed Him from their sight.

Now, my child, your Mama followed Him into Heaven, and was present at the great feast of the Ascension. More so, since the Celestial Fatherland was not foreign to Me; and then, the feast of my Son, ascended into Heaven, would not have been complete without Me.

Now a little word to you, dearest child. Everything you have heard and admired has been nothing other than the power of the Divine Will operating in Me and in my Son. This is why I so much love to enclose in you the life of the Divine Will - and operating life - because everyone has It, but the majority of them keep It suffocated and to their service. And while It could operate prodigies of sanctity, of grace, and works worthy of Its power, It is forced by creatures to remain with folded arms, unable to carry out Its power. Therefore, be attentive, and let the Heaven of the Divine Will extend within you and operate, with Its power, whatever It wants and however It wants.

The soul:

Most Holy Mama, your beautiful lessons enrapture me, and – oh, how I wish and yearn for the operating life of the Divine Will in my soul. I too want to be the inseparable one from my Jesus and from You, my Mama. But to be sure of this, You must take on the commitment to keep my will enclosed in your maternal Heart; and even if You should see that it costs me much, You must never give it to me. Only in this way will I be certain; otherwise, it will always be words, but I will never do facts. Therefore, your child commends herself to You, and hopes for everything from You.

Little Sacrifice:

Today, to honor Me, you will make three genuflections in the act in which my Son ascended into Heaven, and you will pray Him to make you ascend in the Divine Will.

Ejaculatory Prayer:

My Mama, with your power, triumph in my soul, and make me be reborn in the Will of God.