Background and Theological Significance
The Feast of the Ascension, or
Ascension Day, is the celebration in the Christian liturgical year of the
bodily ascension of the risen Jesus Christ into heaven. This takes place forty
days after Easter Sunday, and ten days before Pentecost, and is traditionally
observed on a Thursday. It is universally celebrated across Western and Eastern
branches of Christianity.
According to the New Testament,
Jesus spent forty days preaching amongst his disciples following his
Resurrection. The writer of the Gospel of Luke states that Jesus led his
followers to the village of Bethany and blessed them, before being carried up
into heaven. The Book of Acts elaborates on this, stating that he was lifted up
and hidden by a cloud, after which two men in white robes appear and tell the
disciples that Jesus has been taken into heaven. The disciples then leave and
set out on their mission to spread the message of Christ.
Ascension Day is connected in Christian
thought with the exaltation of Jesus to glory, as reflected in the line of the
Apostles’ Creed, ‘he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of
God the Father Almighty’. It is also seen as the culmination of the Incarnation
following Christ’s death and resurrection, as well as the time when Christ
handed over the mission to spread the Good News to the disciples. It is thus a
time of celebration, and challenge for Christians who are called to follow.
Celebration
Ascension Day is celebrated in the Western Church predominantly by Roman Catholics and Anglicans. Although traditionally held on the Thursday forty days after Easter Sunday, many churches in fact move their observance to the following Sunday. Ascension Day is often celebrated by a procession of worshipers bearing torches or candles, followed by the offering of the Eucharist. In some churches, a figure of Christ is lifted up above the altar and through the church roof to symbolise the ascension.