The Ascension of our Lord, which occurred 40 days after Jesus rose from the dead on Easter, is the final component of the paschal mystery, which also consists of Jesus’ Passion, Crucifixion, Death, Burial, Descent Among the Dead, and Resurrection. The Feast celebrates the day when the Risen Christ, in the sight of His apostles, ascended bodily into Heaven. The official Feast falls on a Thursday; however in many provinces of the United States, the celebration is transferred to the following Sunday. Just as the Resurrection of Jesus, the Ascension is a mystery of our Faith. In the Gospels, it is only mentioned briefly by Mark (16:19) and Luke (24:50-53); however Luke gives a more detailed account in the Acts of the Apostles (1:1-12).
Forty days after His Resurrection, Jesus and His disciples went to Mount Olivet, near Jerusalem. Jesus promised His followers that they would soon receive the Holy Spirit, and He instructed them to remain in Jerusalem and pray for the coming of the Spirit upon them. As Jesus gave His final earthly blessing to His disciples, he began to ascend into heaven. The Scriptural accounts describe a literal, bodily return to heaven as He rose from the ground gradually and visibly, in the view of many onlookers. As He traveled further out of sight, Jesus was obscured by a cloud and two angels appeared, promising Christ’s return “in just the same way that you have watched Him go”.
The reality of Christ’s Ascension is so important that we affirm our belief in it each time we pray either the Nicene or Apostle’s Creed. Christ’s Ascension marks the entrance of Jesus’ humanity into God’s heavenly domain, paving the way for our own human entrance into heaven, not just as souls, but as glorified bodies!
