All About the Solemnity of the Ascension

Ascension Day History, Information, Prayers, Resources, Traditions, & More

Ascension Day Definition and Summary

The Feast of the Ascension commemorates Jesus' ascension into heaven 40 days after his resurrection. Thus Ascension Day falls 40 days after Easter, on the 6th Thursday of Easter. In 2010, Ascension Day falls on May 13 (dates in other years). In some parts of the world, the solemnity is celebrated on the Sunday after the traditional date. Prayers: Ascension Prayers

Basic Facts About the Ascension Feast

Liturgical Color(s): White
Type of Holiday: Solemnity; Holy Day of Obligation
Time of Year: 40 days after Easter Day, on the 6th Thursday of Easter
Duration: One Day; Sometimes observed on 7 Easter; Has an octave
Celebrates/Symbolizes: Jesus' Ascension into heaven
Alternate Names: Analepsis, Episozomene
Scriptural References: Acts 1:6-11

Introduction

Forty Days after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Acts of the Apostles records Jesus' ascension into heaven. The ascension is an important Christian feast attesting and celebrating the reality of the God-Man Jesus Christ's returning to the Father, to return again in the future parousia. The Ascension is the final component of the paschal mystery, which consists also of Jesus' Passion, Crucifixion, Death, Burial, Descent Among the Dead, and Resurrection. Along with the resurrection, the ascension functioned as a proof of Jesus' claim that he was the Messiah. The Ascension is also the event whereby humanity was taken into heaven. Finally, the ascension was also the "final blow" so-to-speak against Satan's power, and thus the lion (Jesus) conquering the dragon (Satan) is a symbol of the ascension. Early Christian art and iconography portrayed the ascension frequently, showing its importance to the early Church.

The Catholic Catechism summarizes three important theological aspects (with which most Christian churches agree) of the Ascension concisely:

Christ's Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus' humanity into God's heavenly domain, whence he will come again (cf. Acts 1:11); this humanity in the meantime hides him from the eyes of men (cf. Col 3:3).

Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, precedes us into the Father's glorious kingdom so that we, the members of his Body, may live in the hope of one day being with him for ever.

Jesus Christ, having entered the sanctuary of heaven once and for all, intercedes constantly for us as the mediator who assures us of the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit (665-667).

History

Evidence from John Chrysostom, Egeria, Gregory of Nyssa, and Church historian Socrates, suggest that Ascension Day probably originated in the 4th century AD. However, Augustine says the festival is apostolic. Often the feast was celebrated with a procession, symbolizing Christ's journey to the Mount of Olives. Until rather recently, the Paschal Candle (lighted at the Easter Vigil) was extinguished on Ascension Day. It is often celebrated as an octave, the proper preface and Ascension collect being used until the Saturday before Pentecost. In many Catholic dioceses, the Ascension is celebrated on the 7th Sunday of Easter, which is the Sunday following the traditional date. Likely, this is done to make it easier for the faithful to fulfill their obligation to attend Mass on this day, but it removes the connection with the biblical chronology.

Worship and Prayer resources

Prayers for the Feast of the Ascension

Ascension Art, Photos, and Images

Icon of the Ascension (Traditional)

The Ascension (Giotto)

Ascension of Christ (Dali)

Order Prints/Download High Resolution Images (Some Not Available)
More Liturgical Artwork

Traditions, Symbols, & Typology

Traditions
Blessing of Fruits and Beans
Procession with torches and banners
Extinguishing the Paschal Candle

Symbols
Ascending Christ (Also With Descending Devil)
Birds Flying Homeward
Open Gates
Lion Conquering a Dragon
Elijah's Fiery Chariot
Broken Chain

Old Testament Typology Foreshadowing the Ascension
Elijah's Fiery Chariot
The Translation of Enoch

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Isn't the Ascension of Jesus based on Outdated Science?
This question is not about Ascension Day per se, but related to the truth (or falsity) of the historical Ascension. However, belief in the ascension is directly tied to celebrating its feast. After all, who wants to celebrate something he does not believe in (except perhaps a few mainline clergy!)? Some assert that modern people cannot believe in Jesus' ascension, because the story assumes a three-tiered universe. The three-tiered universe is likely the science of many Biblical authors, where heaven is spatially "up" above the sky dome. Luke might or might not have had this science in mind. Even if he did, this does not discount the truth of the ascension. What ultimately happened at the Mount of Olives that day was that Jesus returned to the Father, to a numinous reality. Assuming this return was miraculous (and I do), it may not have been a spatial ascending at all. It was an event above human perception and explanation. However, the witnesses had to render the event in terms they (and we) could understand, using the tools, knowledge, and science of the day (as we would do as well; we can hardly be expected to explain events in terms and frameworks beyond those of our day!). As such, the miraculous event was recorded as a spatial ascension, because we humans are spatially limited creatures, and conceive of reality spatially.

These ideas owe a debt to C.S. Lewis. In a 1942 sermon, Lewis described the Ascension as:

...a being still in some mode, though not our mode, corporeal, withdrew at His own will from the Nature presented by our three dimensions and five senses, not necessarily into the non-sensuous and undimensional, but into, or through, a world or worlds of super-sense and super space. And He might choose to do it gradually. Who on earth knows what the spectators might see? If they say they saw a momentary movement along the vertical plane - then an indistinct mass - then nothing - who is to pronounce this improbable?" (God in the Dock, p. 35; also see "Horrid Red Things," in Ibid. pp. 68-71)

2. Doesn't Jesus Ascend Immediately After the Resurrection in John's Gospel?
In John 20:17, Jesus says he must ascend to the Father. The text that follows implies that Jesus almost immediately "ascends" only to return later in the day. This ascension is for the purpose of Jesus' post-resurrection glorification. As to whether Jesus went "up" here, see the above question and answer. This ascension is historically and theologically distinct from Jesus' final ascension in Acts. The ascension mentioned in Acts, and celebrated during the Feast of the Ascension, is Jesus' final appearance on earth. Thus after ascending he becomes physically absent from the Church until the final parousia, i.e. his return to judge the living and the dead. Of course Jesus is still present to us, particularly in the Eucharistic bread and wine (which are his body and blood). In conclusion, I see no reason the two ascensions must be viewed as conflicting accounts, but rather both are two separate events, serving two very distinct, but important, theological purposes.

Ascension Day and Church Year Books

Holy Bible: New Jerusalem Bible
Christian Prayer: Liturgy of the Hours
The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Cross and Livingstone, eds.)
New St. Joseph People's Prayer Book
The Study of Liturgy (Jones, ed.)
Spirit of the Liturgy (Ratzinger)
Catechism of the Catholic Church
More Christian & Church Year Books

General Links

"The Feast of the Ascension" from the Catholic Encyclopedia
Table of Movable Major Catholic Seasons and Holidays

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In the course of a year, the Church celebrates the unfolding of the mystery of Christ, beginning with Advent, anticipating his first coming, and reaching a high point at Easter, the feast of feasts, celebrating Christ's resurrection. Through the Church Year, which includes the seasonal, daily, and yearly cycles of Christian time, we commemorate, and participate in, events in the lives of Jesus and his followers, through sanctified time. Thus, we experience in symbol what Jesus and his followers did in reality. We do this through daily prayer (The Liturgy of the Hours), worship, the Eucharist, the sacraments, art, changing colors, canticles, psalms, antiphons, symbols, and other means.

The Church Year, including all liturgical celebrations and times of prayer, is one of the most meaningful dimensions of the Catholic faith. Many Christians of all traditions feel drawn to this system of holy time, and prefer to orient their lives around the Christian calendar instead of the secular calendar. Postmodern men and women feel especially drawn to many elements of Sanctified Time: mystery, connection to the past, and a multitude of religious symbols and experiential elements. Thus the Church Year is a postmodern Catholic evangelism tool, and a means of spiritual growth for all who use it.

We now have All About...! pages for every season of the Church Year, and have many All About...! pages for various feasts, fasts, and holy days of the Church Year. Each All About...! page has a history, general facts, scriptural references, traditions, symbols, links, worship resources, sermons, an FAQ, and more material related to the particular season or holy day. We also have a helpful Church Year and Liturgy Dictionary, to define certain unfamiliar terms and practices. We are expanding our resources to include general prayers, language resources, and other tools peripherally related to celebrating the Church Year, but still important to its celebration. Enjoy!

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This page written by David Bennett. Last updated 04-23-2008.