Official feasts used to be an important part of the human community. People would gather together to remember something sacred, express their faith and hope for the future, and / or just be together formally, recognizing each other as being part of a shared community. Few things express a desire for shared companionship and social intimacy more than dining together. Sadly, the gathering together for feasting is increasingly a relic of the past – at least here in the West.
It need not be so! Today we will remember the ancient feasts.
The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ
This Feast is a Christian religious celebration of the bodily ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven.
Christi Himmelfahrt by Gebhard Fugel, c. 1893
This is one of the most important observances on most Christian calendars, historically, however, it has been less emphasized over time and is not observed at all in many mainline Protestant denominations. Also, while this might seem obvious, by virtue of its name, it is worth asking what exactly is The Ascension of Jesus Christ?
The Ascension of Jesus (anglicized from the VulgateLatin: ascensio Iesu, lit. ‘ascent of Jesus’) is the Christian belief, reflected in the major Christian creeds and confessional statements, that Jesus ascended to Heaven after his resurrection, where he was exalted as Lord and Christ, sitting at the right hand of God. The Gospels and other New Testament writings imply resurrection and exaltation as a single event. The ascension is “more assumed than described,” and only Luke and Acts contain direct accounts of it, but with different chronologies.
In Christian art, the ascending Jesus is often shown blessing an earthly group below him, signifying the entire Church. The Feast of the Ascension is celebrated on the 40th day of Easter, always a Thursday; some Orthodox traditions have a different calendar up to a month later than in the Western tradition. The Lutheran Churches and the Anglican Communion continue to observe the Feast of the Ascension. Certain Nonconformist churches, such as the Plymouth Brethren, do not observe the feast.
Biblical accounts
Although the ascension is an important article of faith in Christianity, only Luke and Acts contain direct accounts of it. In the shorter ending of Mark, in Matthew, and in John, it is only implied or alluded to. The Gospels do not picture resurrection and ascension as clearly separated in time. Other New Testament writings also imply resurrection and exaltation as a single event.
The ascension is detailed in both Luke and Acts, a pair of works ascribed to the same author, Luke the Evangelist:
Luke 24:51: Jesus leads the eleven remaining disciples to Bethany, a village on the Mount of Olives, and instructs them to remain in Jerusalem until the coming of the Holy Spirit: “And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”
Acts 1 (Acts 1:1–9): Jesus tells the disciples to remain in Jerusalem and await the coming of the Holy Spirit; he is then taken up from the disciples in their sight, a cloud hides him from view, and two men in white appear to tell them that he will return “in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Luke and Acts appear to describe the same event but present quite different chronologies, the gospel placing it on the same day as the resurrection and Acts forty days afterwards; various proposals have been put forward to resolve the contradiction, but none have been found satisfactory. According to Dunn, the author of Acts separated the resurrection and ascension to put a limit on the number of resurrection appearances, effectively excluding Paul’s conversion experience from the bona fide resurrection appearances. Zwiep argues that Jesus was originally believed to have been exalted with his ascension to heaven and seated at the right hand of God with his resurrection until the late first century where he argues the exaltation had been separated from the resurrection, and moved to a final ascension into heaven after his appearances on earth. Other scholars note that the biblical authors tended to conflate or compress different events and narrate them as one which was a literary theme seen in other ancient biographies to improve the narrative flow. Such scholars caution against a strictly chronological reading.
John’s Gospel has three references to ascension in Jesus’ own words: “No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man” (John 3:13); “What if you [the disciples] were to see the Son of Man ascending where he was before?” (John 6:62); and to Mary Magdalene after his resurrection, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father…” (John 20:17). In the first and second Jesus is claiming to be the apocalyptic “one like a Son of Man” of Daniel 7; the last has mystified commentators – why should Mary be prohibited from touching the risen but not yet ascended Christ, while Thomas is later invited to do so?
The longer ending of Mark describes an ascension, but is a later addition to the original version of that gospel.
How is the Feast of the Ascension celebrated?
The observance of this feast is of great antiquity. Eusebius seems to hint at the celebration of it in the 4th century. At the beginning of the 5th century, Augustine of Hippo says that it is of Apostolic origin, and he speaks of it in a way that shows it was the universal observance of the Catholic Church long before his time. Frequent mention of it is made in the writings of John Chrysostom, Gregory of Nyssa, and in the Constitution of the Apostles. The Pilgrimage of Aetheria speaks of the vigil of this feast and of the feast itself, as they were kept in the church built over the grotto in Bethlehem in which Christ is traditionally regarded as having been born. It may be that prior to the 5th century the event narrated in the Gospels was commemorated in conjunction with the feast of Easter or Pentecost. Some believe that the much-disputed forty-third decree of the Synod of Elvira (c. 300) condemning the practice of observing a feast on the fortieth day after Easter and neglecting to keep Pentecost on the fiftieth day, implies that the proper usage of the time was to commemorate the Ascension along with Pentecost. Representations of the mystery are found in diptychs and frescoes dating as early as the 5th century. Hymns for this feast are found in the Georgian Chantbook of Jerusalem, which contains material composed during the 5th century.
In Western Christianity
The Latin terms used for the feast, ascensio and, occasionally, ascensa, signify that Christ was raised up by his own powers, and it is from these terms that the holy day gets its name. In the Book of Common Prayer of the Anglican Communion, “Holy Thursday” is listed as another name for Ascension Day. William Blake‘s poem “Holy Thursday” refers to Ascension Day; Thomas Pruen used the term to refer to Ascension Day in his Illustration of the Liturgy of the Church of England, published in 1820; however use of the term “Holy Thursday” to mean Ascension Day is rare, and the term is more generally applied by most Christian denominations to Maundy Thursday in Holy Week.
The three days before Ascension Thursday are sometimes referred to as the Rogation days, and the previous Sunday—the Sixth Sunday of Easter (or the Fifth Sunday after Easter)—as Rogation Sunday.
Ascension has a vigil and, since the 15th century, an octave, which is set apart for a novena of preparation for Pentecost.
Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Saviour Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens, that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that according to his promise he abideth with his Church on earth, even unto the end of the world; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sunday observance
Roman Catholic parishes in a number of countries that do not observe the feast as a public holiday have obtained permission from the Vatican to move observance of the Feast of the Ascension from the traditional Thursday to the following Sunday, the Sunday before Pentecost. Similarly, the United Methodist Church allows the traditional celebration on Holy Thursday to be moved to Sunday. This is in keeping with a trend to move Holy Days of Obligation from weekdays to Sunday, to encourage more Christians to observe feasts considered important. The decision to move a feast is made by each Conference of Catholic Bishops with prior approval of the Apostolic See. In some cases the Conference may delegate the determination for specific feasts to the bishops of an ecclesiastical province within the conference, i.e. an archbishop and the neighbouring bishops.
In the Eastern Church this feast is known in Greek as Analepsis, the “taking up”, and also as the Episozomene, the “salvation from on high”, denoting that by ascending into his glory Christ completed the work of our redemption. Ascension is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Orthodox liturgical year.
The feast is always observed with an All-night vigil. The day before is the Apodosis (leave-taking) of Easter (i.e., the last day of the Feast of Easter). Before the Vigil, the Paschal Hours are said for the last time and the Paschal greeting is exchanged.
O Christ God, You have ascended in Glory, Granting joy to Your disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit. Through the blessing they were assured That You are the Son of God, The Redeemer of the world!
During the Polyeleos at Matins, the Epitaphios, which was placed on the altar on Holy Saturday (either at Matins or the Midnight Office, depending on local custom) is taken from the altar and carried in procession around the church. It is then put in the place reserved for it. The Gospel is Mark 16:9–20. The kontakion is sung, which announces:
When You did fulfill the dispensation for our sake, And unite earth to Heaven: You did ascend in glory, O Christ our God, Not being parted from those who love You, But remaining with them and crying: I am with you and no one will be against you.
The megalynarion and irmos from Ode IX of the Canon (also sung at liturgy) is:
Magnify, O my soul, Christ the Giver of Life, Who has ascended from earth to heaven! We magnify you, the Mother of God, Who beyond reason and understanding gave birth in time to the Timeless One.
Ascension Thursday also commemorates the Holy GeorgianMartyrs of Persia (17th–18th centuries).
Ascension has an Afterfeast of eight days. The Sunday after Ascension is the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea. This council formulated the Nicene Creed up to the words, “He (Jesus) ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.” The Afterfeast ends on the following Friday, the Friday before Pentecost. The next day is appropriately a Saturday of the Dead (general commemoration of all faithful departed).
The Eastern Orthodox Church uses a different method of calculating the date of Easter, so the Eastern Orthodox commemoration of Ascension will usually be after the western observance (either one week, or four weeks, or five weeks later; but occasionally on the same day). The earliest possible date for the feast is May 13 (of the Western calendar), and the latest possible date is June 16. Some of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, however, observe Ascension on the same date as the Western Churches.
What do you eat for the Feast Day of the Ascension?
One tradition associated with this Feast Day is for families to prepare a picnic and then to eat on a nearby hill or highly elevated area. This is done because Jesus ascended from the Mt. of Olives.
From The Easter Book by Fr. Francis X Weiser: “It was a widespread custom in many parts of Europe during the Middle Ages to eat a bird on Ascension Day, because Christ ‘flew’ to heaven. Pigeons, pheasants, partridges, and even crows, graced the dinner tables. In western Germany, bakers and innkeepers gave their customers pieces of pastry made in the shapes of various birds.”
In search of an avian picnic feast meal, I came across the following recipe:
1 egg ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon sugar squeeze of lime or lemon ¾ cup oil (we used vegetable oil)
Chicken Salad
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts ½ cup diced onion ½ cup diced celery ¼ cup diced bell pepper ¼ cup mayonnaise
Instructions
To make the mayonnaise, combine all of the ingredients in a tall, slender glass, such as a mason jar or drinking cup. Using an immersion blender, fully submerge the blade and blend for 5-10 seconds until the mixture starts to emulsify and thicken. Slowly work the blender up and down to incorporate all of the oil. Set aside.
Dice the vegetables and anything else you would like to add to your chicken salad (salt, pepper, etc.).
Bake the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165° and then shred it after it’s cooled. To make this process incredibly easy, place the chicken breasts in a stand mixer and blend with the paddle attachment until it is all shredded.
Combine all ingredients with ¼ cup of mayonnaise, adding more if desired, and chill for 1 hour before serving up on your favorite bread.
Lord Jesus, you became man and came to live among us. For love of us, you suffered and died for us. Because you are God, you conquered death and rose on the third day. Today you return to your Father and our Father, but you promised to remain with us until the end of time, and to send us the Holy Spirit. We rejoice and thank you, Lord Jesus. Come Holy Spirit, purify and transform us, kindle within us the fire of your love.
Amen.
When is the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ celebrated?
From Acts 1 (ESV)
1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
So… Ascension Day is always celebrated on the 39th day after Easter, or the 40th *of* Eastertide, if you start the counting on Easter Sunday.
I hope everyone who celebrates has a wonderful day!
