Ascension Feast

The First Reason: Glorifying Christ:

The glorification of the Ascension of the Christ had to precede the glorification of the church for the descent of the Holy Spirit.The Christ was gone before the descent so that the Lord’s presence may change from Him being with us to being within us. Being with us is limited, but within us has no limits, thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit. “that glorifies Me for He takes from what is within Me and tells you. May the Christ be in your hearts through faith” with the work of the Holy Spirit of course.

The Second Reason: Preaching of the Disciples:

Before His ascension, He asked them to preach and told them: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”.The disciples did not live till the end of days but He was speaking about the church as the disciples’ preaching continuous as time goes by, i.e. with the church. People leave but the church lives forever.

(Acts 1:4-9) He told them not to leave Jerusalem but wait for God’s promise He had told them about for John had baptized them with water, as for them, they were going to be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days. Therefore, on Thursday, the Ascension Day, is counted as one of the great feasts which fall on Sundays such as resurrection, the descent of the Holy Spirit and before them the Palm Sunday. Therefore the Ascension Day’s round is done on Sunday in order to link the ascension to Sunday.

The Third Reason: Announce His Return:

He shall come the same way as He ascended and that is why waiting for Christ is one of the beliefs “and we shall await the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come, amen”. We hereby declare our awaiting His second coming.

The Feast’s Rituals:

The third and sixth hours’ prayers are told then the presentation of the bread is made. There is a special answer for the Epraxis that is said until the feast of the Descent due to the link between the Ascension and the Descent of the Holy Spirit.

All the readings on that day are meant to put in relief the fact of the fatherhood. “I am going to My father and your Father and My God and your God”, that is why the readings speak about the glory we shall get and the fact He became our Father.