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Commemorating the Feast of the Ascension
By Jo Rotunno

In the parish where I grew up in Kentucky, there was a large colorful mural of the Ascension of Jesus high on the wall above the main altar. Many years later, I belonged to a parish in Iowa that had a similar painting in the same place. In both, the resurrected Jesus was shown elevated above the ground and ascending into the clouds as his disciples watched in awe. Another drawing I recall from my childhood was from the Baltimore Catechism; it showed Jesus sitting on the right side of his Father, who was depicted as an elderly man with a long beard.

Paintings, our words of faith, and our celebrations of the Ascension of Jesus are inadequate to describe the mystery that the event signifies. The Feast of the Ascension of the Lord celebrates the culmination of the Paschal mystery, Jesus’ work of redemption. On this day, traditionally celebrated 40 days after Easter Sunday, the Church celebrates the event in which Jesus was taken up into Heaven to begin his eternal reign at the “right hand of God” (Mark 16:19). The disciples experienced Jesus as alive after his Resurrection, but in those appearances they experienced his glorified body under the guise of ordinary humanity. The Ascension represents “the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory” (see CCC, 659). After the Ascension of Jesus, the work of continuing to bring the reign of God fell to his followers. On Pentecost he poured out the Holy Spirit on them, empowering them to take up his work. Today, we experience Jesus through the Eucharist, where we too are empowered to continue his work for the reign of God.

The Church’s observance of the Ascension has its origins in ancient times. St. Augustine taught that the feast was observed during the lifetime of the Apostles. We read of it in the writings of the early Church Fathers, and from the earliest times it was closely connected with the Feast of Pentecost. On the feast day, a banner depicting a lion (Christ) in domination over a dragon (Satan) was sometimes carried at the head of processions. The Paschal candle was often extinguished at this time, symbolizing the completion of Christ’s work of salvation on earth. The earliest artistic depictions of the event show Jesus physically ascending into or through clouds. These images matched the worldview of ancient times, but they also convey in a concrete way the profound mystery that Jesus had moved from one mode of being to another.

Often we catechists don’t give this feast the attention it deserves, partly because it occurs late or even after the end of the school year, and possibly because it is such a mystery to us and we don’t know how to express it. It has long been a holy day of obligation, yet Mass attendance has become so low in recent years that many dioceses have moved the midweek feast to the following Sunday of Easter, the week before Pentecost. Yet in the Eastern rite, the Ascension is observed as one of the eight great feasts of the Church year.

In teaching about the Ascension, different ages require different strategies. Young children first need to learn the story as the Scriptures relate it. Invite children to draw and act out their understanding of what they have heard in the story; reassure them that we are not entirely sure what Jesus’ entry into heavenly glory really looked like. Let them use their own imaginations to convey their budding understanding. To eight- to ten-year-olds, you might explain the images of lion and dragon as described above, and invite children to prepare banners for a procession celebrating this great feast. Recall and recite the portion of the Creed that describes our belief that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father for all eternity. Older young people might enjoy researching some of the customs and even superstitions surrounding the celebration of the Ascension that they can find on the Internet.

One of the most important things to reinforce with young people of any age when teaching about the Ascension is the event’s connection to Pentecost. Invite them to reflect on their own responsibility for continuing the mission of Jesus Christ. The Feast of the Ascension is upon us in this Year of Grace. If it is too late for you to address it this season, tuck this article away for next year. The Feast of the Ascension occurs even earlier in 2010. Whatever commemoration you choose, don’t ignore this important event in the Church’s year in your catechetical class or program.

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