Ascension

The Feast of the Ascension is the Christian belief of the ascent of Jesus Christ into Heaven on the 40th day after his Resurrection. The feast has been celebrated 40 days after Easter in both Eastern and Western Christianity since the 4th century. Prior to that time, the Ascension was celebrated as a part of the celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The meaning of the Ascension for Christians is derived from their belief in the glorification and exaltation of Jesus following his death and Resurrection, as well as from the theme of his return to God the Father. A distinctive feature of the feast liturgy in the Western churches is the extinguishing of the Paschal candle, first lit on Easter, after the Gospel has been read, as a symbol of Christ’s leaving the Earth. One of the central themes of the feast is the kingship of Christ, and the theological implication is that the Ascension was the final redemptive act conferring participation in the divine life on all who are members of Christ.