Christian doctrine states that the Ascension of Jesus in the presence of His apostles occurred on the 40th day after His resurrection. This is mentioned in Luke 24:51, Mark 16:19 and in Acts 1: 2, 9-11 of the Holy Bible. It has always been observed on a Thursday since the 3rd Century. It is an ecumenical feast, universal in nature, according to Pope Leo XIII.
St. Augustine claims that it is of apostolic origin, hence is ranked with the Passion, Easter and Pentecost.
The belief in the Ascension of Jesus is found in the Nicene Creed and affirmed in the Apostles' Creed. Both the Western and the Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate this feast although usually on different dates due to the difference in their calendar. But this year, 2010, both churches observe it today, May 13, 2010. Austria, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland celebrate it as a public holiday. The Roman Catholic Church in some countries, including the United States has obtained permission from the Vatican to move the observation of the feast from the traditional Thursday to the following Sunday. The Paschal Candle is extinguished on this day.
What is the importance of the Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ?
1. By ascending into His glory, Jesus Christ completed the work of our Redemption. We therefore, celebrate our Salvation and the pledge of our glorification with Jesus Christ.
2. The image of Jesus rising bodily into heaven reflects the ancient view that heaven is above the earth.
3. The Ascension of Jesus is interpreted as the culmination of the Mystery of the Incarnation. Remember, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that those who believe in him may not perish but may have life everlasting. For God did not send His Son into the world in order to judge the world but that the world may be saved through Him." (1 Cor 3:16-17)
4. The Ascension of Jesus is understood as the final token of Christ's two natures - Human and Divine. His human nature will cease to exist.
5. When Jesus ascended in His glorified body to sit at the right hand of the Father, it consummated the union of God and Man.
6 The Ascension of Jesus marked the beginning of the physical presence of Jesus Christ on earth in the Body of Christ - the CHURCH. (1Cor 12:12-27)
The Chapel of the Ascension in Jerusalem is a Crusader building constructed in 384. But in 1198, Saladin acquired the site and ordered it to be a mosque. But it was never used by Muslims because the overwhelming majority of visitors were Christians. As a gesture of goodwill, Saladin allowed Christians to visit and ordered the construction of a mosque nearby for Muslim worshipers. Though still under the control of the Muslims at present, the Chapel of the Ascension in Jerusalem, as it is properly called, is open to visitors for a nominal fee.
During my first visit to the Chapel of the Ascension in 1994, I was dismayed with a residue of sadness to see the truly small round, domed building almost left unmaintained though regal with the patina of age, commemorating a most important event in the life of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! Not knowing that it was under Muslim control, I felt that some care and even "embellishments" could have been given the chapel as in some centuried buildings in Rome and in other European nations.
Inside the chapel is an enclosed opening to a slab of stone which looks like a combination of granite and marble about 12 to 15 inches below the present floor level. The rock bears an imprint of the right foot of Jesus as He ascended. It is venerated by Christians as the last point on earth touched by the Incarnate Christ! I bent low to rest my palms on it. It was cold! A cold shiver ran down my spine as goose bumps flared up and tears flowed uncontrollably down my cheeks. I felt a signature blessing of touching the rock upon which the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, as Man, stood on earth. My mind could not fathom the meaning of such a unique privilege and unmerited blessing to me- a truly flawed creation! My heart was bursting with joy and thanksgiving yet extremely full of remorse for the times I failed to be the person God created me to be. I lifted my hands from the rock and laid them crisscross on my forearms. I felt heat!!! Iwas stunned. I could not understand why from the cold rock my hands derived heat. i stood motionless, tears still flowing from my closed eyes as I savored the energizing heat enveloping my whole being. It was like a warm embrace! It brought an inexplicable sense of peace, of complete surrender, a state of letting go of everything that mattered. It was good!
Anxious to find out if the feeling was for the first experience only and actually hoping to "taste the elixir " again, I visited the Chapel of the Ascension in Jerusalem in 1995 and in 1999. It was duplicated..triplicated. I believe that the last piece of earth Jesus Christ touched carries a message all its own for me and for every pilgrim to this hallowed spot.
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