The Feast of the Holy Ascension of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
Thursday, May 14, 2026
Forty days after the glorious Resurrection of Christ, the Church celebrates the great Feast of the Holy Ascension of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Rooted in Sacred Scripture and celebrated from the earliest centuries of Christianity, this feast proclaims the completion of Christ’s earthly ministry and the fulfillment of His saving work.
After His Resurrection, Jesus remained with His disciples for forty days, teaching them and preparing them for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Then, on the Mount of Olives near Bethany, He blessed them and ascended into heaven in glory. As the disciples looked upward, the angels proclaimed: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
In the Byzantine tradition, this feast is often called Analepsis — “the taking up” of Christ into heaven. The Ascension is not simply Christ “leaving” the world, but the glorification of His humanity in the presence of the Father. As the Church teaches, Christ enters into heavenly glory with our human nature transformed and exalted. The feast therefore becomes a pledge of our own calling to eternal life and communion with God.
The Ascension also points us toward Pentecost. Before ascending, Christ promised His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who would strengthen and guide the Church. For this reason, the Feast of the Ascension stands as a bridge between the joy of Pascha and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. In the Eastern Christian tradition, the Paschal celebration reaches its fulfillment in these holy days.
From ancient times, Christians gathered with great solemnity to celebrate this feast through prayer, Divine Liturgy, and hymns of joy. In the Eastern Churches, Ascension is among the great feasts traditionally observed with participation in the Divine Liturgy and prayerful devotion of the faithful. The feast reminds us that the Christian life is always directed upward — toward the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Ascension is also a reminder that Christ will come again in glory. The same Lord who ascended bodily into heaven will return again, and therefore the feast calls us to live with faith, hope, and spiritual vigilance.
Although Christ ascends into heavenly glory, He does not abandon His people. Through the Holy Spirit, through the Eucharist, and through the life of the Church, Christ remains always present among us. The disciples returned from the Mount of Olives not in despair, but with renewed faith and hope, awaiting the promise of the Father.
As we celebrate this holy feast on Thursday, May 14, may we lift our hearts and minds toward heaven and remember that our true homeland is found in the Risen and Ascended Lord.
Troparion of the Feast
“Christ our God, You ascended in glory, giving 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.”
