Common Questions Concerning the Feast of Ascension
Question
1. What
significance does the event of the Ascension of Jesus Christ have for the
Christian? We should understand why we celebrate any feast, and its inner
meaning.
Answer
Christ
ascended to Heaven as man and as God. Once he became a man, being at the same
time, as always, perfect God, he never put off His manhood, but deified it, and
made it and us capable of apprehending heavenly things.
The
Ascension is a prophecy of things to come for those who love God and believe in
Him in an Orthodox manner. Those who believe and live according to this belief
will be in the heavens, in the flesh, with Him, just as He now abides in the
Heavens in the flesh. Our flesh and souls will be saved, because Christ made
human flesh capable of deification.
We also
call to mind the promise of the Holy Spirit, since Christ mentions this promise
He had made before to them, and its advent is tied to His ascension thusly:
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It
is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will
not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. {8} And when he
is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment: {9} Of sin, because they believe not on me; {10} Of righteousness,
because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; {11} Of judgment, because the
prince of this world is judged." (John 16:7-11)
What
Christ has done for human flesh and our souls is impossible to understand, but
the church, with sweet melody, meditates with fervor and thanksgiving and precise
theology in her services.
"O Christ, having taken upon thy
shoulders our nature, which had gone astray, thou didst ascend and bring it
unto God the Father" (Matins canon for the Ascension, Ode 7)
"Having raised our nature, which was
deadened by sin, Thou didst bring it unto Thine own Father, O Savior"
(ibid.)
"Unto Him Who by His descent destroyed
the adversary, and Who by His ascent raised up man, give praise O ye priests,
and supremely exalt Him, O ye people, unto all the ages." (Matins canon
for the Ascension, Ode 8)
Since the
disciples were "filled with great joy", we who are Orthodox in belief
and way of life should naturally be this way also, and should hasten to the
temple. There we can meditate upon the magnificent truths and promises in the
ascension by listening carefully to the divinely inspired theology, sung in
sweet melody. If we pray with care, and expectation, having valued divine
worship above our worldly cares, surely God will enlighten us and noetically
teach us the true meaning of Christ's Ascension.
Question 2. There is an important account of
the Ascension in the scriptures that is not in the Gospels. Where is it? The
story involves angels. How? Describe how a cloud was involved.
Answer
St. Luke,
who wrote an account of the Ascension in his Gospel, also wrote a slightly
different account in his Acts of the Apostles. In this account, he describes
two angels who speak to the Apostles as they are gazing at Christ going up into
the sky:
"And while they looked steadfastly
toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this
same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like
manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:10-11)
St Luke
also mentions a cloud in his account in the Acts:
"And when he had spoken these things,
while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their
sight." (Acts 1:9)
"Thou Who art immortal by nature didst
arise on the third day, and didst appear unto the eleven and all the disciples,
and riding upon a cloud, didst hasten back unto the Father, O Thou creator of
all." (Matins canon for the Ascension, 1st Ode, Irmos)
Question 3. In the gospel reading for
liturgy on the Ascension, two gifts are mentioned by Christ. One is given and
one is promised. What are they? Comment on their importance and meaning for a
Christian.
Answer
When
Christ saw his disciples in the upper room, he told them:
"Peace be unto you." (Luke 24:36).
Shortly
after this, Christ promised:
"And, behold, I send the promise of my
Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with
power from on high." (Luke 24:49).
This, of
course, is the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit, to be given only ten
days later, on Pentecost.
The
ministry of the Holy Spirit is so profound, it cannot be described adequately.
He
convicts concerning sin and righteousness, He gives strength, He gives wisdom,
and the words to say when being persecuted. Ignorant and weak fisherman and all
those who make an abode for Him wax bold in their witness of the gospel. He
guides the church, and enlightens every man concerning the truth. Without Him,
the Christian life cannot be lived.
Question 4. What mountain did Christ ascend
from? How will this mountain be involved in another, cataclysmic event?
Answer
Christ
ascended by the Mount of Olives. "Then returned they unto Jerusalem from
the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey."
(Luke 1:12). Holy tradition understands that Christ will come to judge the
world at the culmination of all things "from the East" over this very
same mountain.
"And while they looked steadfastly
toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
{11} Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?
this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like
manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:10-11)
Question 5. There is a significant
occurrence in the Ascension story that can only be understood in the context of
the church, and the absolute need for apostolic succession of bishops and
priests. This occurrence, properly understood, should cause everyone who trusts
his own interpretation of the bible outside of the context of a visible,
authoritative and dogmatic church to flee from his false, individual
understanding and seek out the church.
What is
this occurrence? Comment on it, and try to specify other scriptures which point
out or support this critical Christian teaching.
Answer
It is
clear that the scriptures are a dark book, unless God gives illumination. The
Jews did not understand the book they gave appearances to love, and Jesus
corrected their misunderstandings numerous times. The Holy apostles themselves
had to be taught in numerous private sessions with their Lord, an important one
which is described in the Ascension story:
"Then opened he their understanding,
that they might understand the scriptures, {46} And said unto them, Thus it is
written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the
third day: {47} And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in
his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. {48} And ye are witnesses
of these things. {49} And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you:
but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on
high." (Luke 24:45-49)
There
much that the apostles were taught that was not written in the scriptures, and
which has become part of the mind of the church, through the teaching of the
apostles, and all their successors, who remained true to their teachers as the
apostles had to one great teacher. St. John alludes to this hidden wisdom, held
so closely to the bosom of the church, when he says:
"And there are also many other things
which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that
even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.
Amen." (John 21:25)
St. Peter
admonishes us and reminds us of our own frailty and the sure reliability of the
church when he tells us:
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of
the scripture is of any private interpretation." (2 Peter 1:20)
Question
6.
When is Ascension celebrated?
Answer
Ascension
is always on a Thursday, exactly forty days after Pascha, just like it occurred
in the Scriptures. The Jewish (and Orthodox) way of reckoning days is to count
the first and last days. So, Pascha is the first day, and Ascension Thursday,
in the 6th week after Pascha, is the Fortieth day.
In the
same way, Christ was in the tomb three days, although not even one and a half
days in terms of hours. Good Friday, the
first day, He was buried in the late afternoon. The second day, Saturday, His
body lay in the tomb the entire day, then at some point in the very early hours
of the third day, He rose from the dead.
Question
7.
What commemoration is the day before Ascension? Explain.
Answer
The
Apodosis of Pascha is celebrated on the Wednesday before Ascension Thursday
(according to the Russian Typicon).
All Great
Orthodox feasts, according to the Jewish model, have three phases.
There is
a preparation phase, which may be very long. The preparation for Pascha is the
whole of Great Lent, and especially Holy Week. Great Feasts such as Theophany
and Nativity have pre-festal Vesperal divine liturgies served the day before.
Many feasts are preceded with certain hymns, such as the katavasia of the
matins canon, sung for a period before a feast.
The feast
itself is the ultimate celebration, and then there is a post-festal period,
where the truths of the celebration are meditated upon at length in the
services.
For
Pascha, this period is forty days, and ends on the "Apodosis", or
"leave-taking" of the feast, on the Wednesday before Ascension.
Question 8. How long is the feast of the
Ascension?
Answer
The feast
of the Ascension lasts until the Friday before Pentecost, when its Apodosis
occurs. This makes perfect sense, as we are waiting for Pentecost, just as the
disciples were waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit, Whom Jesus promised
would come to them.
Question 9. What, in general terms, is the
Typicon for the services of the Ascension? List all the books needed to serve
the services completely. Where may one obtain the main texts for the Ascension
in English?
Answer
One the
eve of the Ascension, Wednesday evening, an All Night vigil is served. This is
a service which combines Great Vespers, Litya, Matins and the First Hour, with
slight changes to the beginning and end of Great Vespers and Matins from their
form when they are served alone.
The
"rank" of commemoration is "Vigil" The rank indicates
somewhat the importance of the feast, and how much the regular formats for
vespers and matins will be modified. Two other "ranks" are
"single commemoration" and "double commemoration".
On
Thursday morning, the Third and Sixth hours and Divine Liturgy are served.
To serve
the Great vespers, Litya, matins, the hours, and Divine liturgy the following
service books are needed.
The
Horologion - the fixed parts of vespers, matins, the hours and the Divine
liturgy
The
Psalter - needed for the kathisma readings at vespers and matins. Usually any
other psalms that are read are in the Horologion
The
Apostolos - for the epistle reading at liturgy.
The Old
Testament - Great vespers has 3 OT readings. They are usually contained in the
service texts in the
Gospel -
read in matins and the liturgy.
The
Pentecostarion - texts for the feast, such as the stichera at Lord I have
cried, the Aposticha, the matins canon, etc.
The
priest's liturgikon - used by the priest for services like vespers, matins,
Compline, the midnight office, the hours and divine liturgy.
Question 10. Detail the differences between
the services of the Ascension and those of a "regular" Sunday.
Answer
On a
"regular" Sunday, vigil is appointed, just as for Ascension. The
services are very similar, with these differences (and some, similarities,
listed for comparison purposes):
Vespers:
Both have
ten stichera at Lord I have cried. All of the stichera for the Ascension are
about the feast, as is the case for all "great feasts of the Lord".
For "regular" Saturday night vespers, there are at most 7 stichera
about the Resurrection (sometimes 6, sometimes 4), with the rest being
concerned with a Saint(s) or another event At the end of the Lord I have cried
stichera, for the Ascension, "Glory ... Both Now ..." is sung all at
once, and one sticheron, about the feast, is sung. In a regular Sunday vigil,
there are usually two stichera here, the first one preceded by "Glory to
the Father and the son and the Holy Spirit", the second being preceded by
"Both now and ever, and to the ages of ages, amen". The second
Sticheron is a "Theotokion", which is about the Theotokos and the
incarnation.
Three OT
readings are read for the Ascension. OT readings are not read in most Sunday vigil
services.
Litya is
appointed in the Ascension services. This service is usually omitted in a
regular Sunday service (but the Old Believers always do a litya on every
Sunday)
* At the end of vespers for the Ascension, the
troparion of the feast is sung three times (this is just before the blessing of
the loaves, wheat, wine and oil). In regular vespers, "O Theotokos and
virgin rejoice" is sung three times.
Matins:
The
Ascension matins has the "Polyeleos", followed by the
"magnification" (the latter is in Russian usage only), whereas a
regular Sunday matins usually has in stead of the Polyeleos, the 118th kathisma
(known as "the blameless"), and there is no magnification.
Just before
the praises, on Sunday, an expostilarion, "Holy is the Lord our God",
is sung. This hymn is omitted on the Ascension.
Liturgy:
The
Ascension liturgy replaces the regular antiphons with festal ones.
Question 11. Detail the differences between
the services of the Ascension and those of a "regular" weekday.
Answer
On a
"regular" weekday", vespers is served on the eve, and matins in
the morning, and no vigil service is sung, as there is for Ascension, Sundays,
and most great feasts of the Lord (Pascha being a special exception).
Daily
vespers, which is usually served on a weekday is a far simpler service than
Great Vespers, with no small entrance, "O Gladsome light" being
chanted instead of being sung, and less "Lord I have cried" stichera
(there are usually 6). In addition, the last two litanies of both vespers and
matins are reverses (read in a different order), and the first two petitions of
the second litany in regular (daily) vespers and matins are omitted.
There are
numerous other differences, because daily services are much simpler and
shorter. Here are a few, off the top of my head.
Vespers:
The
kathisma for Great Vespers on a feast is "Blessed is the man". A
different kathisma is read at a daily vespers for every day of the week.
No Small entrance,
OT readings, at a daily vespers.
No litya
at the end of a daily vespers.
Less
"Lord I have cried stichera" at a daily vespers.
Matins:
No
gospel, "Save O God" intercession at a daily matins.
That is
enough for now. The best place to understand these services and their
differences is to study the service books and chant or sing in the chanters
stand.
Source: http://www.orthodox.net/questions/ascension_1.html
