Ascension of the Lord (02/06)

Every year on the 40th day after Easter, on Thursday of the 6th week after Easter, the entire Orthodox world celebrates one of the twelfth holidays of the church year — Ascension of the Lord.

The name of the holiday reflects the essence of the event — this is the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ into Heaven, the completion of His earthly ministry. The number 40 — is not random, but carries meaning. In all of Sacred History, it was the time of the end of great feats. According to the law of Moses, on the 40th day, babies had to be brought by their parents to the temple, to the Lord. And now on the fortieth day after the Resurrection, as if after a new birth, Jesus Christ had to enter the heavenly temple of His Father, as the Savior of humanity.

Having defeated death, this is a terrible consequence of sin, and thereby giving the opportunity to rise again in glory, the Lord exalted human nature in His Face, including the human body. Thus, the Lord opened the opportunity for every person to ascend to the highest abode of light to the Most High Throne itself in the universal Resurrection. The Evangelists Mark and Luke tell us about the Ascension event; you can read about it in particular in detail in the book of Acts of the Holy Apostles in Chapter 1.



The Feast of the Ascension — is a celebration of Heaven, the opening to man of Heaven as a new and eternal home, of Heaven as a true homeland. Sin separated the earth from the sky and made people earthly and living by the same earth. This is not about planetary space or space. We are talking about Heaven, returned to people by Christ, about Heaven, which they lost in earthly sciences and ideologies, and which Christ revealed and returned to them. Heaven — is the Kingdom of God, it is the kingdom of eternal life, the kingdom of truth, goodness and beauty.

In honor of the holiday, solemn services are held in all Orthodox churches, and on the eve of Thursday, Wednesday, the holiday of Easter is celebrated in churches, when for the last time in the year the service is held according to the Easter rite, and in the evening an all-night vigil is served.

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