Feast of the Ascension
Feast of the Ascension | |
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Service of Worship / Mass | |
Date | 39 days after Easter |
2023 date |
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2024 date |
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2025 date |
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2026 date |
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Frequency | annual |
Related to | Easter, Pentecost |
The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ (also called the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus Christ,, although some Christian denominations have moved the observance to the following Sunday, sometimes called Ascension Sunday. The day of observance varies by ecclesiastical province in many Christian denominations, as with Methodists and Catholics, for example.
Ascensiontide refers to the ten-day period between the Feast of the Ascension and the Feast of Pentecost.[4] The Sunday within that period may be referred to as the Seventh Sunday of Easter or the Sunday in Ascensiontide.[5]
History
The observance of this feast is of great antiquity. Eusebius seems to hint at the celebration of it in the 4th century.[6] At the beginning of the 5th century, Augustine of Hippo says that it is of Apostolic origin, and he speaks of it in a way that shows it was the universal observance of the Catholic Church long before his time. Frequent mention of it is made in the writings of John Chrysostom, Gregory of Nyssa, and in the Constitution of the Apostles. The Pilgrimage of Aetheria speaks of the vigil of this feast and of the feast itself, as they were kept in the church built over the grotto in Bethlehem in which Christ is traditionally regarded as having been born.[7] It may be that prior to the 5th century the event narrated in the Gospels was commemorated in conjunction with the feast of Easter or Pentecost. Some[who?] believe that the much-disputed forty-third decree of the Synod of Elvira (c. 300) condemning the practice of observing a feast on the fortieth day after Easter and neglecting to keep Pentecost on the fiftieth day, implies that the proper usage of the time was to commemorate the Ascension along with Pentecost.[citation needed] Representations of the mystery are found in diptychs and frescoes dating as early as the 5th century.[citation needed] Hymns for this feast are found in the Georgian Chantbook of Jerusalem,[8] which contains material composed during the 5th century.[9]
In Western Christianity
The Latin terms used for the feast, ascensio and, occasionally, ascensa, signify that Christ was raised up by his own powers, and it is from these terms that the holy day gets its name. In the Book of Common Prayer of the Anglican Communion, "Holy Thursday" is listed as another name for Ascension Day.[2][3][10] William Blake's poem "Holy Thursday" refers to Ascension Day; Thomas Pruen used the term to refer to Ascension Day in his Illustration of the Liturgy of the Church of England, published in 1820;[11][12] however use of the term "Holy Thursday" to mean Ascension Day is rare,[13] and the term is more generally applied by most Christian denominations to Maundy Thursday in Holy Week.
In
The three days before Ascension Thursday are sometimes referred to as the
Ascension has a
In traditional Methodist usage, The Book of Worship for Church and Home (1965) provides the following Collect for Ascension Day, commonly called Holy Thursday:[15]
Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Saviour Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens, that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that according to his promise he abideth with his Church on earth, even unto the end of the world; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.[15]
Sunday observance
Year | Western | Eastern | Western |
---|---|---|---|
Thursday | Sunday | ||
2017 | May 25 | May 28 | |
2018 | May 10 | May 17 | May 13 |
2019 | May 30 | June 6 | June 2 |
2020 | May 21 | May 28 | May 24 |
2021 | May 13 | June 10 | May 16 |
2022 | May 26 | June 2 | May 29 |
2023 | May 18 | May 25 | May 21 |
2024 | May 9 | June 13 | May 12 |
2025 | May 29 | June 1 | |
2026 | May 14 | May 21 | May 17 |
2027 | May 6 | June 10 | May 9 |
2028 | May 25 | May 28 | |
2029 | May 10 | May 17 | May 13 |
2030 | May 30 | June 6 | June 2 |
2031 | May 22 | May 25 |
Roman Catholic parishes in a number of countries that do not observe the feast as a public holiday have obtained permission from the
The switch to Sunday was made in 1992 by the
In Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christianity
In the
Celebration
The feast is always observed with an All-night vigil. The day before is the Apodosis (leave-taking) of Easter (i.e., the last day of the Feast of Easter). Before the Vigil, the Paschal Hours are said for the last time and the Paschal greeting is exchanged.[citation needed]
The Paroemia (
O Christ God, You have ascended in Glory,
Granting 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!
During the
When You did fulfill the dispensation for our sake,
And unite earth to Heaven:
You did ascend in glory, O Christ our God,
Not being parted from those who love You,
But remaining with them and crying:
I am with you and no one will be against you.
The megalynarion and irmos from Ode IX of the Canon (also sung at liturgy) is:
Magnify, O my soul, Christ the Giver of Life,
Who has ascended from earth to heaven!
We magnify you, the Mother of God,
Who beyond reason and understanding
gave birth in time to the Timeless One.
At the Divine Liturgy, special antiphons are sung in place of Psalms 102 and 145 and the Beatitudes. The Epistle is Acts 1:1–12, and the Gospel is Luke 24:36–53.[citation needed]
Observance
Ascension Thursday also commemorates the Holy Georgian Martyrs of Persia (17th–18th centuries).[26]
Ascension has an
The Eastern Orthodox Church uses a different method of
Music
The
Many Messianic psalms are used at the feast of Ascension including Psalm 24, Psalm 47 and Psalm 68. The dialogue "Lift up your heads, O ye gates" from Psalm 24 (verses 7–10) has inspired Handel's setting in Part II of his Messiah in the scene "Ascension", and Christoph Bernhard Verspoell's 1810 hymn in German, "Öffnet eure Tore". Phillip Moore's anthem The Ascension sets words based on the same verses.[29]
Olivier Messiaen wrote an orchestral suite, later partly transcribed for organ, called L'Ascension in the 1930s.
Settings of "God is gone up" have been composed by William Croft, Arthur Hutchings and Gerald Finzi (words by Edward Taylor).[30] Other settings suitable for the occasion include William Matthias's Lift up your heads. "Im Himmel hoch verherrlicht ist" (Highly gloryfied in Heaven) is a 1973 hymn in German for the occasion.
The RSCM has produced an extensive list of music (including hymns, anthems and organ music) suitable for Ascension.[31]
See also
References
- ^ "Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ". Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. 2015. Archived from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
The Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus Christ is celebrated each year on the fortieth day after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha (Easter). Since the date of Pascha changes each year, the date of the Feast of the Ascension changes. The Feast is always celebrated on a Thursday.
- ^ a b Thomas Ignatius M. Forster (1828). Circle of the Seasons, and Perpetual key to the Calendar and Almanack. Oxford University Press. p. 377. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
Holy Thursday or Ascension Day. Festum Ascensionis. Le Jeudi Saint d' Ascension.
- ^ a b George Soane (1847). New Curiosities of Literature and Book of the Months. Churton. p. 275. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
Ascension Day, or Holy Thursday. This, as the name sufficiently implies, is the anniversary of Christ's Ascension.
- ^ St Joseph's Catholic Church, Derby, Ascensiontide Archived 2023-01-15 at the Wayback Machine, published 14 May 2021, accessed 14 January 2023
- ^ Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes (1999), Methodist Worship Book, p. 580
- ^ Eusebius, Life of Constantine IV.54
- ^ Louis Duchesne, Christian Worship: Its Origin and Evolution (London, 1903), 491–515.
- ^ Frøyshov, Stig Simeon. "[Hymnography of the] Rite of Jerusalem". Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology.
- OCLC 1047578356.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link - ^ Church of England, "A Table of the Vigils, Fasts and Days of Abstinence to be observed in the year"
- ^ Pruen, Thomas (1820). An Illustration of the Liturgy of the Church of England. W. Bulmer and W. Nicol. p. 173. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
Ascension Day. This, called also Holy Thursday, is ten days before Whitsuntide.
- ISBN 9780748752874.
The day is sometimes called Holy Thursday.
- ^ Collins English Dictionary: Definition of "Holy Thursday"
- ^ "Rules to Order the Christian Year". Church of England. 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
Rogation Days are the three days before Ascension Day, when prayer is offered for God's blessing on the fruits of the earth and on human labour. The nine days after Ascension Day until Pentecost are days of prayer and preparation to celebrate the outpouring of the Spirit.
- ^ a b The Book of Worship for Church and Home: With Orders of Worship, Services for the Administration of the Sacraments and Other Aids to Worship According to the Usages of the Methodist Church. Methodist Publishing House. 1964. p. 122. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
- ISBN 9781426730696.
- ^ a b c Ascension Day is Moving Archived 2004-01-19 at the Wayback Machine Michael Kwatera, OSB. Office of Worship, Diocese of Saint Cloud.
- ^ On the following Sunday in some areas: see Sunday observance
- ^ Canon 1246 §2
- ^
"Column 8". Sydney Morning Herald. 14 May 1992. p. 1.
- ^ "Church holy day changes sought". The Irish Times. 10 October 1996. p. 5. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ Pollak, Andy (17 October 1996). "Holy days moved to following Sunday". The Irish Times. p. 7. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
- ^ The Spectator's Notes: Charles Moore's reflections on the week Archived 2008-12-03 at the Wayback Machine, Charles Moore The Spectator, Wednesday, 7 May 2008
- ^ Is Ascension a Holy Day of Obligation? Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine Scott P. Richert, About.com
- ^ Staff Reports (2022-03-22). "Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord permanently transferred to Sunday - Catholic Star Herald". Retrieved 2023-05-18.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Мученики, в долине Ферейдан: житие, иконы, день памяти". Православный Церковный календарь (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-04-04.
- ^ Wikisource. – via
- ^ "The Church in Malankara switched entirely to the Gregorian calendar in 1953, following Encyclical No. 620 from Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem I, dt. December 1952." Calendars of the Syriac Orthodox Church. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
- ^ "Philip Moore – Ascension (Lift Up Your Heads) SATB & Organ". www.boosey.com. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
- ^ "Finzi G – God is gone up". The Choir of St John's College, Cambridge. 2015-10-15. Archived from the original on 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
- ^ "Sunday by Sunday on the web: Musical resources for Ascension Day" (PDF).