Many Christian countries will observe May 29 as a traditional holiday to celebrate the feast of the Ascension of Lord Jesus into heaven. However, in countries where Christianity is less vibrant culturally and for people to have the convenience to attend devotional church services on this solemn occasion, the feast of Ascension is celebrated on the Sunday following Thursday. This feast comes 40 days after Easter marking the resurrection of Jesus. After having appeared to his disciples and others over the period of 40 days, Jesus is taken up into heaven alive.
The feast of ascension is based on the Gospel of Mark as well as a few other references in the Bible, which says, “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God”. It is worth noticing the parting advice that Jesus gives to his disciples as He is taken up to heaven, “Go and proclaim the good news to the whole world”. And the good news to be proclaimed was basically about God’s unconditional love for humanity despite human beings’ unfaithfulness to God.
Even though the disciples saw him going up to heaven they were still not sure of what was happening around them and if all of it was for real. That is why 10 days after Jesus’ ascension, as the Bible tells us, they were still locked in a room for the fear of the people around.
There was then a sudden turn around in the life of the disciples, which happened 10 days after Jesus’ ascension. Thus, within a span of 10 days, Christians celebrate another important feast known as Pentecost, coming 50 days after Easter. While Pentecost brings the Easter season to its culmination, many scholars consider this day as the birthday of Church. For as the Bible tells us that from this day onwards, the otherwise terrified disciples, becoming totally fearless got transformed as courageous proclaimers of the good news that Jesus had asked them to proclaim on his ascension. This happened because of the descent of the third person of the Trinity — the Holy Spirit — on the disciples.
The Bible makes it clear: “When the day of Pentecost came, they (disciples) were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them”.
Father Dominic Emmanuel, a founder-member of Parliament of Religions, is currently the director of communication of the Delhi Catholic Church
