Today, Christians around the world mark the Feast of the Ascension, one of the most significant events in the liturgical calendar, commemorating the moment when Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven, forty days after His resurrection. This solemn feast not only celebrates the culmination of Christ’s earthly mission but also signals the beginning of a new chapter for His followers: the call to carry His message to the ends of the earth.

According to the New Testament, particularly in the Acts of the Apostles (1:9–11), the Ascension took place on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. After appearing to His disciples over a period of forty days following the Resurrection, Jesus was "taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight."

Theologically, the Ascension affirms Christ’s divinity and His exaltation at the right hand of God the Father. It is a declaration that Jesus has conquered death not only in His Resurrection but also through His glorification. For believers, it is a day of both reverence and rejoicing.

The Ascension has been celebrated since at least the fourth century, with early church fathers like St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom affirming its importance. It is considered a Solemnity, the highest rank of feast days in the Roman Catholic Church, and is also observed with great reverence in Orthodox, Anglican, and many Protestant traditions.

Liturgically, the celebration is marked by Scripture readings focusing on Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples — the so-called “Great Commission” — in which He commands them to be His witnesses "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

The Ascension is not merely a historical event; it carries profound spiritual significance. It reminds the faithful that Christ’s departure is not an abandonment but a necessary transition — one that paves the way for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

“The Ascension directs our eyes to Heaven,” said Father Dominic Rosario, a theologian based in Mumbai. “But it also reminds us of our mission on Earth — to be the living body of Christ in a world desperately in need of hope.”

Across the world, churches hold special Masses and services, often with processions, hymns, and prayers focusing on glory, triumph, and the anticipation of Pentecost. In some countries like France, Germany, and Austria, the Ascension is a public holiday, while in others it is transferred to the following Sunday for pastoral reasons.

In the Vatican, Pope Francis traditionally leads the faithful in an open-air celebration, using the occasion to emphasize the universality of the Christian mission and the hope found in the Ascension. “We are not alone,” the Pope once remarked. “Christ has gone before us to prepare a place. And He remains with us through His Spirit.”

As the world grapples with wars, displacement, inequality, and spiritual emptiness, the message of the Ascension feels especially relevant. It is not a call to passivity but a summons to action — a divine commissioning to bring justice, mercy, and peace to a hurting world.

The Feast of the Ascension is not simply a liturgical bookmark on the calendar. It is a vivid reminder that faith is not confined to the sanctuary; it must ascend into action.

As the angels told the bewildered disciples watching Jesus disappear into the clouds: “Why do you stand here looking into the sky?” The message is clear — the work continues.