Beyond Forty Days 🤍

Ascension Thursday:

“He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. His Kingdom shall have no end. ”

After Pascha comes a forty-day celebratory period when we continue to declare, "Christ is risen!". It is because during these forty days, not only do we celebrate Christ's victory over death, but we remember the start of the early Church - the ministry work the Apostles carried out to spread the news and joy of Christ's death. In Acts 1:3 we read, 

"After His suffering, He presented Himself to them (the Apostles) and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days". 

These forty days are remarkable because Christ is preparing His disciples to go out and establish the early Church, making them the leaders of this movement. As Christ visits the disciples and guides them through this new chapter, they are able to cast out demons, raise the dead, heal the sick, and baptize thousands. They lived their faith out boldly after the Resurrection, sparking a new beginning after witnessing what seemed like a brutal end at Christ's crucifixion. Eventually, after Christ equips the disciples with what they need to carry out His works, Christ ascends into Heaven before His disciples. In this significant event, it is important to remember that this does not signify Christ abandoning His disciples and the rest of the world. Rather, it shows an intimate bridge He builds between Heaven and humanity, connecting the two together and marking the completion of the Resurrection. As we approach this point in our liturgical calendar, we are left to ask ourselves: what does this mean for us?

Christ's disciples went through a whirlwind - they witnessed Jesus's arrest, brutal crucifixion, saw Him appear to them when He Resurrected, and then they were tasked with the immense responsibility of starting the Church. I cannot imagine the anxiety, stress, and mixed emotions they must have felt at this time: joy for the Resurrection, fear for the unknown, and stress for the backlash that was to come. After Christ's Resurrection, His disciples easily could have let it end there. They were with Christ through His earthly ministry and during the most excruciating moments of His life. They could have claimed that they witnessed everything they needed to, felt God in their hearts, and moved on with their lives. But they knew they were being called to something higher. 

They did not just witness the final moments of Christ's life for it to end there, and neither did we. We do not claim "Christ is risen!" for that triumph to end after forty days. As Orthodox Christians, we know that Christ's Resurrection lives in our hearts each and every day. Ascension gives us the beautiful reminder to follow the example that the Apostles left for us - to live out our faith boldly. To continue spreading the Word. To claim Christ's love for us. To always, always look towards Christ as the ultimate Guide as we carry on our spiritual journeys. 

May the light of Christ be with each of you today and always. May His Resurrection give life to all that you are and all that you do.

Parea & Pisti