In ascensionem Sermo 4

On the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Sermon 4. It is one, and it brightens the hearts of the faithful; bright also is the subject of the present feast. Why it is bright, we shall show in what follows. In six days, then, God made all his works, as it is written, and on the seventh he rested. Therefore, at the end of the days, the Word of God, having deigned to seek and save the lost, and having become incarnate, in the same manner, according to the number of the days of the creation of the world, handed down to us the feasts of his own economy. First, then, and root of the feasts of Christ is the paradoxical birth in the flesh from the holy Virgin and Theotokos Mary after the conception, in which Christ the God came, bending the heavens, to save the perishing world; in which angels, appearing to the shepherds, proclaiming the paradox of the miracle, cried out: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men. Therefore it is rightly called the first feast. The second feast is the Epiphany of Christ our God, in which, arriving at the Jordan, he showed to all men the condescension of his ineffable compassion; in which also a voice of the Father came from heaven, bearing witness concerning him: This is my beloved Son, in whom I was well pleased.

But also the Spirit, coming in the form of a dove, remained upon him, the consubstantial Trinity having manifestly appeared in a single moment of time; of which manifestation John, the Lord’s Forerunner, became a worthy eyewitness. Concerning this manifestation the blessed Apostle Paul also said: “The saving grace of God appeared to all men.” Since, then, the salvation of all men is its natural result, it is fittingly called a great feast by the pious. The third feast is the holy, venerable, and all-honored day of the saving passion of Christ, our true God, on which, having been nailed to the cross in the flesh, he erased the bond of sin against us; on which also he brought Adam, who had been expelled from paradise through disobedience, into it by a single word. For he says to the thief: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Hence this too has been established as a great feast, and especially so; for Paul said: “Our Passover: Christ was sacrificed for us.” The fourth feast is the most glorious and peace-making day of the holy resurrection of Christ, our God, on which, having gone into the underworld, shattered the eternal bars, and broken the bonds, he rose from the dead, having won victory over Hades, having raised up with him the righteous who lay there, and having entered among the disciples, he awarded them peace. Hence, beyond all contradiction, this renowned day is considered the mother of feasts by the faithful. The fifth feast, therefore, is the holy Ascension of the Lord into the heavens, concerning which we now make our discourse; and it is the fifth of the feasts, inasmuch as it took place on the fifth day of the week.

For this reason we ought to celebrate, because today Christ brought up into the heavens the firstfruits of our dough, that is, the flesh. Whence also the Apostle said: He raised us up and seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Whence the devil, the originator of evil and inventor of sin, fell on account of the swelling of his arrogance and the pride of his haughtiness; there Christ, by the magnitude of his own love for humanity, set in his place the man who had been cast out of paradise through that devil’s most evil counsel. Therefore the present feast is worthy of honor and spiritual festivity. But since at the beginning of the discourse we mentioned the number of seven feasts according to the days of the creation of the world, and we have shown only five feasts up to the present, it is necessary to bring the other two feasts into the middle, and then to guide the discourse to the history before us. The sixth feast, then, is the sixth most honored day of the visitation of the Holy Spirit, on which the gift of the Holy Spirit, awaited according to promise, was sent from the heavens by Christ to the holy apostles in the form of fiery tongues; which feast is also called Pentecost because of the completion of the seven weeks.

Undisputedly, then, this feast also has become the greatest for the pious. The seventh feast is the awaited day of the resurrection of the dead (for this hope we believers await), on which the philanthropic and impartial judge, Christ our God, will give to each according to his works. This is the true rest, for which the Apostle Paul also said: Let us hasten to enter into that rest. At that time, then, especially, the feast is filled with joy and gladness and exultation for those who are to inherit, "What the eye has not seen, and the ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man," which God has prepared for those who love him. Therefore, beloved, let us also pray to celebrate together with the righteous in the bridal chamber of the kingdom of the heavens, not only for one day, or two, or three, but for unending ages. So then, with the seven feasts having been shown to us, let us return to the subject at hand. Now, we have the account concerning the present feast in the heavens, I mean that of the Ascension of Christ. For David said: "And he bowed the heavens, and descended, and darkness was under his feet"; he indicated thereby the presence of the Word from the heavens upon the earth. And he said "darkness under his feet," making known the garment of the divinity through flesh; so that his presence was unknown to the many because of its humility and gentleness. For again the same prophet says: "Lord, your way is in the sea, and your paths in many waters, and your footprints will not be known." For if they had known, he says, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

And again he said: "He mounted upon Cherubim, he flew upon the wings of the winds." He said "upon Cherubim" because even while he was in the heavens with the Father, he rode upon the Cherubim; and while he was dwelling among men on earth, he was in no way separated from the Cherubic and heavenly throne. And "wings of the winds" hints at the clouds, by which he was taken up, as it is also written in the Acts of the Apostles: "And a cloud took him up from their eyes." Then he says in order: "And as they were gazing into the heaven while he was going up, wonder came upon the apostles, and amazement and a murmur; for being mortal in nature and unaccustomed to such spectacles, they sought in their mind." But someone will say that Peter and James and John knew beforehand even the Transfiguration. Those men indeed saw the Lord transfigured, and a cloud overshadowing him, but they did not see the cloud snatched into the air and the Master taken up into the heavens. That was a wonder, and this is a wonder; but this wonder is more fearful than that wonder, and this is higher than that. Yet the power and the mystery belonged to one God. Then Moses and Elijah appeared to those around Peter, conversing with him; but now a Cherubic throne, that is, an invisible power, suddenly drawing near the concealed cloud, snatched away the Master while he was conversing with his servants. Then Peter answered with boldness: "Lord, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

But now none of the disciples was able to speak, nor even to open his mouth, but they were struck with the greatest fear and were amazed. The Scripture then continues, saying: "And behold, two men stood beside them in white garments, who also spoke." This is not without purpose; for the men being clothed in white signifies a great feast. And what did they say? "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing at the sky? The extraordinary wonder has terrified you; you have forgotten the one who said, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.' Did he not say to you for this reason, 'I will not leave you orphans,' and again, 'I give you my peace, I leave you my peace'? Did he not promise you the Paraclete, that is, the Holy Spirit? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same manner as you saw him go into heaven. Thus he will come with the clouds of heaven, with great glory and power; thus he will come at the time when he is about to judge the world in righteousness. For the Father has given him all judgment. Do you not remember that while he was with you, he said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth was given to me'?" Then the apostles, coming to themselves, returned, praising and blessing the Lord, and awaiting the visitation of the divine gift, that is, the all-holy Spirit. And indeed what was said in the Psalms was fulfilled: "God ascended with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet." Here the prophet clearly signified the duality of natures in the economy of Christ.

In the same way, Thomas, after the Lord’s resurrection, having touched His side, cried out, saying: “My Lord and my God.” God ascended with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. With a shout, because with an unceasing voice they send up the thrice-holy hymn to God; and how He was taken up on a cherubic throne we have already demonstrated. With the sound of a trumpet, that is, an archangelic one, signifying His ascent into the heavens. But also the Holy Spirit proclaimed to the powers above with a commanding voice: “Lift up your gates, O rulers, and be raised, eternal gates, and the King of Glory shall enter.” And the powers said: “Who is this King of Glory?” Then the Spirit: “The Lord is mighty and powerful, the Lord is powerful in war.” For He conquered the Enemy, He armed Himself against the tyranny of the devil in the human body, He extinguished his fiery darts; and having been nailed to the cross, and having tasted death, though being immortal, He plundered Hades, and having been shown victor, He rose from the dead; and having turned back the wandering sheep, behold, He ascends bearing it on His shoulders toward the ninety-nine that do not stray, which graze in the mountains, that is, in the heavens. The Lord is mighty and powerful, the Lord is powerful in war.

And again he says: “Lord of the powers, He Himself is the King of glory.” So the powers, when they heard “Lord of the powers,” receiving the Lord with joy, cried out in unison the customary doxology, and sent Him forth as far as the high and exalted throne. And what was said by David was fulfilled: “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” O heretic, this is spoken to the flesh taken from us, ensouled from the holy Virgin. Let those who confess one nature in Christ be put to shame. For the divine nature clearly coexisted eternally with the throne of majesty. But let the Catholic Church be glorified. And may Christ God deem us all worthy of His eternal kingdom; glory and power to Him, together with the immaculate Father and the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.