How to Celebrate Feast of the Ascension

On the sixth Thursday after Easter Sunday, we celebrate Jesus’s return to heaven with the Feast of the Ascension. The Feast of the Ascension, also referred to as the Solemnity of the Ascension, is a holy day of obligation on which we are called to refrain from unnecessary work and attend Mass. But the celebration does not stop in the church. Here are just a few ways to observe Ascension Day this year:

Attend the Divine Liturgy

So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed. Mark 16:19-20

In the Orlando diocese, the Solemnity of the Ascension is observed through Mass on both the sixth Thursday and Sunday after Easter. This liturgy begins with a Responsorial Psalm of Psalm 47: “God mounts His throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.” An alleluia verse follows, with a Gospel from John 16 and an additional reading from 1 Peter 3. The Paschal candle is put out, and the priest will wear white vestments to reflect the victory of the Kingdom of God.

Read the Story of Ascension

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

After Mass, you can continue the celebration at home by reading the story of Christ’s ascension from your Bible. Begin with Luke 24:36-53, where Jesus leads the apostles to Bethany and instructs them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Continue with Matthew 28:11-20, which tells a similar account of The Great Commission. Finally, Jesus makes his assumption to heaven in Acts:1-11. Families with young children may choose to read these verses in illustrated form with children’s books like Jesus Returns to Heaven by Robert Baden, or with a children’s Bible. 

Give to Charity

Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. John 14:12

On the Feast of the Ascension, Christians are called to honor Jesus’s selfless, unconditional love by sharing the joy of His heavenly return with others. The Church encourages people of all ages to spread this joy by giving to those in need. Whether you donate to a charity, volunteer your time to the community, or take a moment to help your neighbor, you are doing unto others as Jesus has done to you. For more ways to give, read our list of service project ideas. 

Have a Feast

And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, then behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them, and they said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:10-11

While the Feast of the Ascension is not a literal feast, sharing food with close family and friends is a great way to celebrate the occasion. In ancient times, women would bake bread ladders on Ascension Day to signify Jesus’s assumption to heaven, and with him, the souls of his believers. Similar recipes for bread ladders exist today, such as that of the Himmelslieter, or “ladder to heaven” in German. Additionally, many Catholics like to consume some type of poultry, eat grapes that symbolize the first fruits of Christ, and have a carbonated drink that represents the “rising” of Jesus into heaven. 

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