Bach Ascension Oratorio

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God. (Luke 24:50-53)

Benjamin West, "The Ascension"

 Today we celebrate the event described in the passage above from Luke’s Gospel in the Feast of the Ascension.  I have heard the Ascension of Jesus compared to a graduation or commencement, an event that marks somebody moving on to higher level.  Following the Ascension Christ would now be working not just in Galilee and Judea, but in and for the whole world, and for all time. It also marks a new level for His followers, who will now be not merely disciples, but The Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, which will be see its official inauguration ten days later at Pentecost.     

    The the clip below of the magnificent opening to Bach's Ascension Oratorio seems a fitting way to celebrate today’s feast.  It's a beautiful performance, but the equally beautiful painting used in the Youtube clip is actually a depiction of the Transfiguration.  To make amends, I'm posting Benjamin West’s dramatic depiction of the Ascension as well.

(Also today on Principium et Finis - Does God force Salvation on us at gunpoint? “Our Eternal Destiny: Armed Robbery, or A Warm Place By The Fire?”)