Coptic Orthodox Catechesis · The Feast of the Ascension

The Coronation
of Humanity

Christ ascended — and took our nature with Him to the right hand of the Father. This is not a quiet exit. It is the greatest promotion in the history of the universe.

Ephesians 4:10
"He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things."
Icon of the Ascension of Christ
The Holy Deposit

The 40 Days — What Happened?

Day 1 (Resurrection) → Day 40 (Ascension)
Day 1
Resurrection · Mary Magdalene · John 20
Day 8
Thomas: "My Lord and My God"
During 40 Days
Emmaus Road · Breaking of Bread · Sea of Galilee · Great Commission · Seen by 500 men
Day 40
Ascension · "Go into all the world"
The Great Transition
SENSORY FAITH
Before Ascension
  • "I believe because I see Him."
  • "I touch His wounds."
  • "He is in the room."
  • Physical presence
→
SACRAMENTAL FAITH
After Ascension
  • "I believe because He comes in the Bread."
  • "I receive His Body."
  • "He is here in the Liturgy."
  • Eucharistic presence
St. Leo the Great
Sermon 73 on the Ascension
Those forty days did not pass by in inactive leisure. Rather, great mysteries were confirmed, and deep truths were revealed… During this period, the fear of terrible death was destroyed, and the immortality not only of the soul but also of the flesh was made manifest.
Parathiki

The Holy Deposit

NOT invented over time — RECEIVED directly from Christ during the 40 days
The Sacraments
Baptism · Eucharist · Unction · Confession
Scripture Confirmed
Explained directly by Christ Himself — the Emmaus disciples
Church Structure
Bishops · Priests · Deacons — Apostolic Order — "Make disciples and baptize"
The Holy Spirit
"I will not leave you as orphans"
The Great Commission
Preach the Gospel to every creature
Typology

The Baptism / Ark Connection

1 Peter 3:21 — Noah's Ark as a Type of Baptism
⛵ Noah's Ark
  • The Ark lifted Noah above the flood
  • The flood that drowned the world carried the Ark upward
  • Those inside were saved through the water
=
✦ Baptism
  • Baptism lifts us into the Body of Christ
  • Sin loses its hold from the moment of baptism
  • We are not saved from the world — lifted above it in Christ
— 1 Peter 3:21

"Baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, now saves us."

NKJV
The Eucharist

The Emmaus Road

Mark 16:12 / Luke 24 — The Eucharistic Lesson
They Walk and Talk
He opens the Scriptures → their hearts burn within them (The Word)
They Sit to Eat
He takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it (The Altar)
Eyes Are Opened
The moment of recognition — they see who He is
He Vanishes
The exact second they recognize Him — He disappears
❓
Why vanish the moment they recognized Him?
"Do not look for My visible face. Find Me — touch Me — receive Me in the Bread and Cup."
St. Irenaeus of Lyons
Against Heresies, Book III
The Apostles, like a rich man depositing his money in a bank, lodged in the hands of the Church most copiously all things pertaining to the truth: so that every man, whosoever will, can draw from her the water of life. For she is the entrance to life; all others are thieves and robbers.
Economy of Salvation

How the Church Ranks the Feasts

✗ Our Ranking
Christmas — 100%
Easter — 100%
Pentecost — 40%
Ascension — 15%
✓ Church's Ranking
Resurrection — 100%
Ascension — 100%
Pentecost — 100%
All Theophany — 100%
☩
All the works of the Holy Trinity are part of the Economy of Salvation — none can be dismissed.
Scripture

1 Timothy 3:16 — The Six-Part Mystery of Godliness

— 1 Timothy 3:16

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory."

NKJV
IManifested in the fleshThe Incarnation
IIJustified in the SpiritThe Resurrection
IIISeen by angelsThe Heavenly Witness
IVPreached among the GentilesThe Great Commission
VBelieved on in the worldThe Church's Faith
VIReceived up in gloryTHE ASCENSION
The Coronation

Two Ways to See the Ascension

INCARNATION: God descended · ASCENSION: Man ascended
✗ The World's View
  • "A quiet exit"
  • "Jesus left us"
  • "An ending"
  • "A sad farewell"
  • God walks away
  • Humanity stays behind
VS
✓ The Church's View
  • "A ROYAL RETURN"
  • "Humanity PROMOTED"
  • "The final act of salvation"
  • "A Coronation ceremony"
  • Man ascends to heaven
  • Nature glorified forever
Prophecy

Psalm 68 — A 1,000-Year Prophecy

Written ~1000 BC · Fulfilled 33 AD · 1,000 years between prophecy and fulfillment
↑
The Journey
"Sing to God, sing praises to His name; extol Him who rides on the clouds…"
↑
The Victory
"You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men…"
↑
The Throne
"To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old!"
John 12:32

Two Forces Fighting for Your Attention

☩ ASCENDED CHRIST
Enthroned in the Heavens
The Divine Magnet
"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."
↑ DIVINE ATTRACTION
YOU
↓ SPIRITUAL GRAVITY
StressMoneySinFearComparison
THE WORLD
pulling down
⚖
The Ascension placed a counter-gravity above you. Which force do you let win?
One Continuous Victory

John 12:32 — Three Layers of "Lifted Up"

♛
THE ASCENSION
Highest heaven · The entire cosmos witnessed it
Total, final, eternal glorification. Man at the right hand of God.
☀
THE RESURRECTION
Above earth · The angels saw it
Victory. Life over death. The impossible made visible.
✝
THE CROSS
Earth level · The world saw it
Shame. Agony. Apparent defeat. Yet the greatest act of love in history.
↑
These are not 3 events. They are one continuous upward motion of victory.
St. Cyril of Alexandria
Commentary on John
Being lifted up above the earth, He breaks the heavy chains of gravity that tied our minds down to earthly things, drawing our spiritual vision upward to the height of the divine glory.
Human Nature Enthroned

Ephesians 2:6 — Human Nature Enthroned

— Ephesians 2:6

"...and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

NKJV
☩ CHRIST (The Head)
Seated at the Right Hand of the Father
↕
✦ WE (The Body)
"made us sit together IN HIM" — Eph. 2:6
Co-seated in Him. Already. Now.
Christ did not leave His human body when He returned to heaven. He kept it.
That body — our human nature — is inside the Holy of Holies.
Human cells. Human blood. At the right hand of the Father. Right now.
☩
"HAS SEATED" = Past tense. Already done. The moment we were baptized into Christ, we were co-seated with the Head.
St. John Chrysostom
Homily on the Ascension
Today, our human nature is restored to its pristine dignity. Today, that nature which was once the object of God's wrath, which was cast out of Paradise, which was subject to the curse of death — is lifted up above the angels, above the Cherubim and Seraphim, and is seated upon the imperial throne of God.
St. Augustine of Hippo
Sermon on the Ascension
Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; let our hearts ascend with Him… He is already exalted above the heavens, yet He suffers here on earth whatever we, His members, suffer… Out of compassion He descended to us, and yet we are already ascended with Him.
Application

What This Means for Us

Our citizenship is in heaven — Philippians 3:20
Feel depressed or worthless?
Our humanity has been given the highest honor in existence. The universe does not define you. The Throne does.
Feel insignificant?
The nature we carry was considered worth lifting above every angel in creation.
Feel God has forgotten you?
He is wearing our nature right now. He has not taken it off. He will never take it off.
— Philippians 3:20

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."

NKJV
— Ephesians 2:19

"Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God."

NKJV
— 2 Timothy 4:1–2, 5

"I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ… Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season… fulfill your ministry."

NKJV
St. John Chrysostom
Homilies on Philippians
Let us not mind earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven. If you are a citizen of heaven, show that you have nothing in common with the earth. Live like an angel; do not let your feet drag in the mire of worldliness… We have an illustrious homeland; let us not disgrace it.
St. Clement of Alexandria
The Instructor
The true Christian lives on earth, but behaves as a citizen of heaven, considering the angels and saints his true brothers and sisters, and guarding the faith as a soldier guards a royal fortress.
The Hymn

Afrek Etfe

"He Bowed the Heavens and Came Down"
Verse 1
"He bowed the heaven and came down"
The infinite God bent the universe to reach our fallen state.
Verse 2
"Thick darkness was under His feet"
Even the deepest darkness is His footstool — not His obstacle.
Verse 3
"He rode upon the Cherubim and flew"
Christ ascends as the Emperor of the cosmos on His angelic cavalry.
St. Athanasius the Great
On the Incarnation
He became man that we might become divine. He manifested Himself by a body that we might receive the idea of the unseen Father; and He endured the insolence of men that we might inherit immortality. In His ascension, the invisible gates of heaven are commanded to open — not for the Word who was always there, but for the flesh which He wore for our sake.
Summary

Today We Learned

The Ascension is a Coronation, not a goodbye.
The 40 days were a Divine Masterclass.
Christ left us a Holy Deposit to guard.
He became a Divine Magnet pulling us upward.
We are already seated with Him in glory.
Every Liturgy is a foretaste of our Throne.
LOOK UP
VALUE THE SACRAMENTS
WALK TALL
St. Augustine of Hippo
Sermon on the Ascension
He ascended — so we are already there with Him. Let our hearts ascend.