Forty days after Easter the Church celebrates the Ascension of the Lord, when Christ returned in glory to the heavenly realm, when he lives and reigns with the Father and Holy Spirit forever.
In modern times, this Solemnity is usually transferred to the Sunday following “Ascension Thursday,” so that more of the faithful can celebrate the Ascension.
At Christ in the Desert we keep the Solemnity on the fortieth day of Easter, this year on Thursday, May18th.
May these days of recounting our Lord’s Ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the fiftieth day of Easter, Pentecost Sunday, this year on May 28th, fill us with joy at the marvels our God has wrought for us.
Today’s photo of Christ in Glory is a fresco from an ancient Coptic monastery in Egypt. It expresses well the awe the first disciples of Jesus must have felt with the Ascension of their Lord.
With our prayers and gratitude,
Abbot Christian and the monks
