A Case for Ascension Thursday

Author's Note:  Due to certain family circumstances, this is a late blog, but nevertheless something to consider, whether it is after the fact or not.

In most dioceses of the United States, the feast of the Ascension has been transferred to the Sunday before Pentecost.  The reasons for this vary according to whom you ask.  One reason I have heard is that it’s such an important feast that it should be observed by all Catholics, and moving it to Sunday makes it more likely that people will attend.  As Father Erik pointed out in his homily on Thursday of last week, it is a solemnity and a holy day of obligation, and to miss Mass on a holy day of obligation through one’s own fault is a mortal sin.  So, remove that possibility altogether, and move it to Sunday!

 

I don’t know that that’s really a good reason to move the feast.  It takes away a bit of accountability for us, and we can always use more accountability, especially in these days of restrictions and unconventional circumstances.  Father Erik also pointed out that the Ascension is a historical event.  It took place forty days after Jesus’ Resurrection.  Forty is such a significant number in the Bible that it makes sense to preserve that.  Further, if we celebrate Ascension on Thursday, we get a full ten days to prepare for Pentecost, which took place fifty days after the Resurrection.

 

We celebrate Christmas on whatever day it happens to fall.  Yes, this is due to the commercialization of Christmas to a certain extent, but it has a place in our consciousness.  Easter is a more significant feast for Catholics.  Our entire liturgical year is set by the date of Easter.  Surely the feasts of the Easter season should be given the same dignity.  Further, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has not transferred other feasts which are holy days of obligation, such as August 15^th, the Solemnity of the Assumption.  Surely, Jesus’ return to His Father in heaven should be afforded the same courtesy.

 

Holy days of obligation are a chance for us to stop, take stock of our spiritual lives, and make a small sacrifice of an hour of our time to attend Mass.  Our lives might be inconvenienced, but it is worth it to maintain our relationship with God.

Assumptions

Today, the Universal Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Paragraph 974 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) gives us a brief summary statement regarding this:

“The Most Blessed Virgin Mary, when the course of her earthly life was completed, was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven, where she already shares in the glory of her Son’s Resurrection, anticipating the resurrection of all members of his Body.”

CCC paragraph 966, which the previous quote summarizes, refers to the “Dormition” of Mary, which is the name the Byzantine Liturgy, or Eastern Rite, uses for the Assumption.  The idea behind the “Dormition” of Mary, is that she “fell asleep” (i.e., she died) and then was taken up into heaven.  However, given our long separation from the actual event, it is impossible for us to know whether Mary actually died first, or if she was taken up into heaven in the same manner as Elijah was in 2 Kings 2:11.

So, why do we call today’s feast The Assumption?

Today, the word assumption has come to refer to the human tendency to believe something to be true or an event to have happened, regardless of whether it is actually true or has actually happened.  One is often warned not to assume anything.  When we use the term Assumption to describe today’s feast (again, note the difference between the word with a capital A and the word with a lowercase A), we are implying another, perhaps older definition of the act of assuming.  Through Mary’s Assumption, God took her to Himself in heaven, setting her apart, not only as the mother of Jesus, but as our mother as well.  In heaven, Mary is ideally placed to intercede for us to Jesus, her son.

As Catholics, we do not worship Mary, but we do pray for her intercession, as we might invoke any other saint’s intercession for a specific need.  But with Mary, we are especially blessed, because she hears all our needs and is able to take them directly to her son, Jesus, who is God.

So, today, we honor Mary, our mother, and her special position in heaven.  Don’t forget that today is a Holy Day of Obligation.  If you haven’t been to Mass yet, join us at 6:30 pm.