Monthly Message from Fr. Ghassan - July/August 2026

Monthly Message from Fr. Ghassan - July/August 2026

The Divine Ascension

My Church celebrates, forty days after Easter, the Feast of Christ’s Ascension into heaven. In the Creed, which the faithful recite whenever they raise their prayers during the Divine Liturgy, they proclaim their Christian faith in the one God, the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Creator; the Son, the Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. They also proclaim their faith in Christ the Savior: “...We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God… He suffered, was buried, rose on the third day, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father…”

This feast is therefore considered one of the ancient feasts of the Christian Church, as it was already celebrated in the fourth century and was included in the list of feasts observed at that time. Before that, it was celebrated on the day of Pentecost or on a day between Easter and Pentecost. Saint John Chrysostom left us a beautiful homily on this feast. It was also mentioned by Saint Athanasius the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and the blessed Augustine in their sermons.

To what extent can we understand the three expressions: “ascended,” “sat,” and “at the right hand of the Father”? These three images, gathered in this short phrase, require deep explanation so that we may move beyond the imagery to grasp their meaning.

The image of “ascension” has two aspects: it signifies a separation from a certain form of relationship between Christ and His disciples until His Second Coming, and it also expresses elevation—that is, glorification. It means that Jesus is Lord and Master in glory, eternally present after His death. The image of elevation reflects the Jewish biblical tradition that God raises the lowly and preserves the righteous from death by lifting them up to heaven. This concept does not presuppose a theological understanding based on a three-tier cosmology (heaven above where God is, earth where humans live, and the underworld beneath where the dead dwell).

“Christ, insofar as He is God, neither ascends nor descends; but insofar as He is human, it is said that He ascended to reveal His human nature as fully perfected and equal to the divine… Likewise, as the invisible God, He is not subject to movement or location; He is not contained by any place. If it is said that He is everywhere, this is only a way of expressing His care for all creation—not in the sense of physical extension, for that would imply materiality.” (Metropolitan Georges Khodr, An-Nahar, May 30, 1998)

The idea of the Ascension is centered on Christ’s sitting at the right hand of the Father—that is, the revelation of His equality with the Father and His constant and living participation with Him in all things. When we say that Christ “sat at the right hand of God’s power,” we mean that He shares in that power, that He is almighty like God, and ultimately that He is truly God. Christ has received from the Father all kingship, authority, power, glory, and the authority to judge all creation in heaven and on earth (Philippians 2:10). The Apostle Paul affirms this in the same epistle: “He who descended is the same who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.”

It must be noted that Christ did not ascend for His own sake, as though He had ever been separated from the Father. Rather, Christ died, was buried, rose, and appeared in His humanity for our salvation, so that He might raise us and glorify us with Him in heaven (Ephesians 2:6). Thus, Christ’s death is not considered a نق ص (deficiency), but rather humility and obedience to the point of self-emptying (Philippians 2:7–8), and His resurrection, ascension, and sitting at the right hand of the Father are not considered something seized (Philippians 2:6–11).

Christ’s Ascension is the direct and inevitable result of His victory over death. Therefore, His sitting at the right hand of the Father is an expression that explains the beginning of judgment—that is, the beginning of Christ’s reign or kingdom in heaven and on earth.

Thus, Christ’s Ascension and His sitting at the right hand of the Father complete the work of the Cross and fulfill the mystery of the Resurrection. It is the proclamation of the beginning of Christ’s saving Kingdom. At that moment, the Church received with Him the full communion in carrying out and proclaiming this Kingdom among all nations with His authority and power, and it will continue this mission until the last day.
This means that we must be united with Him through faith and the divine sacraments, seeking what is above, since our true life “is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1–3). Let us listen to the Apostle Paul: “Seek those things which are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:1–2).