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| Dosso Dossi "Ascensione di Cristo" (from Wikipedia) |
O God, whose Son today ascended to the heavens as the Apostles looked on, grant, we pray, that, in accordance with his promise, we may be worthy for him to live with us always on earth, and we with him in heaven. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.The Celebration
The day is the celebration of one of the most glorious events of Christianity, with important theological significance; Christ, as a human, is now at the right hand of God the Father. We will be having an extend family/neighbors/friends dinner this afternoon to celebrate.
Unfortunately, the Catholic Church in Canada (Latin Rite) has transferred the liturgical celebration of Ascension to day to the following Sunday (with the result that it becomes "just another Sunday" and most Catholics have joined the rest of Anglophone Canadians in not knowing that it exists.)
Mennonites
Traditional Mennonites celebrate this day and take the days between now and the weekend off. They also have a church service in the morning. I joined my mother at her Old Colony Mennonite service. Ascension Day, for them, marks the beginning of the services for the preparation of baptismal candidates. They begin preparation earlier, but this is the beginning of the official "handing down" of the faith in the context of the church service. It is in the form of questions and answers, all taken from their short catechism booklet, similar to the Roman Catholic baptismal symbol (i.e. the Apostle's Creed in Q & A format) but much longer. There were 11 candidates - 9 young men, 2 young women.
The sermon is also directed to these candidates. The minister said some good things about baptism as our spiritual rebirth, our entry into the Church, the beginning of the Christian life and our obligation to be the light of faith to those around us.
Prophet Isaiah
Today also happens to be the feast day of the Prophet Isaiah.
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