The Ascension is not simply about Christ defying gravity and embarking upon a space travel rather it’s more concerned with transforming the fabric of existence. By transcending the sinful corporeal constraints and the coordinates of time and space, Christ ascends so that He may more potentially “𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴” (Eph. 4:10). His apparent absence is in fact His all the more active presence amongst us.
He ascends into heaven as a glorified human embodiment so that He may descend as the Heavenly bread for us to chew so that He may permeate our veins and get closer to our core than we ourselves could ever be. The angels interrogating the witnesses corroborate this. “𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱?” (Acts 1:11) is a question insinuating a reorientation of our gaze. We are now to look not upward but more closely earthward from a heavenly vantage point; for Christ after ascending the Cross, had already descended in His beloved disciple. Thus He tells Mary from the Cross; “Woman, here is your son” (John 19:26). Thus Hippolytus wrote; “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦.”
Ascension radically alters our perception and world-view (2 Cor. 5:16). The locus of heavenly revelation is no longer a place as Jacob conceived (Bethel, Gen. 28) but a person (Jesus Christ, John 1:51). Ascension not only unites celestial and terrestrial but also God and human. We pray thus in the Prumeon of Ascension Vespers; “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘹𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘏𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘏𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥.” Therefore Ascension is the apocalypse of human destiny and its vindication.
Finally, the Session of Christ – that follows His Ascension – at the right hand of the Father is not a dormant state of inactivity but a legitimization of His Divine Sonship. Christ who has always been seated at the right of His Father partaking in His glory and sovereignty now makes the glorified human flesh sit at the right hand of His Father. Thus St. Irenaeus writes; 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩.”
~ 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐨 𝐅𝐫. 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥
Urho, The Way 