First Homily on the Day of the Ascension of the Lord
St. Innocent of Kherson
St. Innocent of Kherson
“Then He led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up His hands He blessed them. And it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He departed from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy” (Luke 24:50–52).
Thus ended the earthly course of our Savior and Lord. Much did He suffer, and greatly was He glorified. There has never been sorrow like His sorrow, nor is there glory like His glory. “He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:8–11).
Shall we ever behold this glory of our Lord? Not only shall we behold it, brethren, but each of us, according to his measure, shall also partake of this glory, if only we do not make ourselves unworthy of it. We shall behold it, because in His final great prayer the Lord Himself asked His Father for this very thing: “that they may behold My glory which You have given Me” (John 17:24). And the angels who appeared to the Apostles after the Ascension testified that the Lord would come again to all of us on the last day in the same manner as the Apostles saw Him ascending into heaven (Acts 1:11).
We shall even share in the glory of the ascended Lord, if only we do not make ourselves unworthy of it, for He ascended into heaven precisely to prepare it for the reception of all His true followers. “I go,” He said to the Apostles — and through them to all of us — “I go to prepare a place for you; and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2–3). That this merciful decree concerning us has not changed even after His Ascension is witnessed by Saint Paul, who says that on the last day, at the coming of the Lord, believers “shall be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:17). Thus something similar, even outwardly, shall happen to us as what happened today to the Lord Himself on the Mount of Olives.
O brethren, do you feel the full greatness of this promise? All the mercy and love of our Lord toward us? What is He — and what are we? And yet it pleases Him that we should be where He is now, and remain with Him throughout eternity. The Lord was crowned with glory because He ascended the Cross; our whole merit lies in the fact that we crucified Him upon the Cross. And yet He, having borne the Cross alone, does not wish to enjoy glory alone, but desires to share it with all of us. Can there be love greater than this love? A destiny higher than this destiny?
But, brethren, is this incomparable compassion of our Lord truly beneficial for us? Does the loftiness of our calling raise our spirit above the earth? Does it turn our heart away from everything low and sinful? Does the heaven opened for us make us ourselves in some measure heavenly?
There is only one path, brethren, by which we too may attain the height of holy glory — the same path by which our Lord entered into glory: the path of the Cross, the path of purification, self-denial, outward and inward sufferings. Do we remember this? And remembering it, do we walk toward heaven by the way of Christ?
You who are fortunate in this world, answer first. Surrounded by earthly blessings, do you firmly remember that there are blessings which “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9)? Do you strive for these blessings? Does the remembrance of them save you from attachment to passing goods and to all that is temporary? Are you ready to count all that you possess, like the Apostle Paul, as “refuse” (Phil. 3:8), in order to gain Christ or not lose Him? Will you gladly leave behind all the beauties of this world when the hour comes to depart for the mansions of the Heavenly Father? Do you know how, amid the enjoyments of earthly happiness, to share in bearing the Cross of the Lord?
Do not say that this is impossible, that greatness, power, wealth, glory, and the other goods of earth cannot be united with the struggles of self-denial. The examples of people who united earthly greatness with heavenly greatness, temporary riches with eternal riches, the glory of God with human glory, clearly show that this is possible. Therefore, do you realize this precious possibility within yourselves? Do you know how to use the blessings of the world in a Christian manner? To turn them into means for acquiring eternal blessings? To make them occasions of self-denial, made all the purer because it is voluntary?
If the Tabor of earthly happiness raises you above all earthly things and draws you nearer to heaven, then remain upon it! The ascending Lord blesses your height. Only beware lest on this Tabor you fall asleep, and when Moses and Elijah speak about the Cross on which the old man must be crucified, you begin instead to speak about building not one but three tabernacles for him. Remember that the road to heaven does not begin from Tabor but from Olivet, and to reach Olivet one must pass through Gethsemane and Golgotha.
And you who groan beneath the weight of earthly sorrows and temptations — you cannot forget your cross. But one can forget the Cross of the Lord! Are you strangers to such forgetfulness? It is possible, even while walking with the Savior to Golgotha, to bear not His Cross but the cross of the thief. Is there not within you this terrible defect? If not — if you suffer innocently, or if like the wise thief you wash away your guilt through faith and tears of repentance — then despite your seemingly unhappy condition, you are more blessed than all the fortunate ones of the world. For from the cross you will go into Paradise, while they from the paradise of earthly pleasures shall pass into outer darkness.
But, brethren, do you sense the advantage of your condition in relation to the eternal destiny of man? Are you fully convinced that because of your sorrowful lot, you are, even without great efforts or labors, more like your Savior than others, nearer to His Cross and therefore nearer to heaven? Does this precious awareness preserve you from despondency and murmuring? Does it compensate for the destructive self-satisfaction of those fortunate in the world? Does it strengthen your weakening thoughts and hands?
See, brethren, how the course of the Cross ends! Is there any glory like the glory of the ascended Lord? So too shall your path end, only follow Him steadfastly. Let men shake their heads at you and give you vinegar to drink: all this happened to Him also, “that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 19:36), that the will of the Heavenly Father might be accomplished. Let them even place you in the grave itself, set guards over you, and seal the stone: you shall pass unharmed “through the valley of the shadow of death” (Ps. 22:4), only follow Him faithfully. Only remember that “if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned unless he strive lawfully” (2 Tim. 2:5) — unless he mingles his sufferings with submission to Divine Providence and sanctifies his sorrows with faith in the Redeemer.
It is painful, brethren, to be considered the refuse of the world, to be persecuted, to live in poverty; but this is the Lord’s path! Will you abandon it because it leads farther than all worldly paths — to heaven? Remember that from on high the Lord continually watches over you and blesses your patience. A few years, perhaps only days, of trial will pass, and you shall be with Him, entering into His glory and enjoying that which is above the whole world. “Run, that you may obtain” (1 Cor. 9:24), or rather, that you may be overtaken by your Lord.
But why do we limit our conversation only to the fortunate and the unfortunate? The way of the Lord must be the way of each and every person. The Lord suffered equally for all of us; heaven is equally opened for all. Therefore I ask everyone: how much in our life can we point to and say that we did or refrained from doing this because we are destined for heaven, because one day we must be with our Lord? Can we point in our actions to even one thing like this? Have we refrained even once from sin, or done even one virtue, because we remembered that our Lord watches us from heaven?
Ah, brethren, small though this question may seem, perhaps there are scarcely any among us who can answer it affirmatively. What then does our faith in the ascended Lord mean? Do we believe in Him or not? If we believe, where are the deeds? If we do not believe, why bear His Name?
Whoever truly believes in his heavenly calling cannot remain earthly. Such conviction necessarily becomes the principle inspiring all his thoughts and feelings, his entire life and all his relationships. Just as one destined to inherit a throne, though temporarily removed from it by circumstances, never forgets that one day he is to reign and everywhere, where fitting, shows the dignity of his calling — so the true Christian in every circumstance of life remembers that he is an heir of heaven, a co-heir with Christ, and acts according to this destiny. Looking closely at him, even an unbeliever will notice that he looks not so much to the visible as to the invisible, that he lives not so much for the present and temporal as for the future and eternal, that his heart is somewhere far away, not in this world, that his life is hidden on high in God. Such indeed Christians once appeared to the pagans.
But how much of this, brethren, is found in us? Is there in us anything unearthly, heavenly, Christ-like? If there is, then like the Apostles we too may return from the Mount of Olives with joy. The blessing of the ascending Lord then belongs to us also, together with the promise of the Holy Spirit. When He descends, He does not pass by those who belong to Christ.
Otherwise, the rebuke spoken by the angels at the Ascension belongs to us with even greater force. Greater force, I say, because to them it was said, “Why stand you gazing into heaven?” (Acts 1:11) only because out of love and zeal they continued longer than necessary looking toward the heaven that had received their Lord and Teacher. But to us something different and opposite must be said: sons of men, why do you stand gazing not toward heaven but toward earth? Why cling with all your heart to the earth? Why continually pursue only what is temporary and corruptible? Do you think that “the earth abides forever” (Eccl. 1:4), and therefore that eternal dwellings can be established upon it? But the time will come when “heaven and earth,” which you love so much, “shall pass away” (Matt. 24:35).
Or do you think that the Lord has abandoned the earth forever and given it over to your passions? But He shall return in the same way as He departed; He shall demand an account from the stewards of the earth, require the talents entrusted to them, and judge the whole world. Why then do you stand gazing upon the earth? Lift up your eyes to heaven, behold your Savior Who has long been looking upon you. Enter the path to heaven long laid before you; for ease upon that path cast off every burden of sin weighing you down, take up your cross, and hasten toward your Savior while He still blesses you upon this way, while heaven remains open, while angels both heavenly and earthly invite you into the mansions of the Heavenly Father.
We hear, we hear, blessed citizens of heaven, your voice — and we desire to enter upon the Lord’s path; only strengthen us and accompany us with your help. Above all, You Yourself, our merciful Savior and Lord, do not abandon us who are poor in spirit and weak. Look down from heaven upon our good intention and our weakness; behold and bless us on Your path; clothe us there with power from on high and strengthen our wavering steps until we pass into Your holy mountain and are united with You. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
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