All Orthodox Christians know the miracle of the Resurrection of Christ, in honor of which everyone celebrates one of the main holidays - Easter. The second miracle was the Ascension of the Lord on the fortieth day after His Crucifixion. This meant the end of His earthly journey. It is this truly great moment that is captured on the Ascension of the Lord icon. Celebrated on Thursday of the sixth week after Easter.
“...And when they (the apostles) looked at heaven, during the ascension of Him (Jesus Christ), suddenly two men in white clothes appeared to them and said: men of Galilee! Why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, who has ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him ascending into heaven...”
— about the Ascension of Jesus Christ.
This version of the icon of the Ascension of the Lord can be seen in the temple. Photo: hram-chg.ru
The icon of the Ascension of the Lord has a multi-figure composition
The history of the Feast of the Ascension is told in the four Gospels. The icon of the Ascension of the Lord has a multi-figure composition. At the very top we see the Savior, who holds a scroll in his left hand, and with his right hand he blesses. The Savior is in the circle. The circle is held by two Angels.
Below we see the Mother of God, who stands surrounded by the apostles. Behind Her back you can also see Angels pointing their fingers upward at the Savior. It is also worth paying attention to the attire of Jesus Christ. If you look, you can see that on almost all icons the Savior is depicted in modest clothing, but on this icon Jesus is depicted in a royal golden robe. A photo of the icon of the Ascension of the Lord can be seen below.
Icon of the Ascension of the Lord
Icon of the Mother of God of Tenderness of Lokot
From April 1 to April 8, the Lokot Icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness” will be in the Smolensk Church.
From February to June, in the churches of the Oryol Metropolis, with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony of Oryol and Bolkhov, there will be a miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness” from the village of Lokot. In 1999, the icon began to stream myrrh. This is a two-sided miraculous myrrh-streaming image.
The history of the appearance of the icon.
The shrine appeared in one pious family in the village of Lokot, the former estate of Grand Duke Mikhail Romanov, brother of Tsar Nicholas II.
A resident of the village of Lokot, Bryansk region, Natalya Shishkova, as usual, went to the local department store and saw calendars with the image of the Mother of God lying neglected on the store counter.
She made a remark to the saleswoman that even though the calendars are not church calendars, since there is an image of the face of the Mother of God, it is unworthy to store it in this form, but it is necessary to store it in a proper way.
To which the saleswoman said that these calendars were expired, and anyway no one would buy them and they would have to be thrown away.
Natalya went home, and on the way the thought occurred to her that she had denounced the saleswoman, but she herself just needed to buy this calendar. She went back and bought the last two calendars of the Mother of God with the Tenderness icon. I cut off the numbers and hung them on the wall at home and at work using regular push pins.
As in the case of the Iveron Montreal Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she at first decided that someone had spilled cologne or perfume in the house, but when she began to look for the source of the aroma, she discovered that a large, greasy, fragrant stain had formed on the face of the Mother of God.
She invited a priest, who, having looked, noticed that now this often happens, when not only in churches, but also in the homes of lay people, images begin to stream myrrh, that you don’t need to pay attention to it, you look - it streams myrrh and will pass.
But the flow of myrrh and the fragrance did not stop; moreover, the flow of myrrh increased over time in such quantity that the myrrh flowed from the image onto the wall.
Seeing this, the priest said that this must be approached with caution, in case this miracle is not from God: “Let’s pray, and if during Great Lent this miracle stops, then this miracle is not God’s.” But on Easter, in their house, all the icons that they have, and there are quite a lot of them, were filled with myrrh. It became clear that this was truly a miracle and they decided to place this image in an icon case, in a frame
It became clear that this was truly a miracle and they decided to place this image in an icon case.
They took it off the wall and, to their amazement, discovered this: you know that myrrh is an oily substance that saturates the paper right through, and since the entire image was covered with myrrh, it would seem that the calendar should also soak up this world through and through.
But when they took it off the wall, they saw that on the reverse side only the face of the Mother of God was saturated with the world! The rest of the surface of the calendar remained as white and dry as before.
The study of miracles associated with the icon of “Tenderness” is carried out by a special expert group on miraculous phenomena in the Russian Orthodox Church under the leadership of Professor P.V. Florensky. Over the past 19 years, there have been many cases of healing and grace-filled help in everyday needs of people who came to her to worship.
Schedule of stay of the Lokot Icon of the Mother of God
- April 1 - April 8 - Smolensk Church;
- April 8 - April 15 - Epiphany Church;
- April 15 - April 19 - Baptist Church;
- April 19 - April 24 - Alexander Nevsky Church (900 block);
- April 24 - April 29 - St. Nicholas Church;
- April 29 - May 3 - Vvedensky Convent;
- May 3 - May 8 - Trinity Church;
- May 8 - May 13 - Mtsensk;
- May 13 - May 20 - Bolkhov.
Materials from the Information and Analytical Department of the Oryol Metropolis were used
The Ascension of the Lord is a very important event, which is described in the New Testament
The Ascension of the Lord is a very important event that is described in the New Testament. It makes clear to us that Jesus combines two essences - divine and human, who sacrificed Himself for the sake of all mankind. Thus, he made it clear to everyone that the righteous would be able to gain eternal life.
What is the difference between the Gospel and the Bible
Then, on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection of Christ, the Feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles is celebrated. The Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire. Thus, the Lord gave the apostles the ability and strength to preach the Gospel.
Icon of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. Photo: iknigi.net
Establishment of the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord
Until the end of the 4th century, the celebration of the Ascension and Pentecost was not separated. At the same time, Pentecost was understood as a special period of the church year, and not a holiday (for example, Tertullian calls it “laetissimum spatium” (the most joyful period) [3]). In the 4th century, Pentecost finally took shape not only as a special period after Easter (cf. 20th canon of the First Ecumenical Council), but also as an independent holiday (for example, 43rd canon of the Council of Elvira (after 300)). Following Pentecost, the Ascension of the Lord was also highlighted as a special celebration.
In the East
Despite the fact that already through the efforts of St. Empress Helena built a church on Mount Olivet; in Syria and Palestine until the end of the 4th century, the Ascension of the Lord and the Coming of the Holy Spirit were probably still celebrated together on the 50th day after Easter [4]. One of the last, apparently, to write about this practice was the Western pilgrim Egeria, reporting that on the evening of Pentecost all Christians in Jerusalem gather on Mount Olivet, “in the place from which the Lord ascended into heaven,” called Imvomon, and a service is performed with the reading of the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, telling about the Ascension [5].
Temple of the Ascension of the Lord on the Mount of Olives
However, Egeria also notes the celebration of a festive service in Bethlehem on the 40th day after Easter [6], but, according to researchers, in this case we are not talking about the Feast of the Ascension, but about the Jerusalem Feast of the Bethlehem Infants on May 18 (if this assumption is correct , the pilgrimage of Egeria should be dated to 383, when this date fell on the 40th day after Easter - Devos. 1968). According to J. Danielou, the separation of the 2 holidays occurred after the condemnation of the Macedonian heresy at the Second Ecumenical Council (381) and was intended to emphasize the special role of the Holy Spirit in the economy of salvation.
Indications for a separate celebration of the Ascension are found in St. Gregory of Nyssa [7] and in the Antioch sermons of St. John Chrysostom [8]. The celebration of the 40th day after Easter as the Ascension of the Lord is directly mentioned in the “Apostolic Constitutions” (c. 380) [9]. Suggestions have been made that have not received full confirmation that the “Lenten Day” (τεσσαρακοστή), which is discussed in the 5th canon of the First Ecumenical Council, should be understood as the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord [10]. Sources of the 5th and subsequent centuries already clearly identify the Ascension as a separate holiday on the 40th day after Easter.
In the West
The first information about the celebration of the Ascension of the Lord is found in the sermons of Bishop. Chromatius of Aquileia (388-407) [11] and in the “Book of Various Heresies” by Bishop. Philastry of Brescian (383-391) [12], where among the great lordly holidays Christmas, Epiphany, Easter and the “day of the Ascension” are named, on which “He ascended into heaven around Pentecost,” which may indicate the inseparability of the 2 holidays (the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost).
Elsewhere, Philastrius says that the Ascension takes place precisely on the 40th day, and is preceded and followed by fasting. Apparently, the appearance of a new milestone in the Easter period (the Ascension, celebrated on the 40th day) caused confusion regarding the time of the beginning of fasting - before or after Pentecost; by the 6th century it was considered correct to begin fasting only after Pentecost, although symbolically the 40-day period of joy was contrasted with the 40 days of Lent [13].
By the 5th century, the practice of celebrating the Ascension of the Lord was completely established in the West - for example, Bl. Augustine calls the “Fentate Day of the Ascension” (Quadragesima Ascensionis) a holiday “the most ancient and universal” [14].
One of the famous paintings is the painting of the Ascension of Shebuev by Vasily Kozmich
Currently, there are paintings in honor of the Ascension of the Lord, which are painted by artists. One of the famous is the painting of the Ascension of Shebuev by Vasily Kozmich. It was written in 1843. Currently kept in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Shebuev. Painting of the Ascension. 1843 Photo: ros-vos.net
In 1755, Ivan Yakovlevich Vishnyakov painted the icon of the Ascension, which is kept in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.
Vishnyakov. Ascension. 1755 Photo: dominicanfriars.org
A prayer is read in front of the icon of the Ascension of the Lord
A prayer is read in front of the icon of the Ascension of the Lord. The prayer is read on the day of celebration.
Don't forget that you can always turn to God with your simple words for help. The most important thing is that your words come from the heart and are sincere.
The prayer to the icon of the Ascension must be read in the morning or afternoon.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, our God, who descended from the heavenly heights of our salvation for the sake of and nourished us with spiritual joy on the holy and bright days of Your Resurrection, and again, after the completion of Your earthly ministry, ascended from us to heaven with glory and is seated at the right hand of God and the Father!
On this “clear and all-bright day of Your Divine ascension into heaven”, “the earth celebrates and rejoices, and the sky also rejoices at the Ascension of the Creator of creation today,” people praise unceasingly, seeing their lost and fallen nature on Your frame, the Savior, taken to earth and ascended to heaven, The angels rejoice, saying:
He who came in glory is mighty in battle. Is this truly the King of Glory?! Grant us the power also to the weak, earthly ones who still philosophize and indulge in carnal pleasures, to create unceasingly, Thy awesome rise into heaven, contemplating and celebrating, putting aside carnal and worldly cares and with
Thy apostles now look to heaven with all their hearts and with all their thoughts, remembering that there is a mountain in heaven where we live, but here on earth we are just strangers and aliens, having departed from the house of the Father to the faraway land of sin.
For this reason, we earnestly ask Thee, by Thy glorious Ascension, O Lord, revive our conscience, even though there is nothing more necessary in the world, lead us out of the captivity of this sinful flesh and world and make us wise on a mountain, and not earthly, so that we will not please anyone and live, but to You, Lord and
We will serve Our God and work until we have renounced the bonds of the flesh and gone through the airy ordeals without restraint; we will reach Your heavenly abodes, where we have stood at the right hand
Let us glorify Your Majesty, with the Archangels and Angels and all the saints, Your All-Holy Name with Your Originless Father and Your Most Holy and Consubstantial and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord icon - what it helps with
The Icon of the Exaltation of the Cross describes Queen Helena's finding of the Holy Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. After the Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord, the instrument of torture of the Savior was lost. Queen Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, managed to find him only in 326 after a grueling search.
Date of celebration of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving and Honorable Cross
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving and Even Cross is a Holy Day for the Orthodox Church, celebrated by believers on September 27th. On this day, believers are given the opportunity to remember the miraculous finding of the Cross during the crucifixion of Jesus.
This holiday is considered the twelfth day, which is dedicated to Jesus, and is therefore called the Lord's Day.
The Feast of the Exaltation has deep significance in Christian destinies around the world. Due to the fact that the cross was given before the Feast of Holy Easter, its celebration fell on the second day of Easter.
This day is a celebration of two events:
- The discovery of the Cross near Mount Golgotha (in Jerusalem) in 326 at the site of the holy crucifixion.
- With the return of the Life-Giving Cross from Persian captivity in the 7th century, the holy banners were returned to Jerusalem by Heraclius, the Greek emperor.
Christians celebrate the arrival of the holy day with strict fasting - they cannot eat food made from meat, fish, eggs or dairy products. It is recommended to use only vegetable oils – olive or sunflower – as a seasoning for food.
The Prayer of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is short and sincere:
“I ask the incomprehensible and invincible Divine Power of the Honest and Life-giving Cross not to abandon us, sinners.”
The meaning of the image of the Exaltation of the Cross
Russian icon painters provided the most common subject for the Exaltation icon to churches in the 15th century. On the holy canvas you can see a large crowd of people against the backdrop of a single-domed temple. on the pulpit you can see the Patriarch with the Cross raised above his head. In the foreground of the icon you can see the saints and all the believers. On the right you can see Queen Helena with Tsar Constantine.
The Icon of the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord can be seen in:
- Alufevsky Temple of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
- Moscow Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on Chisty Vrazhek
- Vatican – in the Ecclesiastical State you can see the Miniature Menology of Emperor Basil II, written in the 11th century.
- Roman monastery complex of Santi Quattro Coronati - in the 13th century Chapel of San Silvestro you can see a canvas depicting the discovery of the Life-Giving Cross by Queen Helena.
The Icon of the Exaltation of the Cross is known for its miraculous abilities. After a sincere prayer to the Holy Cross, a seriously ill woman managed to go on a full path to recovery from her illness.
In 2012, an electrician who came from Roslavl had severely inflamed gums. Both night and day, the unfortunate man could not find peace for himself and carry out the work assigned to him. He did not consider himself a church person, and the icon itself was of little interest to him. He was asked to take an unquenchable lamp, anoint his mouth with oil and ask the icon for healing.
We advise you to study the Icon of John the Evangelist
With deep faith in his cure, the electrician did what was specified - and the disease receded. The next morning, he was on his knees with tears reading a prayer before the miraculous image.
The icon of the Exaltation helps in sincere prayers; they are said in front of the image so that:
- Coping with infertility.
- Get rid of incurable diseases.
- Heal diseased bones and joints.
- Coping with chronic migraines.
- Cure toothache.
The Icon of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord is a reflection of the discovery of the Holy Cross by Queen Helena. This holy cloth helps the needy to recover even from chronic or incurable diseases.
God bless you!
From this video you can learn the history of this shrine of Orthodoxy:
Akathist written to the icon of the Ascension of the Lord
An akathist was written to the icon of the Ascension of the Lord. It is read on the day of celebration. On the same day, everyone can read it at home.
Akathist:
Kontakion 1
Chosen Voevodo, Creative of heaven and earth! To the conqueror of death we offer a laudable song, as through Your most luminous Resurrection from the dead You ascended into heaven with glory and with Your most pure flesh You sat down at the right hand of God and the Father, and You took up our fallen nature with You, and freed us from sins and from eternal death forever . We celebrate Your Divine Ascension with Your disciples and cry out to You from our hearts:
Jesus, who ascended from us into heaven, do not leave us orphans.
Ikos 1
The faces of the Archangels and Angels presented themselves to You, the King of all, on the Mount of Olives, with fear seeing You on the heights of heaven and taking you down in the flesh, and glorifying the greatness of Your love for mankind, singing to You like this:
Jesus, King of Glory, ascend into heaven with a shout of trumpets.
Jesus, Lord of Hosts, mount the cherubim and fly on the wing of the wind.
Jesus, Eternal God, give Your voice a voice of power, so that the whole earth may now tremble.
Jesus, Most High Light, show Your Power on the clouds, and let fire ignite from Your Face.
Jesus, Redeemer of creation, prepare Your Throne in heaven and let Your Kingdom have no end.
Jesus, Creator of heaven and earth, sit at the right hand of Your Father, that God may be all in all.
Jesus, who ascended from us into heaven, do not leave us orphans.
Kontakion 2
Having seen the Apostles rise from the dead, Master Lord, when in the forty days You showed Yourself to them, speaking about the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, and having received from You the commandment not to separate from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promises of the Father, until they were clothed with power from above, having come together, we remained together with one accord. in prayer singing to You with one mouth and one heart: Alleluia.
Ikos 2
Opening the mind of Divine vision, O All-merciful Jesus, Thou brought forth Thy disciples as far as Bethany, and brought them up to the Mount of Olives, and began to prepare for the great Mystery of Thy Ascension into heaven, saying: Draw near, O My friends, the time of ascension, as it goes on, teach all languages the word that you heard from My voice, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Tiy, still wise on earth, asked whether in this summer you would establish the Kingdom of Israel. Instead, You told them: “You cannot understand the times and years that the Father has laid down in His power,” so that they will be prepared to meet His Heavenly Bridegroom, crying out:
Jesus, Good Shepherd, never be separated from us, but remain with us continually.
Jesus, the Good Teacher, sent down the Holy Comforter Spirit to us, may he always remain with us.
Jesus, our Enlightener, enlighten our souls with Your Ascension to the Heavenly Father.
Jesus, our Savior, save us from cowardice and storms through Your intercession.
Jesus, our Teacher, by the word of Your mouth guide us to Your service.
Jesus, our Helper, by Your Holy Spirit remember to us Your Revelation.
Jesus, who ascended from us into heaven, do not leave us orphans.
Kontakion 3
The Apostles were endowed with power from above, O Jesus, when on the Mount of Olives you promised them the descent of the Holy Spirit. Thou hast commanded them, that Thy witness may be in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and even to the last of the earth, saying: Come and enter into My gates, prepare My way, and make My way for My people, and place stones for the way; lift up a sign in tongues, yes all the faithful will sing with you: Alleluia.
Ikos 3
Having an abyss of mercy, Sweetest Jesus, Your disciples and the wives who followed You and especially Your Mother who bore You, filled You with countless joys at Your Ascension, even when you had already departed from them, You stretched out Your hands and blessed You, saying: “Behold, I am with you in all the days until the end of the age,” and filled with fear, I glorified Your merciful condescension, saying:
Jesus, Giver of mercy, have mercy on the human race who came to Olivet.
Jesus, Joyner of the Sorrowful, Your friends who are with You, desire to comfort them.
Jesus, Hope of the hopeless, Your blessing saved us from despondency when we departed to heaven.
Jesus, Refuge of the homeless, by Your Ascension the rise to the Heavenly Father has been granted to us.
Jesus, Good Comforter, send us another Comforter from the Father who has promised.
Jesus, Great Shepherd of the sheep, Your faithful flock is not pleased to be scattered.
Jesus, who ascended from us into heaven, do not leave us orphans.
Kontakion 4
In a storm of bewilderment and much sorrow, the Apostles were filled with sobs of tears, when they saw You, Christ, they were lifted up into the clouds and weepingly said: Master, how now are you leaving Your servants, you have loved them for Your mercy, as you go, you will hold the ends with your hands? We, having left everything, followed God to You, rejoicing, having hope of being with You forever. Do not leave us orphans, as you promised, do not separate from us, our Good Shepherd, but send us Your Most Holy Spirit, instructing, enlightening and sanctifying our souls, so that we may sing to You with gratitude: Alleluia.
Ikos 4
Hearing the sobs of Your disciple, Lord Lord, about the separation of those who mourn, You bestowed the most perfect blessing on Your friends, saying: Do not weep, beloved, and reject all lamentation, it is good for you to eat, so that I go to My Father, if I do not go, the Comforter will not come . For your sake I descended from heaven, and for your sake I will ascend again into heaven to prepare a place for you, for I will not leave My sheep, which I have gathered together, I will not forget, them whom I have loved. Having been comforted by these Divine words, I cried out to You with tenderness:
All-merciful Jesus, having turned our sorrow and tears into joy, do not deprive us of eternal joy in Your Kingdom.
All-Bounteous Jesus, who filled us with joy in Your Ascension, preserve our spirit in everlasting joy and in the earthly journey.
Jesus, like a kokosh who gathers his chicks, do not allow us to be separated according to the centuries of this world.
Jesus, who bound us together in a covenant of love at the Supper, do not allow us to be scattered by the action of Satan, like wheat.
Jesus, Thy peace which you have left for us as an inheritance, keep us in one mind and in Thy love.
Jesus, who has established many abodes in paradise, prepare a place for us in Your Heavenly Abode.
Jesus, who ascended from us into heaven, do not leave us orphans.
Kontakion 5
The God-rich cloud greatly brightened and lifted You up, O Life-Giver, as a disciple of the beholders, when you retreated from them, You blessed, and so with much glory, as if carried on the wings of cherubim, Your wondrous ascent to Your Father You made into heaven, which was previously impassable from the spirits the evils of the heavenly places and from the princes of the powers of the air, now you are received within, so that from all creation, visible and invisible, you will hear the angelic song: Alleluia.
Ikos 5
Having seen Your glorious Ascension with flesh into heaven, the King of creation, repair the angelic, the depths of existence, being horrified, I said to the highest powers: Lift up the eternal gates, for the King of Glory is coming, open the heavens and you heavens of heavens, receive the Lord of hosts and worship Him, crying out:
Jesus, Glory of the Father, enlighten us with the light of Your Face.
Jesus, desecration of the heavenly minds, desecration of us in the unfading days of Your Kingdom.
Jesus, who came in reality in fires and a green storm, call upon your intelligent heaven from above.
Jesus, Great and Praiseworthy in Thy Holy Mountain, proclaim Thy righteousness in heaven.
Jesus, having magnified Your mercy to the heavens, show Your glory throughout all the earth.
Jesus, who ascended into the heavens of the east, may Your Word remain in heaven forever.
Jesus, who ascended from us into heaven, do not leave us orphans.
Kontakion 6
The Preachers of the Divine Glory, the highest ranks of the Angels, existing at the height of the heavenly Dominion, the Throne, the many-eyed Cherubim and the six-winged Seraphim, opened together all the heights of heaven, meeting Thee, Lord of All, and seeing Thee Ascended in the flesh, crying out to each other in amazement: Who is this? , who came from Edom, Sovereign and Strong in battle? Who is this who came from Basor, who is of the flesh? Why are His garments scarlet, as if He wore a crown of thorns from being washed with blood? This is truly the King of Glory, the Lamb of God who was slain and risen for the salvation of the world, who now comes in the flesh to sit at the right hand of the Father, and to Him we will sing: Alleluia.
Ikos 6
You shone with Divine glory, Jesus, when you were clothed with human nature, you mercifully exalted you, you made you sit with the Father, and you deified you. In the same heavenly incorporeal order, marveling at miracles, being horrified by the horror and awe of the content, your love for mankind is great. With them we are on earth, Thy condescension for us and from us to heaven Ascension in glorification, we pray, saying:
Jesus, Thy stream of life, by Thy Ascension into heaven showed to us wanderers on earth the path of eternal life to Jerusalem on High.
Jesus, the abyss of mercy, at Your right hand of the Father, seated in our fleshly perception of God.
Jesus, taking upon Yourself our lost nature, take upon Yourself also my grave sins.
Jesus, who ascended in the Flesh to the Immaterial Father, lift up my sorrow from the depths of my drooping thoughts.
Jesus, who has ascended from the earth to the right hand of God and the Father, grant to me the right hand portion of the saved sheep.
Jesus, who has revealed the splendor of Your beauty from Zion, grant me to be a partaker of Your eternal bliss.
Jesus, who ascended from us into heaven, do not leave us orphans.
Kontakion 7
Wanting to exalt and glorify the human nature that fell in Adam, You, like the second Adam, ascended to the heights of heaven, prepared Your Throne for the ages of ages, and sat down at the right hand of God and the Father, by Your Divinity in no way separated from the Father’s bosom. Come, let us worship Jesus who became poor for our sake and has ascended to the right hand of the Father, give Him greatness, and sing from the depths of our souls: Alleluia.
Ikos 7
Thou didst reveal a new and pure life, O Lord, when Thou ascended into heaven with Thy Flesh, so that Thou mightest renew the world, aged by many sins, by Thy ascension and into heaven by Ascension, showing us clearly, as the Divine Paul says, how our life is in heaven. For this sake, let us withdraw from the vanity of the world, placing our minds in heaven, and crying out to You like this:
Jesus, with the heavenly angels, by His divinity into heaven, calling us to strive for heavenly residence.
Jesus, with man, earthly Flesh, who taught us by His departure from earth to turn away from earthly attachments.
Jesus, you who came to seek the lost sheep, lead us to heaven to your unlost sheep.
Jesus, descended to unite the scattered nature that was on earth united to the heavenly one with the Highest Father.
Jesus, who ascended into heaven in a light cloud, grant us, who are left behind on earth, to gaze evermore at the gates of heaven.
Jesus, sitting in glory on the Throne of the Divine, grant us, having opened our eyes, to understand Your miracles from the Law.
Jesus, who ascended from us into heaven, do not leave us orphans.
Kontakion 8
Strange and wondrous is Thy Resurrection, strange and terrible is Thy, Life-Giver Christ, hedgehog from the holy mountain of the Divine Ascension, incomprehensible and more than Thy mind, sitting at the right hand of the Father in the Flesh, about which David said in the spirit of the verb: “The Lord said to My Lord: sit at My right hand, until I will make Your enemies Your footstool." For this reason, all the powers of heaven, beholding Your ascension into heaven, truly submitting under Your nose, singing with the tongues of angels the Cherubic song: Alleluia.
Ikos 8
All in the Highest, Sweetest Jesus, when by the will of us for our sake you ascended with glory into heaven and sat at the right hand of God and the Father, but you were also absent from those below, you promised beforehand to remain persistently in the Church and you cried out to those who love You: “I am with you and no one else.” I remember this merciful promise of Yours and keep it in my heart, crying out to You with love:
Jesus, having received all power in heaven and on earth after Your Ascension, take us into Your eternal inheritance.
Jesus, Thy disciples, filled with all joy with the promise of the Holy Spirit, fill us with His grace by coming.
Jesus, having exalted all creation by Your Ascension, lift up my soul to sing with the Angels of Your Holiness.
Jesus, God's Word, who has established the heavens with Your Word, establish Your words in my heart, so that I will not sin against You.
Jesus, Son of the Father, having revealed all Your power from heaven by the Spirit of Your mouth, renew the Right Spirit in my womb, lest I defile myself.
Jesus, who ascended from us into heaven, do not leave us orphans.
Kontakion 9
All fallen human nature, downcast and corrupted by sins, you took into your frame, O Lord Lord, who created new by yourself, and today you raised it above all beginning and power, and you brought it to God and the Father, and you seated it with yourself on the Throne of Heaven, so that you sanctify Yes, and glorify and adore. The disembodied one, marveling, said: Who is this Red Man, but not exactly a Man, but together God and Man, to whom let us sing: Alleluia.
Ikos 9
Divine Vitias, Thy disciples, Savior, marveling at Thy glorious Ascension, I look up to heaven, sorrowfully, I ascend to Thee, and behold, two Angels appeared before them in white clothing, and recited to them as a consolation: “Men of Galileistia, why are you standing looking up to heaven? This Jesus, who ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way, in the same way as He was seen going into heaven.” Having heard this angelic tidings of Your Second Coming, Lord, Your disciples came into joyful trembling, and with them we too joyfully sing to You like this:
Jesus, Who ascended from us in all Your glory, come quickly with Your holy angels.
Jesus, having come again to execute the judgment of justice, come with glory in the lordship of Your saints.
Jesus, great and terrible above all those around, then have mercy and protect all the meek of the earth.
Jesus, glorified in the Council of Your Saints, glorify us Yourself in Your Kingdom in heaven.
Jesus, who passed through the heavens in the Flesh, deign to lead the soul through the ordeals of the air and to see Thee outside.
Jesus, Who ascended upon the clouds of heaven, grant us the privilege to sit upon Thee on the clouds on the last day with joy and boldness.
Jesus, who ascended from us into heaven, do not leave us orphans.
Kontakion 10
To save the disciples who are with You, O Christ the Savior, and all their believing words for the sake of You, and those who followed You, You ascended into heaven, so that You prepared a place for them, as in the house of Your Father there are many abodes, as You Yourself promised to come to the passion , saying: “If I prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am, you too will be.” For this reason, grant us, Lord, upon our mortal ascension to find a temple not made by hands, eternal in heaven, prepared not from the wood, or hay, or reeds of our carnal works, which cannot stand in fire, but from gold or silver or precious stones on Yours. foundation, where we will glorify and sing to You: Alleluia.
Ikos 10
To the Eternal King, Jesus Christ, who ascended into heaven with Your Most Pure Flesh and called us all to our heavenly Fatherland, lead us down from worldly addictions and carnal wisdom to the heavenly heights and grant us, even in the days of our flesh, with a pure testimony of conscience, to partake of heavenly life and I will take out to taste heavenly food in the sacrament of the Divine Eucharist, and from a pure heart and right spirit we will sing to You like this:
Jesus, the Great Bishop of the blessings to come, in His Ascension passed through the heavens in the Flesh and ascended not into a temple made with hands, but into heaven itself, so that you may appear before us before the Face of God.
Jesus, Heavenly Architect, who built a tabernacle not made with hands in heaven and who alone entered into the Holy of Holies to the Father with His Blood, so that He may accomplish eternal redemption.
Jesus, Immaculate Lamb of God, who alone was slain for the sins of the world, “to take away the sins of many,” lift up my sin offerings to the Throne of God.
Jesus, the Mediator of the New Testament, who alone ascended into heaven to the Father, to open the way to the Heavenly Tabernacle, accept groaning for my uncleanness.
Jesus, our Beloved Bridegroom, Who has prepared the Luminous Palace in heaven, prepare there a place for You alone to serve those who desire.
Jesus, Good Shepherd of Your sheep, who has raised the heavenly pasture into paradise for Your flock, grant us crowns, Who alone desire to follow You.
Jesus, who ascended from us into heaven, do not leave us orphans.
Kontakion 11
All-contrite singing is offered to Your Divine Ascension, the Word, Your All-Immaculate Mother, who gave birth to You. Because in Your passion, motherly, more than anyone else, I was more painful for You, for this sake, befitting You, for the glorification of Your Flesh, I enjoyed the greatest joy, and with this great joy, I descended from the Mount of Olives from the Apostles, and returned all to Jerusalem and ascended to the upper room, and beat all the Apostles , enduring with one accord in prayer, supplication and fasting with the women and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and with His brethren, awaiting the Descent of the Holy Spirit, praising and blessing God, and singing to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 11
Eternal and imperishable light rose to the whole world from the Holy Mount of Olives, where you stood on your most pure nose, O Christ the Savior, when you ascended with glory into heaven, having first passed through the heavens with the Flesh, you opened the gates of heaven, closed by the fall of Adam, and this very Path, Truth and Life, Thou hast opened the way for all flesh in the abode of Thy Heavenly Father, as Thou didst foretell to Thy disciples, saying: “From here ye shall see the heavens opened, and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” For this reason, having led Your way, for no one will come to the Father except You, I sing to You:
Jesus, who ascended to the Father on clouds of light, enlighten the extinguished lamp of my soul.
Jesus, in the lordships of Thy saints is the mountain exalted, Thy life-giving fire is ignited in my heart.
Jesus, who shone more than the Sun on the heights of heaven in Your Ascension, with the warmth of Your Spirit the coldness of my soul was kindled.
Jesus, Light from the Light of Your Divinity, shining forth to the world from the Father, enlighten us sleeping with the light of Your words in the night of sin.
Jesus, the Everlasting Light, having again at Your Coming Your coming, like lightning from the East and even to the West, Your appearance did not hit us then with the fire of Your wrath.
Jesus, who ascended from us into heaven, do not leave us orphans.
Kontakion 12
Thou didst bestow new grace, O Sweetest Jesus, for the perfection of the saints and for the building up of Thy Holy Church, when Thou ascended into heaven with Thy Most Pure Flesh, and sat down at the right hand of God and the Father, as it is written: “Thou hast gone down first into the depths of the earth for the sake of our salvation.” , Thou hast now ascended to a height above all the heavens, that thou hast fulfilled all things for the perfection of the saints, for the building up of the Body of Christ, for this sake thou hast taken captivity captive, and thou hast given gifts unto man, until we reach all things in the union of faith and knowledge of Thee, the Son of God, into a husband perfect, according to the age of Your fulfillment, so that, having improved our salvation, we will sing gratefully to You: Alleluia.
Ikos 12
Singing Your free Ascension into heaven with glory, we worship Yours, Master Christ, at the right hand of God and the Father, we glorify Your reign in heaven and on earth and believe with Your Apostles, for truly, in the same way You ascended into heaven, in the same way You came to the clouds with glory and much power. Then do not disgrace us who believe in You and cry out like this:
Jesus, ever neighbor with Thy Father on the Throne of the Divine, grant that those who conquer the world with Thy help may sit with Thee in Thy Kingdom.
Jesus, worshiped with the Holy Comforter by Your Spirit, do not deprive us of that Descent in Your service according to Your promise.
Jesus, from the Cherubim and Seraphim and from the faces of the saints after Your Ascension in heaven, grant us here gathered to feel Your presence in prayer in Your Name.
Jesus, Thy holy temples, after Thy departure to heaven, gave the right in Thy to believers, help us in the temple standing in heaven to think.
Jesus, Thy Most Pure Mother and the Apostles at Thy Ascension left Himself to pray for the whole world, do not leave us without the intercession of Thy Saints.
Jesus, Church, having left Your Bride on earth after Your Ascension until the end of the century, do not deprive us, Your children, of Your grace-filled gifts.
Jesus, who ascended from us into heaven, do not leave us orphans.
Kontakion 13
O Most Sweet and All-Bountiful Jesus, who ascended from us into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, having mercy and deifying our fallen nature! Look down from the heights of heaven on your weak and prostrate servants to the earth and grant us strength from above to overcome all temptations from the flesh, the world and the devil that come upon us, so that we may be wise on heaven, and not on earth. And save us from all enemies, visible and invisible, who rise against us. After the end of our earthly life, lift up our souls to the heavenly abodes, where we will sing with all the saints: Alleluia.
This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1 and kontakion 1.
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History of the icon
The most famous icon of the Ascension of the Lord belongs to the brush of Andrei Rublev. The icon painter created it in 1408 for the Assumption Cathedral in the city of Vladimir. Rublev painted the image of the Ascension of Jesus Christ in accordance with the history of the New Testament.
As the Holy Scripture says, after the miracle of the Resurrection, the Lord remained among his disciples for another 40 days. On the 40th day, he gathered everyone on the Mount of Olives and told the disciples that they would testify to the people about a new miracle.
The arriving apostles saw the heavens open and angels appear greeting their Lord. The Savior, in a descending bright light, rose above the earth’s firmament and ascended into the Kingdom of Heaven, ending his earthly ministry. The voice of an angel consoled the apostles, telling them that the Savior would definitely return to earth when the time came.
Chronicle narration
The apostles were shocked by the death of the Teacher and did not believe the story of the myrrh-bearing women that they talked with Jesus Christ after His death. But soon they themselves were able to see that their Teacher was an unusual person.
On the way from Jerusalem to the small village of Emmaus, Jesus, in the form of another person, approached his disciples Luke and Cleopas, but they did not recognize the Lord. To His question:
“Why are you so sad?”
“Are You really one of those who came to Jerusalem and do not know about what has happened in it these days?”
And they told the Stranger about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, adding with bitterness that they
“They hoped that He was the One who was to deliver Israel...” (Luke 24:21)
They also told Him that several women had told them that Jesus was alive, but there was no confirmation of this; no one except them had seen Him. In response, Jesus said:
“Oh, fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Isn’t this how Christ had to suffer and enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:25–26)
And he began to explain to them everything that the prophets had said about Him, beginning with Moses.
With these conversations, the travelers approached Emmaus and Luke and Cleopas invited the Interlocutor to visit. At dinner the Stranger took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and served it to them exactly as their Teacher had done.
the disciples guessed, and at the same moment Jesus became invisible to them. Luke and Cleopas hurried back to Jerusalem and told the other apostles about the meeting, but they did not believe them. Until on Sunday evening we saw the Lord ourselves.
- with these words He appeared to them in the Zion upper room, although its doors were closed. The apostles were confused and afraid, but the Lord calmed them down, and then even had dinner with them. Then, finally, the apostles believed that it was not a ghost talking to them. Everything that was written in the Old Testament prophecies was fulfilled:
“Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this” (Luke 24:45–48).
Among the apostles there was not one, Thomas. They told him about the meeting with the Lord, but he said
“Unless I see in His hands the marks of the nails, and put my finger into the marks of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).
Eight days later, Jesus appeared before his disciples again. And when Thomas was convinced that His hands were pierced with nails, he exclaimed:
“You are my Lord and my God!”
After the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to His disciples more than once, taught them, talked about the Kingdom of Heaven and the truth of His teaching, which they were supposed to tell the whole world about:
“...all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ...go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20)
And then came the fortieth day of the visible stay on earth of the Lord Jesus Christ. In his farewell conversation, He told the disciples:
“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15)
and promised His support:
“I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
After this, Jesus and his disciples went to the Mount of Olives. When they climbed to the top of the mountain, the Lord raised His hands and, blessing them, began to rise and ascend until a bright cloud hid Him from the apostles. They stood for a long time and sadly looked up at the empty sky. But the Lord comforted the disciples by immediately sending them two Angels, who told them that Jesus would come to them again:
“I will come again and take you to Me, so that where I am you also may be” (John 14:3).
After this joyful news from the Angels, the apostles returned to Jerusalem. In prayer, they began to wait for the descent of the Holy Spirit on them, which would give them strength to preach the Teachings of Christ throughout the world.
