Episode Details

A meditation for the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”. The feast of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ commemorates the glorious moment, forty days after the Resurrection, when our Lord ascended bodily into heaven in the presence of His Apostles from Mount Olivet, as described in the Acts of the Apostles. The Ascension is not merely Christ’s departure from earth, but His triumphant entrance into heavenly glory as the victorious Redeemer, taking possession of the kingdom He won through His Passion and Resurrection and opening heaven to mankind, which had been closed since the Fall of Adam. Christ ascends as both God and Man, carrying our human nature into the heavenly sanctuary and enthroning it at the right hand of the Father, thereby becoming the eternal Mediator and High Priest who intercedes for His Church. The feast marks the completion of Christ’s visible earthly mission and the beginning of the Church’s mission to preach the Gospel to all nations, while also directing the faithful’s hearts toward their true homeland in heaven. Liturgically, Ascension Thursday is filled with both joy and holy longing: joy at Christ’s triumph and exaltation, yet longing because the visible presence of the Savior is withdrawn until His return in glory at the Last Judgment. The feast also anticipates the coming of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost, for Christ declares that after His Ascension He will send the Paraclete to strengthen and sanctify the Church.Dom Prosper Guéranger's The Liturgical Year, a monumental fifteen-volume work, offers a comprehensive exploration of the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar, guiding readers through the spiritual and historical richness of the Church’s worship. Written in the 19th century, the series provides daily meditations, historical context, and liturgical texts for the Mass and Divine Office, covering the entire cycle of seasons—Advent, Christmas, Lent, Passiontide, Easter, and the Time after Pentecost—as well as feast days of saints. Guéranger’s work, rooted in a deep contemplative spirit, aims to immerse the faithful in the Church’s prayerful life, emphasizing the unity of faith through the axiom lex orandi, lex credendi ("the law of prayer is the law of belief"), and remains a cherished resource for Catholics seeking to deepen their spiritual lives. Dom Prosper Guéranger (1805–1875) was a French Benedictine monk, liturgical scholar, and founder of the Solesmes Abbey, renowned for his pivotal role in reviving the Benedictine Order in France and restoring the Roman liturgy after the disruptions of the French Revolution. Born in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, he entered the priesthood in 1827 and, inspired by a vision to restore monastic life, reestablished the Benedictine community at Solesmes in 1833, becoming its first abbot. A staunch defender of ultramontanism and traditional Catholic worship, he also championed the revival of Gregorian chant, significantly influencing the liturgical renewal movement.Link to the Dom Guéranger's Liturgical Year playlist (updated daily): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZKdyYnV_bkh7rH6piW0ShgsdcefFoOvJIf you would like to support this channel:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/InprincipioPodcastPayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=U5EZ9X2CE2V7WMost sincere thanks to all who are able to contribute, by your prayers, your patronage, or otherwise. Your support sustains this work and helps make these readings available to others.Music: Ave Maria (Gregorian chant)From Vesperae de Confessore non Pontifice in honor of Saint Vincent PallottiPerformed by Schola Gregoriana, Pallottine Seminary (Ołtarzew, Poland)Conductor: Fr. Dariusz SmolarekLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Changes: noneExcept where otherwise noted, original content © InPrincipio Podcast.Chant audio used under CC BY-SA 3.0.