The Conqueror’s Triumph

Ascension Day, celebrated by the Western Church on May 14 this year, is the neglected stepchild of the Christian year. Advent has its calendars and its wreaths; Christmas its carols and ivy, its trees and gift exchange; Epiphany its king cakes and magi; Lent its fasts, sobriety, and silence; Palm Sunday its processions with palms; Holy Saturday its vigils and bonfires; Easter its lilies and its fresh clothes. On Pentecost, many dress in Spirit-fire red. Whatever traditions once attended Ascension Day have been abandoned by many churches. This festival often passes without a word, much less a worship service.