The Ascension and the Time Between

Liesl Schiavone reflects on the time between Easter and the Ascension and the various feelings the apostles must have experienced. 

As we celebrate the feast of the Ascension*, I find myself wondering what Jesus’ apostles may have been thinking and feeling on this occasion. Having experienced the sorrow and devastation of our Lord’s Passion, how long did it take for the joy of the resurrection to sink in? What kind of emotional whiplash were they experiencing?  

Their friend had been ridiculed, beaten, and crucified, while their own weakness was revealed. They mourned and then they rejoiced. They must have been so happy to have their friend back but so exhausted. They had so much to learn and understand about the days ahead, and then, after just over a month’s time, he left again.  

“When they had gathered together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.” (Acts 1:6-9) 

The apostles had to make a decision to walk forward in faith. To be witnesses to something they didn’t understand and to embrace whatever gifts Jesus would send them. Perhaps they found some comfort in the upper room when the Holy Spirit came upon them on Pentecost, but I can’t help but think they had even more questions after that.  

I wonder if the Apostles were a little irritated, hurt, and annoyed. They must not have expected Him to leave so soon. Now what? How could they even begin to grasp the concept of the Holy Spirit that would come to them?  

Surely, they must have thought that He would return much sooner. They would receive power through the Holy Spirit, but not any clarity on timeline? Did they feel more or less lost than they did in the days following his crucifixion?  

Times of Uncertainty 

As I think about how formative this time must have been and contemplate similar times in my own life, I think of the fall of 2017. That November, my mom went into septic shock and was unresponsive in the ICU for 8 days. She had been healthy, symptom free, until the day after Thanksgiving when she developed a low-grade fever. A few days after that she was fully sedated, and her organs were shutting down. Dad called and said it was serious: we needed to come.  

So we traveled to her, keeping vigil around her bed and praying for her recovery. We prayed Rosary after Rosary, asking Our Lady to intercede. Mom woke up, rebuilt her strength, and made a full recovery. Her doctors were baffled at how things turned from bad to good. We received a miracle that fall; we had our Mom back. 

Five years later, again with little warning, Mom was sick once more. We prayed just as fervently, serving her in her final days, and she passed only three and half weeks after her cancer diagnosis.  

Our grief was (and still is) big and hard and we miss her, but I think we all find much consolation in those good five years we had with her. In the memories we made after she came back to us.  

A New Appreciation 

In that time following her recovery, I came to appreciate her perspective, cherish our phone calls, and embrace our visits a little more than I did before. I had a greater understanding of the fragility of life and the way it can all change in an instant and I had new experience with prayer, both in prayers of supplication and thanksgiving.  

Since Mom’s passing, I’ve grown so much in my understanding of faith and our journey towards heaven. In my mourning, I’ve had to move forward and rely on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, not knowing what lies ahead.  

Because in order to grow, we have to go through hard things. We need perspective to gain wisdom and suffering to really understand joy. 

Moving Forward 

I think those 5 years with Mom gave me a small glimpse of the Apostles’ feelings during the time between the Resurrection and the Ascension. They must have felt so much gratitude and joy at the Resurrection, but they must have encountered some worry and confusion at the Ascension. I bet they had questions, concerns, and fears. But Jesus didn’t leave them high and dry: He would send another Advocate. He would send His Holy Spirit.  

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it, but you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you.” (John 14:15-17) 

The same is true for us. Whatever sorrow and suffering we face, the Holy Spirit is with us. That love of the Father and the Son surrounds us and bestows on us the gifts we need to keep going, the gifts we need to walk forward in faith with our eyes set on Jesus.  

*The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated on Thursday, May 29, (2025) in the ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, Omaha, New York, and Philadelphia. All other ecclesial provinces of the United States of America have transferred this Solemnity to the following Sunday, June 1 (2025), according to norms published by the United States Council of Catholic Bishops.

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Copyright 2025 Liesl Schiavone
Images: (top, bottom) Canva; (center) iStockPhoto.com, licensed for use by Holy Cross Family Ministries