Christ’s road to glory ran by way of the Cross. The Ascension completed the Saviour’s earthly ministry and opened Heaven to all the faithful. Yet the Kingdom of Heaven is never won without endeavour. Every Christian is called not merely to contemplate the majesty of the Ascension, but willingly to take up his or her own cross and follow Christ.

This truth brings particular comfort to those who today experience sorrows, persecution and an inner struggle to remain loyal to Christ.

‘I am with you always, to the end of the age’ (Matt. 28:20).

These words become a source of strength for all who suffer for Christ’s name, who face pressure, misunderstanding or open hostility – yet do not turn aside from the truth.

After His glorious Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the disciples for forty days, strengthening their faith. He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, spoke of the Kingdom of God and prepared them for the great task of bearing witness to Him ‘to the very ends of the earth’. Then, having blessed them on the Mount of Olives, He ascended into heaven.

From a human standpoint, this looked like a farewell. In reality, it marked the beginning of a new, unbroken presence among us. Christ ascended bodily yet remained with us for ever – in the sacraments of the Church, in His Word and the life of every believer, especially of those who suffer for His name.

A faith carried through fire

The Church’s history is not only a succession of feasts but also a way of crosses. Apostles, martyrs, confessors and the new-martyrs of the twentieth century all trod the road of suffering, strengthened by Christ’s promise:
‘Where I am, there shall My servant be also’ (John 12:26).

St Innocent of Kherson, reflecting on the meaning of suffering, wrote:

‘The tormentors take away what is temporal, while the deprived gain what is eternal; the fire of sorrows and torments consumes the last remnants of sinful impurity…’

These words answer all who meet times of trial: suffering is not a curse but a blessing that purifies the soul and draws us nearer to the Ascended Christ. As the Saviour Himself passed through the Cross before ascending, so every Christian’s path to glory lies through fidelity tested by pain.

Christ’s words, ‘If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me’ (John 12:26), are especially weighty for all who bear affliction for the Orthodox faith. Loyalty to Christ is always bound up with trials – once torture, exile and prisons; today calumny, hatred and persecution. One thing, however, never changes: the Lord is with us.

He ascended in order to be closer – to strengthen us through the Holy Spirit and to show that the Kingdom of Heaven is a reality that can be reached.

St Innocent says that every Christian must ‘nail himself to the cross of self-denial’ by means of the fear of God, remembrance of death, hope of eternity and love for Christ.

These virtues turn the way of suffering into a path of ascent – an inner Ascension of the soul in imitation of Christ. Yet it begins not from heaven but from earth – from struggle, exploit and spiritual steadfastness.

The Lord ascends in order to be everywhere: in the hearts of the faithful, in the stillness of prayer, in the Church’s mysteries. He is with the martyrs in prison, with the exiles, with the confessors at the bar of judgement, with every Christian who carries his cross daily – at work, in the family, in society.
If we suffer with Him, we shall also be glorified with Him (Rom. 8:17).

Therefore, let everyone who passes through trials see in them not a dead end but a way –
a way that leads to Heaven.