The Ascension from Mount Olivet: Visionary Insights from Anne Catherine Emmerich
The Second Glorious Mystery of the Rosary—The Ascension—celebrates the triumphant elevation of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Heaven forty days after His Resurrection. While Sacred Scripture records Christ blessing the Apostles before being taken up in a cloud, the private revelations of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich provide intimate details of the pre-dawn journey from the Upper Room, the retracing of the Way of the Cross, and the episcopal blessing bestowed upon the entire world.
1. Retracing the Way of the Cross and Clearing Obstructions
In the days preceding His Ascension, Jesus walked naturally among His Apostles, eating, praying, and instructing them. At dawn on the morning of His Ascension, Jesus departed from the house of the Last Supper alongside the Eleven Apostles, closely followed by the Blessed Virgin Mary and a gathering throng of disciples.
As they traversed Jerusalem, Jesus led them along the exact paths He had trodden during His bitter Passion:
- Fulfillment of Prophecy: At each site where a scene of His Passion had occurred, Jesus paused to teach the flock, explaining how every event fulfilled ancient promises and prophecies.
- Clearing the Sacred Sites: In places where hostile opponents had thrown heaps of stones, dug ditches, or obstructed the paths to prevent veneration, Jesus directed His disciples to step forward and clear away all obstacles so the holy places could be traversed in prayer.
2. The Preaching in the Cool Grass
Passing out of the city gates near Mount Calvary, the procession paused in a cool, lovely spot shaded by trees and covered with long, lush grass.
As news spread across Jerusalem, vast crowds of believers who had welcomed Him on Palm Sunday poured out from the city to join the assembly. For over an hour, Jesus delivered a long, final instruction to the vast gathering. Though His listeners sensed that the hour of departure was near, they remained captivated by the serenity and light surrounding Him.
3. The Episcopal Blessing and Dissolving into Glory
Jesus then led the procession toward the summit of Mount Olivet, moving with increasing brilliance and speed. Upon reaching the mountain peak, extraordinary supernatural phenomena unfolded:
- The Rainbow Circle: A brilliant, shining circle gleaming in all the colors of the rainbow descended from Heaven, encompassing the summit.
- The Universal Blessing: Standing at the center of the radiant light, Jesus laid His left hand upon His chest and raised His right hand—imparting a blessing not with a flat, open hand like the rabbis, but in the manner of a Christian Bishop—turning slowly to bless the whole world.
- The Shower of Light: As He ascended, the light from Heaven merged with the glory emanating from His Sacred Body. Christ dissolved as it were into the celestial brightness, vanishing from sight while a dew-like shower of heavenly light fell upon the Apostles and believers standing below.
4. Devotional Reflection: Praying for the Gift of Faith
In the Rosary meditations adapted from St. Louis de Montfort, the Second Glorious Mystery is offered to petition for the theological virtue of Faith:
“We offer You, O Lord Jesus, this second decade in honor of Your Ascension, and we ask of You, through this mystery and through Mary’s intercession, the gift of Faith. Amen.”
Contemplating Our Lord ascending to the right hand of the Father reassures believers that Christ has gone ahead to prepare a place for us, filling our hearts with steadfast hope and faith.
Ascension of Christ
