The Salutary Value of Jesus Christ's Ascension According to Jean Galot

Tomasz Czura

Abstract

The article deals with the issue of salutary meaning of Jesus Christ’s Ascension according to Jean Galot. The starting point of the reflections is a trial of highlighting the ascension as an event, with a unique, peculiar meaning. Next the issue of influence of ascension on acquiring power by Jesus Christ is analyzed. The power consists in the intercession of Jesus at his Father as well as pouring the Holy Spirit on the Church. Jesus Christ as a priest performs sacrifice of intercession, whereas as a king pleads continuously the case of his people in front of the Father. The sacrifice on the cross, the resurrection and ascension reveal the process of acquiring dignity by Jesus Christ. The dignity is portrayed by the picture and metaphor of the Head of the Mystical Body. By his ascension Jesus Christ becomes the Head of the Church and owing to this he is able to bestow the Church with God’s life. Highlighting the raising intercession movement as well as the descending movement of grace give grounds for proposing a thesis. Namely, the ascension of Jesus Christ performs and secures the common liturgy of the Church making a pilgrimage with the Church in Heaven. The thesis concerning the ascension of Jesus Christ, supported by Galot’s idea, is depicted as well as defended in the article.