The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On November the 1st, 1950, invoking his infallible teaching authority, Pope Pius XII, in the Apostolic Constitution entitled: The Most bountiful God, solemnly defined, once and for all, what had been held and believed by Catholics for centuries, namely: that the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the end of her life, was assumed body and soul into the glory of Heaven.

The weight of infallibility accorded to this teaching, highlighted its importance for all Christians, since the dogma of the Assumption of our Blessed Lady body and soul into Heaven not only confirmed her unique role in God’s plan of salvation - chosen, as she was, to be the Mother of God - but it served to further clarify the truth about our destiny as children of God.

Whilst Mary received this particular grace of being assumed into God’s glory in her complete person - her physical body which had nourished and protected our unborn Saviour being preserved from the corruption of the grave - the dogma of the Assumption helps to focus the minds of us all on the hope of reaching Heaven. Mary, as the archetypal Christian, manifests in her person the destiny of the Church as a whole; of all God’s faithful people. “I am going now to prepare a place for you,” Jesus says to us in St. John’s Gospel, “and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too.” - and in the life and example of Mary, in her Assumption, we see this promise fulfilled.

Keeping our eyes fixed on this eternal destiny of ours, on the hope of Heaven, is essential to us getting our priorities in life right. With Heaven in view we see how transient this world truly is, and we understand that whilst engaging in this world, and playing a fruitful and constructive part in it, our hearts must belong to God. With our eyes fixed on God and on Heaven, our lives will then follow - the way we will determine to live will be such that it will lead us in the direction of God and the things of God - and whilst being necessary to our existence in this world, we will have a healthy and proper detachment from, and freedom in regard to, temporal and material concerns. In other words: the hope of Heaven, which is a reality for us all, the hope of remaining for all eternity in the loving embrace of our Heavenly Father, urges us to be faithful to Him in this life, by accepting and living His commandments with willing hearts, and letting go, with the help of His grace, of those things that stand in the way.

What lessons might we then learn from our Blessed Mother, the most perfect of all disciples, who has already attained the complete happiness of Heaven?

We must learn from Mary to be people of prayer, open to listening to God, loving in our conversation with Him, receptive to His Word and His will. We must learn humility, obedience, faith, and trust. We must learn to have the courage and strength of Mary, relying completely on the Lord and on His promises, even when things seem difficult or impossible for us - believing in God’s goodness, believing that God will always support us and never disappoint us. If we imitate Mary in these things we can be sure to imitate her in sharing in God’s life for ever in Heaven. (O Mary assumed into Heaven, pray for us!)