The Assumption of the Virgin Mary
It is celebrated on August 15
Pope Pius XII solemnly defined the dogma of the Assumption of Mary on November 1, 1950. This dogma was promulgated in the Constitution “Munificentissimus Deus”:
The fundamental reasons for the definition of the dogma presented by Pius XII were:
1-The immunity of Mary from all sin: The decomposition of the body is a consequence of sin, and as Mary, lacked all sin, then She was free from the universal law of corruption, being able then to enter quickly, body and soul in the glory of heaven.
2-Her Divine Maternity: As the body of Christ had been formed from the body of Mary, it was convenient that the body of Mary participated in the fate of the body of Christ. She conceived Jesus, gave birth to him, nurtured him, cared for him, clasped him to his breast. We cannot imagine that Jesus would allow her body, which gave him life, to come to corruption.
3-Her Perpetual Virginity: as her body was preserved in virginal integrity, (all for Jesus and being a living tabernacle) it was convenient that after death she did not suffer corruption.
4-Her participation in the redeeming work of Christ: Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer, for her intimate participation in the redeeming work of her Son, after completing the course of her life on earth, received the full fruit of redemption, which is the glorification of body and soul.
The Assumption is the victory of God confirmed in Mary and assured for us. The Assumption is a sign and promise of the glory that awaits us when at the end of the world our bodies are resurrected and reunited with our souls.
The Assumption is a message of hope that makes us think of the joy of reaching Heaven, the glory of God and the joy of having a mother who has reached the goal to which we walk.
This day, we remember that Mary is a wonderful work of God. Conceived without original sin, Mary’s body was always free from sin. She was totally pure. Her soul was never corrupted. Her body was never stained by sin, she was always a holy and spotless temple.
Also, we keep Christ in mind for all the graces he poured out on his Mother Mary and how she knew how to respond to them. She reached the Glory of God by living the virtues. She crowned herself with these virtues.
The divine motherhood of Mary was the greatest miracle and the source of her greatness, but God did not crown Mary for her motherhood, but for her virtues: her charity, her humility, her purity, her patience, her meekness, her perfect homage of adoration, love, praise and thanks.
Mary perfectly fulfilled the will of God in her life and that is what led her to reach the glory of God.
On Earth we all want to reach God and we work on this every day. This is our hope. Mary has already achieved this. What she has achieved encourages us. What she possesses gives us hope.
Mary had an enormous confidence in God, her heart was full of God. She lived with immense peace because she lived in God, because she perfectly fulfilled God’s will throughout her life. And this is what led her to enjoy the glory of God. Since her Assumption into Heaven, She is our Heavenly Mother.
The Feast of the Assumption is Mary’s party, the most solemn of the festivals that the Church celebrates in his honor. This day we celebrate all the mysteries of his life.
It is the celebration of its greatness, of all its privileges and virtues, which are also celebrated separately on other dates.
Mary is a marvelous work of God: a simple and humble woman, conceived without original sin and, therefore, a most pure creature. Her soul was never corrupted. Her body was never stained by sin, she was always a holy and spotless temple of God.
On Earth we all want to reach God and for this purpose we work every day, since that is our hope. Mary has already reached it. What she already possesses encourages us to reach for it as well.
The dogma of the Assumption
It refers to the fact that the Mother of God, after her earthly life, was raised body and soul to heavenly glory.
This Dogma was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII, on November 1, 1950, in the Constitution Munificentisimus Deus, with the following words:
“After raising many and repeated prayers to God and invoking the light of the Spirit of Truth, to the glory of Almighty God, who granted the Virgin Mary his peculiar benevolence; to honor his Son, immortal King of the centuries and victor of sin and death; to increase the glory of the same august Mother and for the joy and happiness of the whole Church, with the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul and with our own, we pronounce, declare and we define to be a divinely revealed dogma that the Immaculate Mother of God and ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into the glory of heaven”.
Now, why is it important that we Catholics remember and delve into the Dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven? The New Catechism of the Catholic Church answers this question:
“The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin constitutes a unique participation in the Resurrection of her Son and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians” (#966).
The importance of the Assumption for us, men and women at the beginning of the Third Millennium of the Christian Era, lies in the relationship between the Resurrection of Christ and ours. The presence of Mary, a woman of our race, a human being like us, who is in body and soul already glorified in Heaven, is just that: an anticipation of our own resurrection.
Furthermore, the Assumption of Mary body and soul into heaven is a Dogma of our Catholic faith, expressly defined by Pope Pius XII speaking “ex-cathedra”. And… what is a Dogma? Put in the simplest terms, Dogma is a truth of Faith, revealed by God (in Sacred Scripture or contained in Tradition), and which is also proposed by the Church as truly revealed by God.
In this case, it is said that the Pope speaks “ex-cathedra”, that is, that he speaks and determines something by virtue of the supreme authority that he has as Vicar of Christ and Visible Head of the Church, Supreme Teacher of the Faith, with the intention of proposing a matter as obligatory belief of the Catholic faithful.
The New Catechism of the Catholic Church (#966) explains it to us this way, citing Lumen Gentium 59, which in turn cites the Bull of the Proclamation of the Dogma: “Finally, the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin At the end of the course of her life on earth, she was taken to the glory of Heaven and raised to the Throne of the Lord as Queen of the Universe, to be conformed more fully to her Son, Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death. “.
And Pope John Paul II, in one of his Catecheses on the Assumption, explains this in the following terms:
“The dogma of the Assumption affirms that Mary’s body was glorified after her death. Indeed, while for other men the resurrection of bodies will take place at the end of the world, for Mary the glorification of her body was anticipated by singular privilege” (JP II, July 2, 1997).
“Contemplating the mystery of the Assumption of the Virgin, it is possible to understand the plan of Divine Providence regarding humanity: after Christ, the Incarnate Word, Mary is the first human creature to realize the eschatological ideal, anticipating the fullness of the happiness, promised to the elect through the resurrection of the bodies” (JP II, General Audience of July 9, 1997).
The Pope continues: “Most Holy Mary shows us the final destiny of those who ‘hear the Word of God and fulfill it’ (Lk. 11, 28). She encourages us to raise our gaze to the heights, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of the Father, and where the humble slave of Nazareth is also, already in heavenly glory” (JP II, August 15, 1997)
The men and women of today live pending the enigma of death. Even if we approach it in different ways, depending on the culture and beliefs we have, even if we avoid it in our thoughts, even if we try to prolong our days on earth by all means within our reach, we all have a great need for that certain hope of immortality contained in Christ’s promise of our future resurrection.
It would do many Christians a lot of good to hear and read more about this mystery of the Assumption of Mary, which concerns us so directly. Why has the belief in the pagan myth of reincarnation crept in among us? If we think about it, these ideas that are foreign to our Christian faith have been introduced to the extent that we have stopped thinking, preaching and remembering the mysteries, which, like that of the Assumption, have to do with the afterlife, with eschatology. , with the ultimate realities of the human being.
The mystery of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven invites us to pause in the hectic life we lead to reflect on the meaning of our life here on earth, on our ultimate goal: Eternal Life, together with the Most Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Angels and Saints of Heaven. Knowing that Mary is already in Heaven glorious in body and soul, as has been promised to those of us who do the Will of God, renews our hope in our future immortality and perfect happiness forever.
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