“The Mother of God did not die of illness, because she did not have original sin and did not have to receive the punishment of the illness. She did not die of old age, because she did not have to grow old, since the punishment of the sin of the first parents did not come to her: to grow old and end due to weakness. She died of love. Her desire to go to heaven where her Son was was so great that this love made her die.
Some fourteen years after the death of Jesus, when he had already spent all his time teaching the religion of the Savior to young and old, when he had comforted so many sad people and had helped so many sick and dying, he let the Apostles know that The date of leaving this world for eternity was approaching.
The Apostles loved her as the kindest of all mothers and hastened to travel to receive from her maternal lips her last advice, and from her sacrosanct hands her last blessing.
They were arriving, and with copious tears, and on their knees, they kissed those holy hands that had blessed them so many times. For each one of them the exalted Lady had words of comfort and hope. And then, like someone who falls asleep in the most placid of dreams, it was She holyly closing her eyes; and her soul, blessed a thousand times, departed for eternity.
The news spread throughout the city, and there was not a Christian who did not come to mourn next to his body, as for the death of his own mother. Her burial was more like an Easter procession than a funeral. Everyone sang the Alleluia with the firmest hope that now they had a very powerful Protector in heaven, to intercede for each of Jesus’ disciples.
Very soft but strong aromas were felt in the air, and each one seemed to hear harmonies of very soft music. But, Thomas the Apostle, had not managed to arrive on time. When he arrived they had already returned from burying the Blessed Mother.
Pedro, – said Tomás- You cannot deny me the great favor of being able to go to the tomb of my most kind mother and give one last kiss to those holy hands that blessed me so many times. And Peter accepted.
They all went to the Holy Sepulchre, and when they were close they began to feel again very soft aromas in the environment and harmonious music in the air.
They opened the tomb and instead of seeing the body of the Virgin, they only found…a large quantity of very beautiful flowers. Jesus Christ had come, had resurrected her Blessed Mother and had taken her to heaven.
This is what we call The Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
And who of us, if he had the powers of the Son of God, would not have done the same with his own Mother?
– Saint John Damascene, doctor of the Church.