Assumptions

Today, the Universal Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Paragraph 974 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) gives us a brief summary statement regarding this:

“The Most Blessed Virgin Mary, when the course of her earthly life was completed, was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven, where she already shares in the glory of her Son’s Resurrection, anticipating the resurrection of all members of his Body.”

CCC paragraph 966, which the previous quote summarizes, refers to the “Dormition” of Mary, which is the name the Byzantine Liturgy, or Eastern Rite, uses for the Assumption.  The idea behind the “Dormition” of Mary, is that she “fell asleep” (i.e., she died) and then was taken up into heaven.  However, given our long separation from the actual event, it is impossible for us to know whether Mary actually died first, or if she was taken up into heaven in the same manner as Elijah was in 2 Kings 2:11.

So, why do we call today’s feast The Assumption?

Today, the word assumption has come to refer to the human tendency to believe something to be true or an event to have happened, regardless of whether it is actually true or has actually happened.  One is often warned not to assume anything.  When we use the term Assumption to describe today’s feast (again, note the difference between the word with a capital A and the word with a lowercase A), we are implying another, perhaps older definition of the act of assuming.  Through Mary’s Assumption, God took her to Himself in heaven, setting her apart, not only as the mother of Jesus, but as our mother as well.  In heaven, Mary is ideally placed to intercede for us to Jesus, her son.

As Catholics, we do not worship Mary, but we do pray for her intercession, as we might invoke any other saint’s intercession for a specific need.  But with Mary, we are especially blessed, because she hears all our needs and is able to take them directly to her son, Jesus, who is God.

So, today, we honor Mary, our mother, and her special position in heaven.  Don’t forget that today is a Holy Day of Obligation.  If you haven’t been to Mass yet, join us at 6:30 pm.