August 15, 2004: The Assumption of Mary into Heaven

Feast of the Assumption of Mary
August 15, 2004


Today is a bit of an unusual day on the Church calendar. In place of celebrating the Mass of a regular Sunday—which, as you know, is considered a “mini-Easter”—we instead honor our Blessed Mother on the occasion of her Assumption into heaven. What could be so important about this feast that moves the Church to pull a “trump card” on the Lord’s Day?

Obviously, we don’t value Mary more than Jesus Himself. Nothing and no one is holier or more important than God in any of His divine Persons.

Yet there is something so remarkable and awesome about Our Lady that we’ve simply got to recognize it and celebrate it—just exactly as the Church has done from her very first days until now.

God’s amazing plan of redemption for the human race meant that the Savior, the Messiah, had to be true man and true God. God supplied the divine part, and for reasons known only to Himself, He chose Mary to supply the human part—which she did by freely accepting the Archangel Gabriel’s invitation to become the Mother of God’s Son. Can you imagine the courage and grace it took on Mary’s part to say “yes”?

God had prepared Mary for this very sacred mission by seeing to it that she was conceived in her own mother Anne’s womb without the stain of original sin. Only in this way could Mary furnish the immaculately pure womb for the Christ baby to grow in.

All through Jesus’ life, His Blessed Mother had to endure much suffering. No, it was not to be a life of privilege and ease for Mary. When Mary and Joseph presented the Child Jesus in the Temple—we celebrate this event on February 2nd each year—you may recall that Simeon prophesied that Mary’s heart would be pierced with a sword. And it was—repeatedly!—culminating in having to watch her only Son die on the cross.

Mary’s faithful service to God didn’t end when Jesus was crucified. From the cross, Our Lord entrusted John the Beloved Disciple to His Mother: “Behold, your Son!” He said to her. We know that Mary continued to live her life among the Apostles.

Throughout all of her life’s experiences, this much we know about Mary: she was always faithful and she never sinned. It’s perhaps hard for us to understand how a mother could see so much pain in her Child’s life and not ever lash out in frustration… or get angry with God… or seek emotional relief in some other sinful way. But without original sin, Mary wasn’t subject to concupiscence or that tendency to fall into sin that the rest of us struggle with. She truly was a “new Eve,” but one who never bit into the forbidden fruit.

So, when her earthly mission was complete, God gave Mary a special privilege never before known in human history. He “assumed” her into heaven, body and soul; in other words, He brought her to Himself in a most special way. Did she die first? We don’t know. In the Eastern Churches, they have a beautiful understanding called the “Dormition”; they explain that Mary simply went to sleep and got out of bed in heaven.

Whether you prefer to believe that Mary died and was carried body and soul into heaven… or simply went to sleep and woke up there… it really doesn’t matter that much. It doesn’t matter how many angels can dance on the head of a pin! We simply rejoice in awe at the great thing that God has done for this holy daughter of His—and for us, too.

In heaven, of course, Mary enjoys the highest privilege imaginable. God crowned her Queen of Heaven and Earth. She joyfully serves as Mother to all human beings, and the angels, too. Imagine! Your very own mother as Queen of the Universe! Her love, and the almost infinite power of her intercession, are yours for the asking. Truly, how blessed we are!

When I was a child growing up in New York, one of the worst insults one kid could dish out against another was to say mean things about his mother. Many a nose was bloodied over nasty remarks about somebody’s mom.

I think it’s just as terrible that we Catholics often have to endure the same kind of ignorant comments about Mary. We’re sometimes asked, “Why do you people worship Mary?” or “Why do you bow down in front of her statue?” or “I don’t see why you can’t pray directly to Jesus without going through her.” What’s with that tone?

The irony, of course, is that most of the people who say these things follow religions that have scarcely been around for 100 years, if that! They conveniently reject the truths and eyewitness reports of 1900 years’ worth of disciples and believers. Why, even Martin Luther himself had a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin. So I encourage you not to be bullied or intimidated by someone who appears to know less about true Christianity than Maggie—she’s a good Catholic dog, you know!—but to stand up bravely for Truth and all the majesty and splendor of our Sacred Tradition. If you’re a bit shaky on the facts, study a bit! The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a great place to start.

How lovely and beautiful you are, O Virgin Mary. You have left this world to be joined with Christ. You are worthy of all our love and praise. Pray for us, dearest Mother. Amen.



Today’s Readings:
Revelation 11, 19 and 12, 1–10
Psalm 45
1 Corinthians 15, 20–27
Luke 1, 39–56