The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrates her being taken up body and soul into heaven when her earthly title was finished. It first began to be celebrated as a feast day in the Eastern Church after the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus (431) proclaimed Mary the Mother of God. By the sixth century, the feast celebrated Mary’s Dormition, “her falling asleep”, meaning her death. The western church began to celebrate this feast around 650. The Church’s teaching on the Assumption was formally proclaimed a doctrine by Pope Pius XII in 1950.

In today’s society, many idolize sensuality, materialism, and self-indulgence. In contrast, the celebration of the feast of the Assumption Our Blessed Virgin Mary turns our eyes away from these temporary, earthly attachments and directs our focus on the dignity and destiny of our human body and the beauty and dignity of womanhood. It turns our eyes upon the true life which awaits us beyond the grave – eternal life. May we take heart that one day our bodies and souls will be reunited with God after death.

On her special feast day, let us ask Our Mother for the grace to keep our eyes fixed on her Son as we place our heart in hers, forever united with her, that we may be brought to the glory of the Resurrection.

Recommended Reading
The Holy Bible (Catholic)
Catechism of the Catholic Church

Lumen Gentium;
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church;
Vatican II Munificentissimus Deus;
Pope Pius XII Précis of Official Catholic Teaching on Marian Devotions and the Last Things
Introduction to Mary; Mark Miravalle; Queenship Publishing Company
Mary Mystery of Mercy, Marie-Dominique Philippe, O.P., Marians of the Immaculate Conception.
Queen Mother: A Biblical Theology of Mary's Queenship; Edward Sri Catholic for a Reason II: Scripture and the Mystery of the Mother of God; Scott Hahn and Leon J. Suprenant, Jr
The Glories of Mary, St. Alphonsus de Liguori, Tan Books
Theotokos: Woman, Mother, Disciple, John Paul II, Pauline Books and Media
True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis De Montfort, Tan Books
Apologetics about the Assumption of Mary from Catholic Biblical Apologetics
DISCOURSE VII OF THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY Saint Alphonsus de Liguori
Where is the Tomb of the Virgin Mary and what is its significance?

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