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.

Quote:

“In the bodily and spiritual glory which she possesses in heaven, the Mother of Jesus continues in this present world as the image and first flowering of the Church as she is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise, Mary shines forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come (cf. 2 Peter 3:10), as a sign of certain hope and comfort for the pilgrim People of God” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 68).

For Further Reading on the Asumption:
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Comments

  1. Anonymous8/15/07, 7:38 AM

    Thanks for the post. Very informative; especially going into the history!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jean Heimann8/15/07, 1:23 PM

    You're welcome, Mary.
    I noticed you're with the Legion of Mary. I just joined as an Auxiliary member. It seems like a great group!

    ReplyDelete
  3. EC Gefroh8/15/07, 4:59 PM

    Happy Feast Day Jean. BTW, I am an auxiliary member too.

    ReplyDelete

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