The doctrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is official Catholic teaching. It is dogma. This means that if we want to remain a Catholic, we must believe in faith that Mary was assumed into heaven. And if we don’t like to believe that Mary was assumed into heaven body and soul, then that is tantamount to saying that we are no longer Catholics. It is very true and clear, if we want to remain Catholics, we have to accept in faith that it is a dogma of our Catholic Church that Mary was assumed into heaven body and soul.
What does the Church actually teach?
The Church simply teaches that at the end of the earthly life of this woman called Mary, she was assumed immediately into heaven, body and soul and united with God. What does it have to do with us?
All Catholic teachings have something to do with our Catholic life. Now with regards the dogma of the Assumption, it is this: That Mary’s assumption into heaven body and soul is God’s recognition that because she was faithful to the will of the Father, she is now being recognized and that this dignity is now being given to her.
What happened to Mary will also happen to all of us. The only difference is that it will happen to us at the end of time. Mary was assumed into heaven body and soul immediately after dying. At the final judgment those among us who, like Mary, are faithful to the Father, will be assumed into heaven body and soul.
So in a way we can say that the assumption of Mary was a preview of things that will happen to us if we are faithful to God, if we believe in Him, if we live the Gospel all the days of our life. This happened to Mary and she was recognized and lifted by God body and soul. That same fate awaits us. It is a preview, a foreshadowing of what is to happen to us. But, only if we are faithful, only if we are loving, like Mary.
So it means that the Feast of the Assumption is actually a message of hope. In spite of what we are, in spite of our woundedness, in spite of our political division, in spite of our economic crisis, in spite of our problems at home, there is still hope.
Mary shows us that hope. God shows us that hope through Mary. When you look up to Mary, assumed into heaven, I hope you will be blessed with grace to be able to see yourself also being assumed into heaven because your own life is a vibrant testimony to the gospel for which Mary lived.
ASSUMPTION OF MARY: MESSAGE OF HOPE
Apoc. 11:19a; 12:1-6a; 10b
Only Jesus, Always Jesus
