Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when we rejoice that Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into the glory of heaven.
Belief in the Assumption has deep roots in the life of the Church. The feast has been celebrated since at least the fifth or sixth century, while ancient Christian homilies bear witness to belief in Mary’s glorification. In the Eastern Church, the celebration became known particularly as the Dormition – the “falling asleep” of the Mother of God.
On 1 November 1950, Pope Pius XII solemnly defined the Assumption as a dogma of the Catholic faith in the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus:
“We pronounce, declare and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory.”
Sacred Scripture does not give us an account of the Assumption itself, but the Church understands this mystery in the light of Mary’s unique relationship with her Son and Christ’s victory over sin and death.
Saint Paul tells us that the risen Christ is the “first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Mary, who shared so intimately in the life and saving mission of her Son, now shares in the glory of his Resurrection.
The Assumption, therefore, speaks not only about Mary but also about the hope promised to each of us. In her we see the fulfilment of the destiny for which God created humanity: the resurrection of the body and eternal life with him.
As we honour Our Lady today, we ask her to help us keep our eyes fixed upon Christ and the promise of eternal life.
