Monday, August 15, is the Solemnity of the Assumption.  While not a Holy Day of Obligation this year since it falls on a Monday, it is still a day of tremendous joy and celebration for us.  We remember the holiness of this day and how our Lady’s prayer in the Magnificat, “the Almighty has done great things for me” comes to fulfillment as she enters the great joy of heaven.

            The definition of the Church’s belief in the Assumption of Mary took place in a solemn way in 1950 when Pope Pius XII declared that the “immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”

            This is an important example of how the Church’s teaching can develop in a harmonious way over the centuries.  While the event of the Assumption is not described in the Bible, it is rooted in the Scriptures and in the plan of God’s salvation.  The Bible shows us how Mary was chosen as a special instrument in the Lord’s plan of redemption.  She was “full of grace” even from the first moment of her conception, and she brought into the world the Word of God who became flesh.  She stood with Jesus at the foot of the cross, sharing in his redemptive love.

            In the Creed we proclaim our belief in the Resurrection of the body.  Mary has been given the special privilege of sharing in this resurrection even before other Christians do.  This is a unique grace given to someone whose entire life was devoted to doing the will of God in all things, and to proclaiming the “greatness of the Lord.”

            Mary’s Assumption reminds us that we are all meant to share the glory of heaven one day.  We can reflect on this beautiful day as to whether our lives are fully directed toward heaven, fully directed toward the eternal life God has in store for us.  We remember that our bodies are to be treated as holy, as temples of the Holy Spirit.  Our bodies are not meant for addictions, for impurity or for abuse, but rather for sanctity, for purity and for goodness.

            How blessed we are to have such a feast, to celebrate our Blessed Mother, and to celebrate the life of heaven to which all of us are called!