Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Lectionary: 622

God's temple in heaven was opened,
and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.


Today the Church celebrates Mary's "Assumption," when her earthly life ended and she was taken body and soul into heaven. The origins of this feast and of the doctrine are lost in history. It seems we've always believed this about Mary, although there is little mention of it in the records of our earliest theological discussions and debates. Nor can we say why most of the Church settled on August 15 as the date.

Perhaps this festival is like that other mysterious moment when you first noticed your mother. Where were you? What was she doing? Who knows? She was just always there!

We notice Mary in the New Testament writings. Sometimes she is named as Mary; sometimes she is only "the mother of Jesus." In Revelation 12 she is, "the ark of his covenant" and "a woman clothed with the sun." Perhaps she is also "God's temple in heaven." (In Saint Luke's gospel the angel had prophesied "the Holy Spirit will overshadow you" in the same manner the Holy Spirit overshadowed the Temple.) We find innumerable symbols of Mary in the New Testament and we add many more in our enthusiasm for "our Blessed Mother."

On this feast of the Assumption we celebrate the victory God has given to her, a victory she has won by her fidelity. 

Many people bitterly conclude that the human being is incapable of innocence. As Willie Stark, the Huey Long character of Robert Penn Warren's book All the King's Men, said, "Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption and he passeth from the stink of the didie to the stench of the shroud. There is always something" on any political opponent. 

We rarely make an important decision that doesn't have its shadowy, unfortunate consequences. Some people would refuse to pay taxes to avoid paying for abortions, or warfare, or prisons. But even if they could pull off the stunt they still participate in an economy that rewards the idle wealthy and punishes the working poor. There is always something.

But the Catholic Church celebrates Mary's sinless life from her Immaculate Conception to her well-deserved Assumption. Fulfilling God's plan for our salvation, she accepted the "grace of immaculation" and felt neither desire nor necessity to step beyond God's love. Blessed by God she was wise enough to recognize a bad choice and take the right one. Sensitive to the Spirit of God she could discern God's preference even when several choices seemed equally good. Seeing with God's vision, it looked beautiful to her. Even the choice of following Jesus to Jerusalem and standing by his cross had an aura of rightness about it that she found irresistible. 

In Mary's story we recognize the grace of God delivering her from sin and we honor her victory over sin -- especially as we appreciate how difficult it was. She still believed in God, hoped for his mercy and loved beyond all telling during Jesus' final hour of agony.

At one time, perhaps in the very distant past, every one of us believed our mothers were the most trustworthy and admirable persons in the universe. The feast of Mary's Assumption assures us our confident belief was not entirely wrong; our Heavenly Mother is indeed worthy of all honor.