As we celebrate the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
Mary into Heaven today, I think it is interesting to look at the history of
this important day in our Church.
Devotions, prayers, and celebrations around the welcome of Mary into
heaven go back to the early fourth century.
By the fifth century, the Assumption appears in the liturgical books in
Jerusalem, and by the seventh century, its recognition spread throughout the whole
Latin world. However, it was not until
November 1, 1950 that Pope Pius XII officially declared this as a doctrine and
infallible belief of our faith, asserting “that when the course of her earthly
life was finished, Mary was taken up, body and soul, into the glory of
heaven.” And even though the pope has
the power himself to declare an infallible doctrine of our faith, he consulted
the bishops all over the world and theologians of the major Catholic seminaries
and universities and asked them if this was what they and their community
believed as Catholics. Pope Pius XII put
into our official doctrine what the Catholic faithful believed about the Blessed
Mother for centuries about her assumption into heaven.
I think that the
comments that Pope Pius XII made regarding the declaration of this doctrine of
the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary are very profound and speak loudly to
us in our own day. These same values are reflected in the Magnificat that we hear in today's Gospel reading. The doctrine of the Assumption was declared in
1950: in the fifty years that preceded it, the world had seen untold millions
of lives lost in the genocide in Armenia, World War I, the Russian Revolution,
the Holocaust, and World War II. In addition, this time period had seen the
invention of weapons of mass destruction, such as the atomic bomb. Pope Pius specifically referred to these
moments in history, to the destruction of human life, and to the loss of
reverence and respect for the God-given identity of every human being. Pope Pius XII declared in very clear language:
“I intend that the celebration of the Assumption of Mary might make clear the
sacredness and high destiny of every single human person.” Look at where we are today, more than half a
century after Pope Pius' declaration: violence and murders take place in our
communities at alarming rates, terrorists and suicide bombers kill innocent
lives, and our state of Mississippi very proudly implements the death penalty
on prisoners and still sanctions legalized abortion. We still need the message of the Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin Mary so desperately in our lives. By honoring the destiny of a poor young girl
from Nazareth, we might remember to honor and respect one another, and all our
brothers and sisters on earth.
On the solemnity of
the Assumption, we celebrate that Mary was taken up into heaven as a whole
person, body and soul. Properly
understood, the Assumption, along with the other doctrines and devotions to the
Blessed Virgin of our Catholic faith, always brings us more deeply into the
mystery of her son, our Lord Jesus Christ. As the Magnificat that Mary sings foreshadows Jesus' ministry and teachings, giving us a glimpse into his proclamation of God's kingdom, Mary, our Mother, always leads us to the Son. As we celebrate this holy day, let us turn
our eyes toward heaven during today's Eucharistic celebration. There, Jesus and Mary await us in the company
of the saints, as they make up, for all eternity, the Mystical Body of
Christ. Let us pray for the
intercessions of Mary, our Blessed Mother, in order that through her, we might
receive within us the Body and Blood of her Son for the glory of God.
