The Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary

Today the Church celebrates the Assumption of Mary.  We, as Catholics, believe that the Almighty God would not allow the body which bore His Son to suffer any decay.  Tradition tells us that Mary died and was placed in a sepulchre.  When the Apostles went back to the place where she was laid, she was gone.  They believed that she had been assumed into heaven, body and soul.  This explains why there is no burial place for Mary designated anywhere, nor are there relics of the Virgin.  Some Catholics believe that Mary did not really die, but that she just "fell asleep."  On this day, they remember the "Dormition" of Mary.  Since the very beginnings of the Church, the story of what happened to Mary was passed down, discussed and believed.  It wasn't until 1950 when the Pope proclaimed it a Dogma of the Church---a part of the Deposit of Faith which encompasses the totality of  belief in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.

© Bridgeman Art Library / Narodni Galerie, Prague, Czech Republic / Giraudon

What is beautiful about the Assumption, is that God did not want the body of His Mother to decay.  This shows us the great dignity we must show our mortal bodies.  In a time when even some Catholics believe that certain immodest fashions are acceptable, where the world at large is becoming more complacent toward degenerate behaviors, and where fornication and deviant sex is the norm, the message of the Assumption may be lost.   All that God has created is beautiful, and everything He has given us in our bodies is glorious.  We are temples of the Holy Spirit.  The Almighty God DWELLS within us.   We are His beloved people, and we have every reason to revere what He has made in us.  It is only to our own ruin that we abuse our bodies in such a way as to allow impurity to molest us. 

The Assumption also points us to the fact that, although we will die, we will be risen from the dead on the last day, in our glorious form, both body and soul and dwell with Christ forever in eternity.

Happy Solemnity to you all!