This year, the Solemnity of the Assumption occurs on a Saturday and so it is not a Holy Day of Obligation for which we must attend Mass. However, this does not lessen the importance of the Assumption or the appropriateness of celebrating it at Mass. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary points to the fulfillment of her role as the first among those who believe in Christ and who shares in the fullness of redemption with the Lord has gained for us.
The faithful have believed in Mary’s Assumption into heaven for centuries before it was infallibly defined by Pope Pius XII on August 15, 1950. On that occasion he declared, “Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all state of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken a body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.”
Mary’s life in this world had to be completed as do all of ours. Whether she knew the time of its completion or how it would come about cannot be determined. However, when her earthly life was completed, she was the first to share in the fullness of her Son’s Resurrection by being raised bodily into heaven. Like Christ, Mary shares in the life of heaven as no other. She has a privileged place but one that is meant to remind us of what we anticipate.
Mary’s Assumption into heaven reminds us of the emphasis of Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on the challenge of artificial intelligence, Magnifica Humanitatis. The Pope emphasized the splendor with which God created humanity and the magnificence He bestowed upon it. While original sin marred this splendor, it was not lost, and it was the Redemption of Christ which restored it.
Mary’s Assumption, body and soul, is a reminder of the reality of original sin. While that sin has been forgiven, many of its effects remain. Suffering, the pain of death and that caused by its separation are still real. The material world, including the body, still retains the imperfections that original sin inflicted. When we die, our bodies will not be assumed to heaven at the same time, but will await the final coming of Christ when the full effects of the Resurrection will be experienced. However, all that pertains to our souls and spiritual lives have been healed. Our souls, like Mary’s, will experience eternity and communion with God and the Saints, but our bodies, unlike Mary’s, will await the final coming of Christ.
In our world that is filled with brokenness and also with so much noise from social media, we need to look to Mary for the true meaning of what life is all about. She points us to her Son in whom we find the fullness of life as well as its meaning. We live at a time when artificial intelligence may give us a lot of information but can also give us a great deal of misdirection in regard to what the purpose of life is all about. Celebrating the glory of Mary and her Assumption call us to appreciate the dignity that belongs to each and every one of us from God Himself who became one of us through Mary so that we might be healed.
Pope Leo concludes his encyclical on the splendor of human life and the challenge of artificial intelligence by referring to the role of Mary within salvation and within our lives. He refers to her prayer of the Magnificat and reflects, “I entrust our desire to the Mother of Christ, to the woman of the Magnificat that she may guide our steps through this time of change and preserve in each of us true faith in the Gospel, so that we may be a witness to the grandeur of humanity in which God has made His dwelling.” Mary’s Assumption into heaven reminds us of that grandeur to which we are called now and ultimately in heaven.
As the month of August continues to move ahead and the amount of daylight slowly decreases, we realize that our lives are also moving forward and ultimately into eternal life, may we move ahead with great confidence, knowing that life has a purpose found only in God and in our relationship with Him which will be for all eternity. We move ahead, knowing that all the limitations of this world will ultimately pass away and one day we will see God face-to-face. Mary’s Assumption reminds us that God’s Kingdom will ultimately come, and our lives will be clothed in the fullness of His light and joy.
Next week, on August 22, a week after the Assumption, will celebrate the Feast of the Queenship of Mary of both heaven and on earth. As her children, the Lord calls us to share in the queenship and to be with Him and her forever.
Most Reverend Gerald M. Barbarito
