Why Catholics Believe in the Assumption of Mary

Catholic Exchange.com ^ | 08-15-05 | Heidi Hess Saxton

[Salvation]

by Heidi Hess Saxton

Other Articles by Heidi Hess Saxton

Why Catholics Believe in the Assumption of Mary

08/15/05

My friend Margie, who teaches two- to three-year-olds in our parish religious education program, says that the secret to teaching this age group is a healthy prayer life. The week she taught her class about the Assumption of Mary, Margie spent a long time on her knees.

She was stumped. “How is it possible to explain this to a two-year-old?”

Fortunately, our Lord always answers the prayers of those who want to honor His Mother. “As I prayed, the idea came to me — a helium balloon! I tied a string on the balloon and taped a picture of Jesus to the front. I let one of the children release the string in class to illustrate how Jesus was taken into heaven. Then I tied a picture of Mary to the end of the string and released the balloon a second time to show how Jesus ‘pulled’ His Mother up to heaven to be with Him. It was a simple thing — but it worked!”

This simple truth, that Mary was taken body and soul into heaven, is difficult for some Christians to grasp. Why is this dogma an important part of the Catholic faith?

The Assumption of Mary is one of four dogmas to be infallibly defined by the Magisterium. In 1950, Pope Pius XII promulgated this dogma in a letter entitled Munificentissimus Deus:

Immaculate in her conception, a spotless virgin in her divine motherhood, the noble companion of the divine Redeemer Who won a complete triumph over sin and its consequences, she finally obtained as the crowning glory of her privileges to be preserved from the corruption of the tomb and like her Son before her, to conquer death and to be raised body and soul to the glory of heaven, to shine refulgent as Queen at the right hand of the Son, the immortal King of ages [cf. 1 Tm 1:17].

Although this was the first time the doctrine was formally defined, it should be noted that belief in the Assumption of Mary has long been a part of our faith tradition. There are three strong arguments for this tradition: Scripture, the devotional practices of the early Church, and the writings of the Church Fathers.

The concept of the Assumption is not unprecedented in Scripture. The Bible gives three examples of people who did not experience death the normal way: Enoch (Gn 5:25), Elijah (2 Kgs 2:9-11), and Moses (Dt 34:5-7, Jude 1:9). Both Moses and Elijah are visible at Christ’s Transfiguration (see Mk 9:4-5; Mt 17:3).

Even so, the Assumption of Mary has a unique place in the redemption story: Her purity and dignity as the Mother of God has accorded her a unique place in heaven, in anticipation of the heavenly glory that we will one day receive ourselves: “In teaching her doctrine about the human person’s destination after death, the Church excludes any explanation that would deprive the assumption of the Virgin Mary of its unique meaning, namely the fact that the bodily glorification of the virgin is an anticipation of the glorification that is the destiny of all the other elect.”

It is from this heavenly place of glory that she intercedes for us, as the “woman clothed with the sun” whose descendents are “all those who obey God’s commandments and are faithful to the truth revealed by Jesus” (Rv 12:17).

Why would Mary receive such special graces from God? In the Revelation of John, we find one clue. In Revelation 11:19, John reports seeing “the ark of his covenant within his temple,” just before he sees “a woman clothed with the sun” (Rv 12:1). The proximity of these two images suggested to some Church Fathers that the two are actually one — that is, that Mary is herself the Ark of the New Covenant.

As you may recall, the Ark of the Covenant was a sacred box that contained three reminders of God’s presence among His people Israel: a jar of the manna God fed His people in the desert; the flowering rod of Aaron, a sign of his priestly office; and the tablets of stone containing the Law, which Moses received from God. The Ark was kept in the Holy of Holies, where the high priest entered once a year to offer sacrifices on behalf of the people.

As the Ark of the New Covenant, Mary held within her the Bread of Life, the great High Priest, and the one who came “not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it” (Mt 5:17). And so, just as the first Ark remained within the Holy of Holies, where the priest offered God sacrifices on behalf of the people, so the Ark of the New Covenant has a cherished place in heaven, near the one Who offers up the perfect offering (Heb 12:22-24).

There is no explicit statement in Scripture about Mary’s death, any more than it gives us details about the end of Joseph’s life or the deaths of most of the Apostles. These things have been preserved for us through Church Tradition, and particularly through her liturgical and devotional practices.

For example, the Church has always preserved and revered the relics of her saints — that is, the bodies and personal effects of those who have gone before us to heaven. However, no relics of Jesus’s mother exist, or are even mentioned in the writings of the early Church. Had Mary’s body remained in the tomb, her relics would certainly have been given the highest place of honor — like the bits of the Apostles’ relics that are cherished in altars of Catholic churches all over the world.

We need not be alarmed at Scripture’s silence. Much of the New Testament was likely written within Mary’s lifetime. It is also likely that the full implications of Mary’s unique role in the salvation story took some time to develop. This is true in many areas of Catholic teaching.

How can this be? While the full revelation of the Gospel was completely transmitted by the Apostles, the implications of this revelation have fully developed over the course of centuries. This is why the Holy Spirit was sent, to guide us “to all truth” (Jn 16:13). And this is why we draw from Tradition, the Magisterium, and the Scriptures for our storehouse of spiritual truth.

Since Mary was kept from the stain of original sin, and remained holy throughout her life (CCC 966), Mary may not have experienced physical death. For this reason, the Eastern Church Fathers speak of the “dormition” or “falling asleep” of Mary. As St. John of Damascus observed: “The earth could not bear her divine body and dissolve it, as with other mortals. Nay, though necessary that it be delivered to death, three days thereafter, her relics were delivered incorruptible into angelic hands. She becomes incorruptible, rises, and is translated to heaven. There she stands before her Son and God in a living body.”

The Roman Catholic Church affirms only that Mary was taken into heavenly glory “when the course of her earthly life was finished...” (CCC 966). Some sources suggest that all Apostles except Thomas (even those who had already died) were present at Mary’s bedside, and carried her to her tomb where three days later her body disappeared, leaving only a few grave clothes and the strong aroma of roses in her wake.

In his apostolic letter Redemptoris Mater, Pope John Paul II reminds us of the most important aspect of Mary’s Assumption — she is our roadmap to that blessed state of grace, the string that guides us ever heavenward: “It can be said that ‘in the Most Holy Virgin the Church has already reached that perfection whereby she exists without spot or wrinkle.’ Hence, as Christians raise their eyes with faith to Mary in the course of their earthly pilgrimage, they "strive to increase in holiness." Mary, the exalted Daughter of Sion, helps all her children, wherever they may be and whatever their condition, to find in Christ the path to the Father's house.


Raised in the Evangelical Protestant tradition, Heidi Saxton was confirmed Catholic in 1993. She is the author of With Mary in Prayer (Loyola) and is a graduate student (theology) at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. You may contact Heidi at hsaxton@christianword.com.

[Petrosius]

Where/when did relics take on the importance they do in the RCC today?

The relics, i.e. the remains, of the saints were venerated right from the beginning. This can be shown by the importance of the burial sites of Sts. Peter and Paul in Rome.

[wagglebee]

There is no mention of relics in the Bible for two reasons:
1. The saints (whose relics are now cherished) were not yet dead, therefore there could be no relics.
2. Of those who were dead, there was a general fear that the Romans and other enemies of Christianity would steal or destroy these relics in order to ruin the spirits of the Christians (remember the women who discovered Christ's empty tomb first believed that His Body had been stolen).

Obviously there have been some relics that were fraudulent, while the history of other relics indicates a high probability of their authenticity. I believe the point is that throughout history people have rightly and wrongly claimed ownership of the bones of saints, nails and other pieces of the Cross, and various other articles; yet there has never been any claim of possessing any relic related to the Holy Mother, this would indicated that nobody would have possibly believed they were authentic because it was well known that her body was no longer on earth.

[Salvation]

There are about eight places to claim to be the place where the Blessed Virgin died. The Catholic scholars believe it was one of two place, Epesus or Jerusalem.

[Salvation]

**I have a hard time believing anything not supported by Holy Scripture. **

It's in Luke! It is supported by scripture.

[Salvation]

Way to go!

[phatus maximus]

Ignore His Word at your peril. Catholocism condemns all who do not believe that there is a co-mediatrix (Mary) despite clear text telling us this is not so? Do you say you know better than God? Or perhaps the 2XX + popes, many of whom have disagreed on many things, have a better handle on it. But hey, I'm just going by God's inspired word. Do you presume to say you know better than God?

What then is the truth of Christ? His Word or a tradition of the RCC? We all must decide this for ourselves I suppose.

[Salvation]

Very good question...........and you and I both know the answer!

[Salvation]

To everyone....................especially our non-Catholic brothers and sisters -- Please read this!

 

THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY: A BELIEF SINCE APOSTOLIC TIMES

Father Clifford Stevens

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The Assumption is the oldest feast day of Our Lady, but we don't know how it first came to be celebrated.

Its origin is lost in those days when Jerusalem was restored as a sacred city, at the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (c. 285-337). By then it had been a pagan city for two centuries, ever since Emperor Hadrian (76-138) had leveled it around the year 135 and rebuilt it as <Aelia Capitolina> in honor of Jupiter.

For 200 years, every memory of Jesus was obliterated from the city, and the sites made holy by His life, death and Resurrection became pagan temples.

After the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 336, the sacred sites began to be restored and memories of the life of Our Lord began to be celebrated by the people of Jerusalem. One of the memories about his mother centered around the "Tomb of Mary," close to Mount Zion, where the early Christian community had lived.

On the hill itself was the "Place of Dormition," the spot of Mary's "falling asleep," where she had died. The "Tomb of Mary" was where she was buried.

At this time, the "Memory of Mary" was being celebrated. Later it was to become our feast of the Assumption.

For a time, the "Memory of Mary" was marked only in Palestine, but then it was extended by the emperor to all the churches of the East. In the seventh century, it began to be celebrated in Rome under the title of the "Falling Asleep" ("Dormitio") of the Mother of God.

Soon the name was changed to the "Assumption of Mary," since there was more to the feast than her dying. It also proclaimed that she had been taken up, body and soul, into heaven.

That belief was ancient, dating back to the apostles themselves. What was clear from the beginning was that there were no relics of Mary to be venerated, and that an empty tomb stood on the edge of Jerusalem near the site of her death. That location also soon became a place of pilgrimage. (Today, the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition of Mary stands on the spot.)

At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, when bishops from throughout the Mediterranean world gathered in Constantinople, Emperor Marcian asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to bring the relics of Mary to Constantinople to be enshrined in the capitol. The patriarch explained to the emperor that there were no relics of Mary in Jerusalem, that "Mary had died in the presence of the apostles; but her tomb, when opened later . . . was found empty and so the apostles concluded that the body was taken up into heaven."

In the eighth century, St. John Damascene was known for giving sermons at the holy places in Jerusalem. At the Tomb of Mary, he expressed the belief of the Church on the meaning of the feast: "Although the body was duly buried, it did not remain in the state of death, neither was it dissolved by decay. . . . You were transferred to your heavenly home, O Lady, Queen and Mother of God in truth."

All the feast days of Mary mark the great mysteries of her life and her part in the work of redemption. The central mystery of her life and person is her divine motherhood, celebrated both at Christmas and a week later (Jan. 1) on the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) marks the preparation for that motherhood, so that she had the fullness of grace from the first moment of her existence, completely untouched by sin. Her whole being throbbed with divine life from the very beginning, readying her for the exalted role of mother of the Savior.

The Assumption completes God's work in her since it was not fitting that the flesh that had given life to God himself should ever undergo corruption. The Assumption is God's crowning of His work as Mary ends her earthly life and enters eternity. The feast turns our eyes in that direction, where we will follow when our earthly life is over.

The feast days of the Church are not just the commemoration of historical events; they do not look only to the past. They look to the present and to the future and give us an insight into our own relationship with God. The Assumption looks to eternity and gives us hope that we, too, will follow Our Lady when our life is ended.

The prayer for the feast reads: "All-powerful and ever-living God: You raised the sinless Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, body and soul, to the glory of heaven. May we see heaven as our final goal and come to share her glory."

In 1950, in the Apostolic Constitution <Munificentissimus Deus>, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary a dogma of the Catholic Church in these words: "The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven."

With that, an ancient belief became Catholic doctrine and the Assumption was declared a truth revealed by God.

Father Clifford Stevens writes from Tintern Monastery in Oakdale, Neb.

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This article was taken from the July-August 1996 issue of "Catholic Heritage".

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Provided Courtesy of:
Eternal Word Television Network

[annalex]

In all these passages you can substitute "brothers/sisters" with "cousins" and the meaning does not suffer. (Well, you also cite for good measure verses that have nothing to do with the issue of Christ's putative brothers). The fact that the Gospel and the Acts mention the "brothers" and the disciples separately supports the fact that they were more distantly related, since we know that James was both Christ's cousin and disciple.

Another consideration regarding Christ's possible brothers would be that Christ would not declared her a mother of his disciple at the Cross if there had been another son of hers to take care of her after Christ's death.

There is much written to indicate [Mary] had a very large family. There is nothing written to indicate she was forever a virgin.

Muich written? When? By Whom? The belief of Mary's perpetual virginity is at least as old as Protoevangelium of James, early 2 century. This specifically mentions that Mary had been consecrated to the Lord and had a vow of virginity since childhood. Joseph was chosen to be her nominal husband. He was an old man and had children from previous marriage. Those were Christ's brothers in the loose sense of the world.

Patristic references to Mary's perpetual virginity are quite numerous.

[Salvation]

American Catholic’s Saint of the Day

August 15, 2005

Assumption of Mary

On November 1, 1950, Pius XII defined the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of faith: “We pronounce, declare and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory.” The pope proclaimed this dogma only after a broad consultation of bishops, theologians and laity. There were few dissenting voices. What the pope solemnly declared was already a common belief in the Catholic Church.

We find homilies on the Assumption going back to the sixth century. In following centuries the Eastern Churches held steadily to the doctrine, but some authors in the West were hesitant. However, by the thirteenth century there was universal agreement. The feast was celebrated under various names (Commemoration, Dormition, Passing, Assumption) from at least the fifth or sixth century.

Scripture does not give an account of Mary’s Assumption into heaven. Nevertheless, Revelation 12 speaks of a woman who is caught up in the battle between good and evil. Many see this woman as God’s people. Since Mary best embodies the people of both Old and New Testament, her Assumption can be seen as an exemplification of the woman’s victory.

Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 15:20 Paul speaks of Christ’s resurrection as the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.Since Mary is closely associated with all the mysteries of Jesus’ life, it is not surprising that the Holy Spirit has led the Church to belief in Mary’s share in his glorification. So close was she to Jesus on earth, she must be with him body and soul in heaven.

Comment:

In the light of the Assumption of Mary, it is easy to pray her Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55) with new meaning. In her glory she proclaims the greatness of the Lord and finds joy in God her savior. God has done marvels to her and she leads others to recognize God’s holiness. She is the lowly handmaid who deeply reverenced her God and has been raised to the heights. From her position of strength she will help the lowly and the poor find justice on earth and she will challenge the rich and powerful to distrust wealth and power as a source of happiness.

Quote:

“In the bodily and spiritual glory which she possesses in heaven, the Mother of Jesus continues in this present world as the image and first flowering of the Church as she is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise, Mary shines forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come (cf. 2 Peter 3:10), as a sign of certain hope and comfort for the pilgrim People of God” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 68).

[Salvation]

You are so right!

[Salvation]

Dogma of the Assumption

[phatus maximus]

Would you not?

[phatus maximus]

Thanks for your answer...a few random thoughts...

Someone mentioned John the Baptist earlier in the thread...He was killed far before any of the NT was written and Peter/Paul died before the last of the NT was written as did all but John of the apostles...there could have been mention I guess of their relics, but there isn't which is neither here nor there...I suppose it's not absolutely necessary in respect to the gospel of Christ and so it wasn't included. Maybe that's why there is no mention anywhere of Mary's death/assumption/immaculate conception etc? I don't know and frankly I am not worried about the reasons why, it's not my place to worry about such things since God has put things in their place the way He has seen fit.

I don't know about you, but I've grown tired of this debate...you either believe the tradition or you don't. The wayyyyy more important thing is that all of us focus on spreading the Gospel of Christ to all people. Me thinks these threads take us all away from that...but I digress...

Thank you for your information...God Bless...

[jo kus]

"Who confirms the relics are actually from the person that they are claimed to be from?"

As in everything else, we rely on our Christian forefathers to have set aside some piece of clothing or some such thing in which future Christians can use to make a physical connection to a holy person of the past. For example, after St. Francis of Assisi died, a few of his personal belongings were kept for later generations to help them bring St. Francis to mind and to use his example to come closer to Christ (in the way St. Francis did, as there are many ways to come to Christ)

"why does no mention of the importance of relics exist in scripture?"

It seems that the Acts of Apostles mention the personal effects of Peter (a hanky, I think) were highly revered to be able to even effect cures on others. Of course, this concept carries even to this day, as there are numerous saint's effects through whom God continues to work miracles through. God chooses to work through His saints, even after they have passed to their eternal reward. Without getting into the "whether its in Scripture" argument, I believe that such things were not normally written about in Scripture, as the letters written to communities addressed problem areas, and were not a dictionary of Christian beliefs. I believe it is important to admit that there are some Christian beliefs that are not in Scripture - such as the celebration of Christmas Day. Is it absolutely important to the faith? No. But it does help us to remember something about Christ and ties us to our Christian brothers of centuries past.

"Where/when did relics take on the importance they do in the RCC today?"

without consulting a book on this, I am pretty sure it goes back to the first martyrs. The Christians would collect up the bones or remnants of the killed Christians and they would highly revere those saints. (I am certain that Ignatius of Antioch - killed in the Coliseum in about 110 AD was one whose bones and articles were collected and later venerated) Consider that the martyrs were the ultimate witnesses to God. It is one thing to worship Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him, and another to feel a kinship with a saint who shared the trials and tribulations that I do. Was Jesus a father to children? Was Jesus an old man? Was Jesus a wife? A mother? Pregnant? Did He have an incurable terminal disease? Blind? And so on. There are saints who fit all of these - and some people are able to relate directly with these people, as they went through the same thing and remained faithful to God. God uses these saints to bring hope to us that we, too, can live the life of Christ. Relics are a physical means of feeling closer to these particular saints who successfully picked up their cross and followed our Lord.

I hope this helps. If you want more details, I'd have to do a little research, as this is from my limited store of knowledge!

Take care and God bless you as well

[phatus maximus]

continuation of answer...

What reference point is used by all Christians? The Bible. God's Word. Interpret that as you will, but if the Bible, which we I presume would agree, contains God's Word then it would contain the truth since God, unlike us, cannot lie.

I sense your argument already of Matthew 16:18 and what then is the truth? Clearly you and I will disagree on that topic, but the fact of the matter is that the truth of the Gospel is hammered home to each of us in the message of salvation thru faith in Christ. That message literally explodes off the pages of the NT and if that is not the truth, then I do not know what is.

Respectfully...

[D-fendr]

Some thoughts on today's scripture:

• It is difficult to imagine Mary in heaven ? after all she lived her life keeping house. Here is an image from a Czech poet, Vladimir Holan:
  
  
• Forgive me, God, but I console myself
  that the beginning and resurrection of all us dead
  will simply be announced by the crowing of the cock.
  After that we'll remain lying down a while...
  The first to get up will be Mother... We'll hear her
  quietly laying the fire,
  quietly putting the kettle on the stove
  and cosily taking the teapot out of the cupboard.
  We'll be home once more.
  
  

[jo kus]

"I suppose it's not absolutely necessary in respect to the gospel of Christ"

You are correct. One does not have to ever have even heard of relics and can still be a good Christian (whether Catholic or not). It, like the rest of creation, is meant by God to help bring us to Him. Just as we can do without one specific piece of creation (say, frogs) and still survive, relics is in the same category.

The Catholic Church has what is called a heirarchy of beliefs. As you stated, there are some things which are not very important, and others which are critical to our faith in being Christian. Belief in angels is a dogma of the faith - without error - but it certainly is not in the same category as Christ's resurrection from the dead - again, a dogma of the faith. As such, it is a little unfair to take such "minor" beliefs and blow them out of proportion, as if they meant the same thing as the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"I don't know and frankly I am not worried about the reasons why, it's not my place to worry about such things since God has put things in their place the way He has seen fit."

It is too bad that such disagreements turn sour in some cases. I can imagine a person who is legitametly exploring why Catholics do x or y can get lost in the "war" between an anti-Catholic and a zealous Catholic defending his beliefs. It is unfortunate that such people as yourself gets in the cross-fire and perhaps take a sour taste to Catholicism as a result.

I hope that my fellow Christians can take these comments as they are meant - to be careful how we present ourselves and remember:

"...always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you. However, do this with gentleness and respect..." 1 Peter 3:15-16

Brother in Christ