What Happened to the Virgin Mary After Pentecost? [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)

http://www.patheos.com ^ | March 2, 2014 | Thomas L. McDonald

[NKP_Vet]

What do we really know about the life of Mary beyond what the Bible tells us? Scripture gives us only glimpses of the Blessed Mother before she vanishes from history, only to reappear in the Book of Revelation as the “woman clothed in the sun” (Revelation 12:1-6).

We have the last words she speaks, resonating down the through the ages as a message to all who follow: “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:1-12). The Wedding at Cana is, in fact, the only place in Scripture where Mary addresses the adult Jesus directly.

We have her appearance at the foot of the cross with St. John, in which she is commended to the care of the Beloved Disciple:

But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. (John 19:25–27)

She appears one final time in Acts 1:14, where we are told she was with the twelve in Jerusalem, along with the other women and the brethren of Jesus, devoted to prayer.

And then she is gone from the canonical scripture and from history.

Or is she?

As Catholics, we know that the faith is not merely contained in the Scripture but also in the Tradition: the unwritten wisdom found in the Church herself. Does the tradition tell us anything of her later years?

It certainly does.

[NKP_Vet]

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death.

Amen.

[Religion Moderator]

This Religion Forum thread is labeled “Catholic/Orthodox Caucus” meaning if you are not currently, actively Catholic or Orthodox then do not post on this thread.

[Religion Moderator]

This Religion Forum thread is labeled “Catholic/Orthodox Caucus” meaning if you are not currently, actively Catholic or Orthodox then do not post on this thread.

[the_daug]

This Religion Forum thread is labeled “Catholic/Orthodox Caucus” meaning if you are not currently, actively Catholic or Orthodox then do not post on this thread.

Why was it posted under latest articles?

[Religion Moderator]

It was posted in the Religion Forum.

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[Salvation]

[Jvette]

I have never seen this account and to be honest, find it a little unbelievable. I will have to wait for part 2 before I comment with any specifics.

[Salvation]

[NKP_Vet]

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/godandthemachine/2014/03/whathappenedmary2/

[rwa265]

I have never seen this account and to be honest, find it a little unbelievable. I will have to wait for part 2 before I comment with any specifics.

---

I have never seen this account, either. So I did some searching and found the following, which you may find interesting, or not.

Part 1 included a link to Part 2, which can be found here:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/godandthemachine/2014/03/whathappenedmary2/

Part 2 is a discussion of the various sources for the tradition of the Assumption in church history.

I did a search and found the document that is attributed to St. Melito in a Parish Bulletin, which can be found here:

http://www.rosarychurch.net/answers/ap082000.html

None of this is proof of the Assumption, nothing for certain is known. The New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia states that the knowledge we do have has been derived from Apostolic Tradition. Here is a link to that document:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02006b.htm

[Jvette]

thanks to both of you for the links. They were helpful in filling in some blanks.

My first reaction to the one by Merlito is to wonder why if the Apostles were witnesses to this, they never wrote of it. But, then too, I think they didn’t write very much about Mary in the Gospels and Epistles, so maybe that isn’t too surprising.

I had always thought, though I don’t know why, that she had lived for many years with the Apostle John and had probably outlived most of the Apostles and that was why we do not read about her death and Assumption from any of them.

These are interesting stories and I wouldn’t begin to hazard a guess as to which is true. It doesn’t matter to me as I fully believe she is together with her Son in heaven.

I guess like other things the Church teaches, it is a mystery and a matter of faith.