The Assumption of Mary: A Promise Made Real
Mary’s Assumption reveals Christ’s promise of eternal life and reminds every Christian that heaven is our true home.
Mary Points the Way to Christ
By: Deacon Mike Walsh ©
Discovering Mary Anew
Years ago, at the start of my diaconate formation, I closed my eyes during a contemplative prayer exercise and found myself gliding across a beautiful lake in a boat. Little did I know that this experience would change the way I understood Mother Mary.
Many people have a strong devotion to our Blessed Mother. Although Christians of various traditions honor Mary, Catholic devotion expresses this honour within a distinctive theological and liturgical framework.
For much of my life as a Catholic, I did not give Mary as much attention as she deserved. All followers of Christ have a deep respect for Mary. However, in my ecumenical ministry with former prisoners, I often found myself in discussions with other Christians who were not Catholic—wonderful people, many of whom had an in-depth knowledge of Scripture, chapter and verse—about the role of Mary.
Following Mary's Invitation
As I mentioned, the way I looked at Mary began to deepen during my first weekend of diaconate formation. Fr. Chris Rupert, S.J., encouraged us to close our eyes and imagine a scene that would bring us closer to God.
For some reason, I saw myself piloting a very nice boat across a lake. I thought to myself, “It would be great to have a boat like this,” and immediately realized that this was not the point of the meditation.
When I reached the dock, there was a small but welcoming cottage. A woman appeared. I could tell that she was my vision of what the mature Virgin Mary might look like, and she said to me, “You have come to see my Son. He is waiting for you in the garden.”
When I looked over, I saw Jesus tending the plants. When he saw me, he waved me over, and we disappeared behind the cottage as we headed down a path into the forest.
Why Mary Points Us to Christ
It was then that I realized—perhaps for the first time in a truly meaningful way—that Mary was there to point me, and all of us, to her Son. She was always there, no matter how lost we were, to show us the way to him.
I used this story to explain to my Protestant friends why Mary has such an important place in our hearts.
They could accept that for the most part, but we often found ourselves discussing what Catholics believe. Many times, the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption would be brought into the conversation.
The Assumption of the Virgin — Nicolas Poussin c. 1650.
The Assumption and the Hope of Heaven
The Assumption is, to me, one of the most fascinating feasts because it has such a long history.
First, we believe that Mary was assumed into heaven, body and soul. The Assumption is therefore a glorification of her entire human person. It is closely related to the Immaculate Conception, through which Mary was preserved from original sin from the first moment of her conception. The Immaculate Conception is a subject for another article, but it is closely connected to the Assumption.
The Church’s belief in Mary’s Assumption is rooted in apostolic Tradition, although the event is not described explicitly in Scripture, as my Protestant friends would point out.
From the earliest centuries of the Church and throughout the centuries that followed, the celebration of Mary’s glorious Assumption grew.
The Church Proclaims a Sign of Hope
The Assumption is one of only two Marian doctrines solemnly defined ex cathedra which means “from the chair” a definitive teaching on faith or morals for the whole Church by a Pope.
The first was the Immaculate Conception, which teaches that Mary was conceived free from original sin, defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854. Nearly one hundred years later, Pope Pius XII defined the Assumption as a dogma of the Catholic Church.
Pope Pius XII promulgated the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus—Latin for “The Most Bountiful God”—on 1 November 1950. In it, he declared:
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 into heavenly glory.
One interesting note is that the Church has not defined whether Mary died.
Pope Benedict XVI observed in a homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption that Mary’s glorification is a sign of sure hope and consolation:
In Mary taken up into Heaven we therefore contemplate the One who, through a unique privilege, was granted to share with her soul and her body in Christ’s definitive victory over death. (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption, 15 August 2009)
A Promise Made and Kept
The reason the Assumption speaks to me so deeply is that it is about a promise made and a promise kept. Jesus Christ has promised all of us eternal life, and that promise is sacramentally signified and begun in our Baptism.
With her Assumption into heaven, Mary once again points the way to Christ. The garden remains, for me, an image of heavenly glory, and Mary directs us toward Jesus, who is waiting for us—not merely in the imagined scene from my meditation, but in the fullness of heavenly glory.
Mother Mary-Pray for us.
Go in Peace —and Glorify the Lord by your Life.
Deacon Mike Walsh serves the Archdiocese of Toronto, leads the Daily TV Mass ministry, and writes about faith, service, hope, and discipleship.
What a beautiful experience
Beautiful.
Thank you