Pedro Calungsod
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the most popular feasts in the Catholic Church worldwide. In many Catholic countries in Europe, this feast is a holy day of obligation.
The feast is based on a belief of the early Church that since Mary was sinless, she was rewarded by the Lord with assumption to heaven body and soul.
This belief was formalized into a doctrine on November 1, 1950, by Pope Pius XII who, in a decree, 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 to heavenly glory.”
Although there is no scriptural basis for this belief, the Church believes, that through Mary’s obedience and fidelity to the will of God, she was rewarded with this special privilege of being united with God in such a special way.
Reflecting on the Assumption of Mary, one will be led to reflect on the life and works of Mary, our mother and model, especially on her “fiat” to God and her service to her fellowmen. While it is true that she was glorified by God, her glorification only reflects the original glory that belongs only to God.
Her solidarity with the poor is in fact reflective of God’s love and concern for them. Indeed, Mary’s Magnificat becomes a reality in her life through her witnessing to the values of the Kingdom.
As we celebrate her feast, we call to mind the words of the Second Vatican Council: “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).
The Assumption of Mary gives us hope that one day, we, too, shall enjoy the
The feast is based on a belief of the early Church that since Mary was sinless, she was rewarded by the Lord with assumption to heaven body and soul.
This belief was formalized into a doctrine on November 1, 1950, by Pope Pius XII who, in a decree, 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 to heavenly glory.”
Although there is no scriptural basis for this belief, the Church believes, that through Mary’s obedience and fidelity to the will of God, she was rewarded with this special privilege of being united with God in such a special way.
Reflecting on the Assumption of Mary, one will be led to reflect on the life and works of Mary, our mother and model, especially on her “fiat” to God and her service to her fellowmen. While it is true that she was glorified by God, her glorification only reflects the original glory that belongs only to God.
Her solidarity with the poor is in fact reflective of God’s love and concern for them. Indeed, Mary’s Magnificat becomes a reality in her life through her witnessing to the values of the Kingdom.
As we celebrate her feast, we call to mind the words of the Second Vatican Council: “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).
The Assumption of Mary gives us hope that one day, we, too, shall enjoy the