Assumed

There is a doctrine in the Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church that teaches the Mother of God's body did not see decay. When her earthly life was finished, she fell asleep and was assumed into heaven, body and soul. In scripture, this is no big deal. Elijah was assumed into heaven and did not die, so we know God can do this when He wants to. And, this was not something a Pope in the 20th century made up. It was made a doctrine of the Church when it was because people were attacking this 2000 year old belief. (Same with all doctrines of the Church.) The "Trinity" was made a doctrine of the Church when it was because there were so many heretics attacking this belief long held by the faithful. The doctrine that Jesus is fully God and fully man is another great example, there were attacks on this belief not long after the Apostles were all dead. A council was called to waylay the heretical teaching of that day that said Jesus was not fully human and fully God. The early Fathers of the Church assumed Mary's bodily assumption into heaven. It was never debated by anyone with any vigor until the "enlightenment" when pretty much all belief in everything was attacked. The "enlightenment" should have been called 'the disenlightenmet, the beginning of relativism'!

Today is the Feast of the Assumption. Mary, the Mother of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, was taken into heaven so that her very important body, the body that carried God in human form and whose flesh and blood gave God His Flesh and Blood, would not see an iota of decay. One of her names in the early Church was the Ark of the New Covenant. (It's interesting that to this day both a location for her burial, or, the original Ark of the Covenant have never been established.) She did not ascend like Jesus, Who did so in His own divine power, but rather, she was assumed to Heaven by Jesus. Jesus is the One who did this, not Mary. Once again, she is the recipient of Heavenly grace. There is no Mary worship here, only honor for God's chosen Mother. Why did Father do this? Because He wanted to. And, to give us all hope! ("Oh death, where is thy sting?!") She is a human just like us, and look what devotion, obedience, humility, trust, and most all, grace did in this little life of Mary. If we say yes to His grace, He will use us to bring Jesus to the world too! When you stop and look deeply into this woman's life, you can't help but have a lasting hope, and she won't let you take your eyes off of Jesus.  

 

 Fiat!

 

wkm