On August 15, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, body and soul. Although Christians have been celebrating this feast since the early days of the Church, the dogma itself wasn’t defined until November 1, 1950.
Pope Pius XII declared in the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus the 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.”
Mary was assumed into heaven, where she was reunited with her Son. Through her Immaculate Conception, she was preserved from any stain of original sin. Unlike Adam and Eve, Mary chose, with the help of God’s grace, to remain free of sin.
In his article, Her Glorious Assumption, Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio, says so eloquently: “It is fitting that she who knew no sin should know no decay and no delay in enjoying the full fruits of her son’s work. It is fitting that she who stood by Christ under the cross should stand by him bodily at the right hand of the Father.”
This feast turns our eyes toward heaven, where we hope to enter in the Lord’s glory when our earthly life is done. Pope Benedict XVII stated in His general audience, August 16, 2006:
“By contemplating Mary in heavenly glory, we understand that the earth is not the definitive homeland for us either, and that if we live with our gaze fixed on eternal goods we will one day share in this same glory and the earth will become more beautiful.”
Why We Love this Solemnity
On a personal note, this feast day is of special meaning to both the Mercer and Moe families. On the feast of the Assumption in 1997, Katie and Lori made their consecration to Our Lady. On this great feast day, Josh and Lori went on their first date (2004); Katie and Andy were married (2015). So we really love to celebrate August 15!!
We thank the Blessed Mother for interceding for us and guiding our families over the years!
How has your family been blessed by Our Lady’s maternal intercession?
If your story might inspire others, please share it! Send us an mail us at: joy@mariancenter.org.
Ways to Celebrate this Feast
1. Go to Mass, it’s a Holy Day of Obligation.
2. Join in a Marian procession or have your own with friends and family.
3. Give flowers to Our Lady.
4. Make a Marian craft with your children/grandchildren.
5. Pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.
6. Have a special meal and dessert with the family. There are a lot of Catholic blog sites with special foods for feast days.
7. Read a book about Mary or read to your children/grandchildren about the Blessed Mother.
Great Quotes on this Feast
“It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death. It was fitting that she, who had carried the Creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles…it was fitting that God’s Mother should possess what belongs to her Son, and that she should be honored by every creature as the Mother and the Handmaid of God.” – St. John Damascene
“By a special privilege, she was enriched by divine grace from the moment of her conception, and Christ, who ascended to the right hand of the Father, opened the doors of his kingdom to her, first among human creatures. Now from heaven, where the Queen of the angels and saints is crowned, the Mother of God and of the Church is close to the Christian people before whom she shines as the “new and immaculate woman (who) mediated for the guilt of the first woman.”
– Pope St. John Paul II
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