The assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven has long been held as an important Catholic belief. The belief was not defined as dogma, however, until 1950 when Pope Pius XII 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.”

What the Pope solemnly declared was already a common belief in the Catholic Church. As a dogma, the Assumption is a required belief of all Catholics. Anyone who publicly dissents from the dogma, Pope Pius declared, "has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic Faith."

The Gospel for this day reminds us that Mary's Assumption into heaven is best understood with regard to the full spectrum of Catholic beliefs about the person of Christ and the person of Mary. Only Mary, who was born without stain of original sin (the Immaculate Conception) could give birth to Christ, who is fully God and fully human. Because of Mary's role in God's plan of salvation, she does not suffer from the effects of sin, which are death and decay. Mary is the first to receive the fullness of the redemption that her son has won for all of humanity. The Church, therefore, recognizes Mary as the sign of the salvation promised to all.

We find homilies on the Assumption going back to the sixth century. In the following centuries, the Eastern Churches held steadily to the doctrine, but some authors in the West were hesitant. However by the 13th century, there was universal agreement. The feast was celebrated under various names; Commemoration, Dormition, Passing, Assumption etc., from at least the fifth or sixth century. Today it is celebrated as a solemnity.

Scripture does not give an account of Mary’s assumption into heaven. Nevertheless, Revelation 12 speaks of a woman who is caught up in the battle between good and evil. Many see this woman as God’s people. Since Mary best embodies the people of both Old and New Testaments, her assumption can be seen as an exemplification of the woman’s victory.

The earliest printed reference to the belief that Mary's body was assumed into Heaven dates from the fourth century, in a document entitled "The Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God." The document is written in the voice of the Apostle John, to whom Christ on the Cross had entrusted the care of His mother. It recounts the death, laying in the tomb, and assumption of the Blessed Virgin.

Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 15:20, Paul speaks of Christ’s resurrection as the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Since Mary is closely associated with all the mysteries of Jesus’ life, it is not surprising that the Holy Spirit has led the Church to believe in Mary’s share in his glorification. So close was she to Jesus on earth, she must be with him body and soul in heaven.

It is a matter of debate as to whether Mary died before the Assumption. Some believe Mary did indeed die, like all humans do, and was then transported to heaven. Still others believe that she simply "completed the course of her earthly life” and ascended in to heaven before actually dying. Pope Pius XII, in the text explaining his definition of the dogma of the Assumption, refers repeatedly to the Blessed Virgin's death before her Assumption, and the consistent tradition in both the East and the West holds that Mary did die before she was assumed into Heaven. However, since the definition of the Assumption is silent on this question, Catholics are not bound by dogma to believe that Mary either did or did not die before her Assumption. They must only believe in the Assumption itself.

Other Saints of the Day
1. Saint Alipius
2. Saint Altfrid
3. Saint Arduinus
4. Saint Limbania
5. Saint Neopolus

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