 |
| Rubens, 1626 |
In the Parish, many asked me about the Assumption and if Mary, the mother of Jesus, died or not.
By celebrating Mary’s Assumption, we celebrate her total salvation, in which her body participates of the glory of the body of Christ, as Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians: Christ “will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Phil 3:21).
The celebration of the feast of Assumption of our Lady is a proclamation of our faith in the resurrection of the dead in Jesus Christ. What we celebrate about Mary is what we look forward to with great hope. All of us will rise from the dead to be alive in Jesus Christ for the glory of God. The feast of the Assumption reminds us that the salvation brought about by Jesus Christ is for the whole person, body and soul. Mary has received the plenitude of salvation. In her, the Promise has been fulfilled, as it will be in us.
Indeed, Mary is the most blessed (Lk 1:42,45). She is the mother of the Lord, and she believed and accepted God’s plan for her. She was the first one to receive the Spirit, enabling her to receive Jesus, not only in her womb, but also in her heart, becoming a true disciple. With her, we must learn to follow Jesus and to sing God’s praises for all his blessings: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Lk 1:46-47).
About the Assumption, many ask: Where is it written in the Bible? Well, if you are looking for a passage in the Scriptures to prove the Assumption of Mary, then you cannot find it anywhere. But this is a feast with long tradition. At the end of the third century and beginning of the fourth, there are already references to Mary being taking to heaven in body and soul. In the East, by the 7th Century, the feast was established and was celebrated on 15 August, being one of the great feasts of the Orthodox Church.
In the Orthodox Church, the feast of Assumption is called the Dormition (Falling Asleep) of the Theotokos”, meaning that Mary’s death was like falling asleep in order to wake up on the other side, for the new life, in which she was “filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:19). When called to heal Jairus’ daughter, Jesus referred to death as sleep, and he did the same about Lazarus’ death. So it was with Mary, the Mother of the Lord: she went into sleep and passed from this world to the peace, joy and life of the Kingdom of God.
 |
| from Constantinople |
Neither the tomb, nor death
could hold the Theotokos,
Who is constant in prayer and our firm hope in her intercessions.
For being the Mother of Life,
She was translated to life by
the One who dwelt in her virginal womb. On the Assumption:
No comments:
Post a Comment