From this day all generations will call me blessed:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;  

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

the Almighty has done great things for me

and holy is his Name."

The greatest love story that was ever written was not Romeo and Juliet, but rather it was the love story between Jesus Christ and His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Among the last thoughts of Jesus even while suffering the agony of crucifixion was of His mother.  His disciple John was near the cross along with Mary and Jesus knowing that a widow with no family to take care of her would be in dire straits, He put Mary into the care of John. We cannot even imagine the pain that Mary herself was in watching her Son die in such pain and her pain added immeasurably to the agony of Christ on the Cross. 

From the time of her conception, Mary was preserved from the original sin that stained every other person that lived before us and will stain those that come after us.  She received the gift of salvation and her soul out of the uncounted billions of souls was the only one that was absolutely pristine and free from sin her whole life. God in effect saw the death of Jesus on the Cross before it happened and applied the graces to her at her conception.  She needed a savior and God Himself saw to it that Mary would be a fit tabernacle for the Son of God to reside in.

Mary, one day, finished her missions on Earth and she passed away and she was buried.  Quite a normal story up until now because all people die, that is the one universal law of the cosmos, death comes to all creatures.  When her tomb was later opened, still in the time of the Apostles, it was found to be empty.  The early Church believed that this empty tomb was proof positive that Mary was assumed, body and soul, into heaven to be with her Son.  

How do we know that this happened?  Is it in the Bible?  No, it is not in the Bible but logic tells us that not only was what we believe possible but it is also probable and the Church has declared it a dogma and they don't define dogmas without evidence.

First, the assumption was believed and taught from the earliest times in the Church, during a time when the Apostles still walked and worked among us. 

Next, we have the evidence of the lack of holy relics.  There are no relics taken from the body of Mary.  Relics were prized by the early Church and relics of the martyrs were considered holy objects.  It follows that if a "common" martyr's relic was thought of so highly, how much more veneration would a relic of Our Lady have generated?  Had they been available, they would have been enshrined and we could go to venerate them today.

"At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, when bishops from throughout the Mediterranean world gathered in Constantinople, Emperor Marcian asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to bring the relics of Mary to Constantinople to be enshrined in the capitol. The patriarch explained to the emperor that there were no relics of Mary in Jerusalem, that "Mary had died in the presence of the apostles; but her tomb, when opened later . . . was found empty and so the apostles concluded that the body was taken up into heaven."  (1)

Finally, the assumption of Mary is the promise of future glory for you and I.  What has happened to her, the taking of her body and soul to heaven, is what will happen to us.  Can you imagine on that glorious day when Mary entered heaven, the angels were singing as they hadn't sung since the day Christ was born.  The joy and happiness in heaven multiplied a thousand fold!  The Seraphim that guard the throne of God burned with the fierceness that total joy and total love generates.  The Holy City shined in golden splendor even more brightly and the shimmering of the sky and the streets proclaimed a joy completely unknown before this day as Mary and Jesus embraced in view of the citizens of heaven. From this moment on, heaven was, even more, happier than it had been before Mary arrived.  The joy of Jesus caused a thousand rainbows rich with the colors of brilliant jewels, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and other colors too numerous to name in the sky above proclaiming the arrival of Mary and crowning her as Queen of Heaven, Queen of Angels, Queen of Martyrs, and the Joy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

So yes, today we Catholics revere Mary, the Mother of Jesus on this day that commemorates her assumption into heaven.  And this feast day is a promise for us to remember that one day we will arise and go to the Home of Our Father. Isn't it great to be a Roman Catholic and to be able to celebrate such a wonderful holy day?  Hail Mary, Full of Grace.  

The poor souls in Purgatory rejoice on this day as the time of their own personal entry into heaven comes nearer.  Imagine if you were a poor soul and you had nobody to pray for you, how would you feel if someone actually took the time to say some prayers for you?  Please remember our brothers and sisters in purgatory.  Remember that someday you may be among them and need someone to pray for you.

(1) Taken from: July-August 1996 issue of "Catholic Heritage"  To subscribe write Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN 46750-9957 or call 1-800-348-2440. Published bi-monthly at a charge of $18.00 per year.