THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY The feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) commemorates the death of Mary and her bodily assumption into heaven. It is a holy day of obligation for Catholics which takes place every 15th of August. Mary, mother of Jesus the son of God, on completing her divinely instituted earthly mission in mankind’s salvation passed on to eternal glory without her body knowing decay. Christian history tells us that this important Marian feast was first celebrated in the sixth century in the Christian East. The feast of Assumption was originally known as the feast of ‘Dormition of the theotokos’ which literally means ‘the falling asleep of the mother of God’. The earliest printed reference of the belief that Mary’s body was assumed into heaven dated back to the 4th century in a document entitled “The account of St. John the theologian of the Falling Asleep of the Holy mother of God”. (Source-translated by Alexander Walker Vol. 8) The document recorded that Archangel Gabriel came to Mary while she was praying at the tomb of Jesus (the holly sepulcher) and told her that her earthly life had reached its end. On hearing this, Mary returned to Bethlehem to meet her death. The document recounted how the Holy Spirit caught up with all the apostles from different parts of the world and transported them to Bethlehem to be with Mary in her last days. Together they carried her in her bed back to Jerusalem. As the apostle Peter sang, it was recorded that the face of Virgin Mary shone brighter than light and she rose up and blessed each of the apostles with her own hand and they all praised God. Jesus appeared to her and told his mother not to fear…. “And the Lord stretched forth His undefiled hands and received her holy and blameless soul…And Peter and I John and Paul and Thomas ran and wrapped her precious feet …” Apostle John (whom Jesus entrusted with the care of His mother at crucifixion) recounted that the 12 apostles carried the body of the mother of God and placed her in a tomb in the Garden of Gethsemane… ‘’And behold a perfume of sweet savor came forth out of the holy sepulcher of our lady, the mother of God…. And for three days, the voices of invisible angels were heard glorifying Christ our God whom has been born of her…” All documents agreed to the fact that Mary died in the presence of the apostles; but her tomb, when opened later (as was customary in the Jewish tradition for relics collection) … was found empty. The apostles therefore concluded that her body was taken up to heaven. The assumption completed God’s work in her since it was not fitting that the flesh that had given life to God Himself should ever undergo corruption. Unlike the prophet Elijah, who was caught up by a fiery chariot and taken to heaven while still alive, Virgin Mary died naturally. The role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the economy of our salvation can never be underestimated. After the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve, God strove to restore the human race to Himself. The bible tells us that in a bid to achieve this, God chose a people He called His own. He made covenant with them, saw them through thick and thin, and groomed them to accept and trust in Him alone. From this linage came King David and Mary. The Immaculate Conception marked the preparation of her motherhood. From the very first moment of her existence, she was completely untouched by sin. From the annunciation to the crucifixion of Our Lord Jesus Christ (her son), Mary remained God’s ultimate validation of free will. She said ‘Yes to God” in obedience to the end. She is the vessel through which God became man. Knowing the rejection and possible stoning to death that awaited any woman found with child prior to marriage, she accepted Jesus before getting married. (Luke 1:26-38 ). St Augustine says “Before conceiving the Lord in her body, she had already conceived Him in her soul. She had made room for the Lord in her soul and thus became the temple where God made Himself incarnate’’. At the time of the presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ, Simeon led by the Holy Spirit told Mary “This child is chosen by God for the destruction and salvation of many in Israel…And sorrow like a sharp sword will break your own heart”. (Luke 2:27-35). When Pharaoh wanted to kill Jesus, Mary with saint Joseph did all they could to protect Jesus. She passed through a lot of heart breaks till the ultimate sacrifice of this same child for our sake. Mary did not for once interfere with God’s plan. After the death of her son, she became the mother of all the apostles. The veneration of the BVM is an important practice in Catholicism. Catholics do not worship her but accords her the respect she deserves. In the Magnificat, Mary prompted by the Holy Spirit said “…All generations will call me blessed”. (Luke 1:47-56). Catholics do not ask Mary to grant their wishes, but to intercede for them. Her power of intercession was first recorded at the wedding feast in Cana. Many miracles have since been recorded on the account of her intercession to which I am a witness. As we remember our sweet mother Mary in a special way today, may God grant us all it takes to live by her example -always saying to God. PEACE BE WITH YOU Written by Sinulo Ude.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 01:35:27 +0000