“now and at the hour of our death”

What is the Assumption? – Mary’s singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection by which she was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, when the course of her earthly life was finished. [i] The Assumption is  not when Mary took herself to heaven under her own power. It was under the power of God that her body and soul was lifted into heaven. Jesus is the only person to be able to raise Himself body and soul to heaven because He is God. The event of Jesus going to heaven is known as The Ascension.
 
Naturally, what should happen to Mary’s body? Like all bodies, Mary’s body should have decayed and corrupted in the grave. The fact that Mary’s body did not decay shows us the power of the Resurrection. The Assumption only makes sense in light of the Resurrection, since the Assumption is Mary’s participation in her Son’s Resurrection. The law of nature states that bodies decay; the law of grace preserves the body from decay. Saint Paul says in Romans, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [ii] The Assumption is a gift of God, not just for Mary, but also for all Christians. All Christians are called to participate in the Resurrection of Jesus. Corruption and decay is the normal outcome for most humans, but it is temporary, not eternal. We have hope and profess in the eleventh article of the Apostle’s Creed that we believe in “the resurrection of the body.” Yes, the body decays and corrupts, but it does not stay that way for all eternity. What God did with Mary’s body, He will do with the bodies of the faithful. We can therefore say, “And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad; even my body shall rest in safety. For you will not leave my soul among the dead, nor let your beloved know decay.” [iii]
 
Mary’s Assumption also shows the fulfillment of her Immaculate Conception. Since, she was without original sin, she was not touched with death, where our soul leaves our bodies, and our bodies begin to decay until the second coming. We call Mary the “New Eve”. God had promised the original Eve in her perfect state that she would not die. Since Eve failed and sinned, she brought death upon herself, while Mary who fulfilled God’s word was rewarded with life forever, body and soul, in Heaven through the Assumption.
 
Did Mary die before the Assumption? The Church does not make it official whether or not Mary was assumed right before or after she passed away. Practicing Catholics may believe either opinion because it does not contradict the dogma of her assumption of body and soul. Most theologians have come to the consensus that she did pass away here on earth and then immediately was assumed. Pope Pius XII wrote, “After the completion of her earthly life (Mary) was assumed body and soul into the glory of heaven”. [iv] Pope Pius did not explicitly state whether or not she died, but that her journey on earth had ended and she fulfilled all she was to do.
 
Is there anyone else that has been taken up to heaven body and soul? Elijah was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire. “As they walked on conversing, a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” [v] Because Elijah had not died but rather was taken up, it was believed that he would return prior to the coming of the Messiah. This is why many believed that Saint John the Baptist was Elijah and while Jesus died on the Cross, “some of the bystanders who heard it said, ‘This one is calling for Elijah.’” [vi] Elijah did indeed return to announce the Messiah, but He did so to the very small crowd of Saints Peter, James and John at the Transfiguration. Another person taken up to heaven was Enoch who lived a few generations prior to Noah. Scripture says of Enoch, “Then Enoch walked with God, and he was no longer here, for God took him.” [vii] And of course Jesus was taken up to heaven at the Ascension, “When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.” [viii]
 
Is there anyone else whose body has not suffered decay and corruption? Yes. Incorruptibility is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief that supernatural intervention allows some human bodies to avoid the normal process of decomposition after death. [ix]
 
VIDEO - “The Incorruptibles”
Almost 100 incorruptible Saints are listed in a book called  The Incorruptibles. The Incorruptibles are a testament to the sanctity of the individual, the dignity of the body and the grace of God, who as the author of nature can defy the laws of nature.
 
Is there any other proof that Mary was assumed into Heaven? One of the most telling proofs of her assumption is that there are no remains of Mary. The Church from its beginning has marked and kept record of holy places and remains of holy people. For example, there was such care taken over the bones of St. Peter that the Church was able to build St. Peter’s Basilica and the main altar in the Basilica right above the tomb or St. Peter. The relics of the early Christians were gathered and kept up with great care. However, we have no remains of Mary. We know Mary’s last moments on earth were in Jerusalem or maybe Ephesus, but neither city claims to have her remains. If we kept such high esteem for all our other Saints, certainly the Church would have taken great pride in having the remains of the Mother of God, the Queen of the saints, yet not a single place has ever claimed to have them and no one does because she was assumed into heaven.
 
What is our final destination? The Assumption proclaims the final destination of every Christian. Mary was the first disciple of Christ, the first to participate fully in the Life and Christ, and thus the first to participate in His Resurrection. Our final destination is heaven, the Resurrection of the Body and Life eternal with the Blessed Trinity, Mary and all the Angels and Saints. The feast of the Assumption is therefore a reminder of where we are going. In the  Hail Mary we pray, “The Lord is with Thee”. The Angel Gabriel proclaimed these words, “The Lord is with Thee” because at the moment of the Annunciation, the Word (Jesus) was made Flesh in the womb of Mary. The Lord was indeed with Mary. Not only was the Lord with Mary, but Mary was with the Lord. In her life, Mary never left her Son but rather participated fully in His life. The Assumption is therefore the completion of the Annunciation. At the Annunciation it was proclaimed that, “The Lord is with Thee,” at the Assumption we proclaim that you, Mary, are with the Lord.
 
Who do we belong too, who are we with? The Body of Christ consists of the Head of the Body (Jesus) and the members or parts of the Body (the Faithful). What happens to the Head, happens to the members, what happens to Jesus, and happens to all of us. He suffered and we suffer. He was glorified and so we will be glorified. When we look at Mary, we are looking at the model of the Christian perfection. In Mary the Christian sees himself. Mary shows us our vocation and destiny. If we belong to Christ, if we are with Him now, we will be with Him later. The Lord was with Mary, and therefore Mary was with the Lord. Jesus promises us at the Last Supper, “…so that where I am you also may be.” [x] This is a promise, a privilege; Christ gives to His beloved, the Church. We can learn from Mary, how to be intimately united to Jesus Christ. This intimacy is a total sharing and participation in His life, we belong to Him, we are with Him and nothing can separate us either in life or in death. This intimacy gives us to be “convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [xi] “Scripture portrays the loving Mother of God, almost before our very eyes, as most intimately united with her divine Son and always sharing in his destiny.” [xii]

Is it true that nothing can separate us from Christ? There is only one thing that can separate us from Jesus, and that is our free will. If we will to be with Christ, to belong wholly to Him, then nothing can take us away. We will be tempted in many ways to choose to leave the intimacy and union with Jesus, but ultimately only we can choose to leave the intimacy and union. Saint Bernard says that free will is the second most powerful force in the universe. It is true that death, life, angels, principalities, present things, future things, powers, height, depth nor creature is more powerful than our free will. These things cannot separate us from Christ. Only we can separate our self from Christ, and if we are separated from Him now and stay in that separation, we will be separated from Him forever. We will either use our free will for our self or for God, this is a daily choice. Mary did not just choose Christ at the Annunciation; she choose Christ at the Presentation in the Temple, the Wedding of Canna, the Proclamation of the Kingdom, the Passion, the Death and after the Resurrection and Ascension. Mary was united and intimate with her Son, her whole life because her “yes” was a perpetual yes, a yes in which her will was united with the will of the Father. 
 
How do we know if we are with Christ? This is a matter of trust and hope. We usually know if we are in the state of grace or not. An examination of conscience each night helps us to know the ways we have separated our self from Christ. Sin is separation. If we have committed a sin that is mortal, that is, a grave matter, in which we have given full consent and had full knowledge, then we have separated our self from Christ and must be reunited. We do not have to wonder if we are in the state of Grace, we just have to prayer to the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead us to truth, truth about life and truth about our self. “I will send him [Holy Spirit] to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation.” [xiii] We should not fear or wonder but rather head the advice of Saint Padre Pio who said, “Pray, Hope, Don’t Worry.” We can pray to the Holy Spirit to help us know our sin, repent from sin and avoid sin. We can also pray and live out the Act of Hope. “O Lord God, I hope by your grace for the pardon of all my sins and after life here to gain eternal happiness because you have promised it who are infinitely powerful, faithful, kind and merciful. In this hope I intend to live and die.” Daily prayer, examination of conscience, and practicing the virtue of hope will keep us intimately untied with Christ and willing to die rather than be separated from Him. This confidence and hope gives us cause to not fear or worry but live in hope and live life to the full.  Am I far away from Christ? How can I grow closer to the Lord today? What steps can I take to unite myself with Him?
 

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[i] Catechism of the Catholic Church - 966
[ii] Romans 6:23
[iii] Psalm 16; Liturgy of the Hours; Week II; Sunday, Evening Prayer I
[iv] Munificentissimus Deus 1950
[v] 2 Kings 2:11
[vi] Matthew 27:47
[vii] Genesis 5:24
[viii] Acts 1:9
[ix] Source: Wikipedia
[x] John 14:3
[xi] Romans 8:38-39
[xii] Spiritual Reading in this Link to Liturgy packet
[xiii] John 16:7-8