Today we celebrate that moment when the Blessed Virgin Mary completed her life on earth and was taken, body and soul, into heaven. We believe in the Assumption because we believe that God the Father would not allow the corruption of death to touch the pure and holy body of his most favored daughter (and perhaps others as well!).
The idea that a human being could be taken into heaven is as old as the Scriptures themselves. It is believed the Old Testament figures Enoch and Elijah were both “taken into heaven” upon the completion of their earthly lives. About Enoch we read “he walked with God, and he was no longer here, for God took him (see Genesis 5:24), and about the great prophet Elijah “he went up to heaven in a whirlwind, and Elisha saw it happen and he cried out, “My father! my father! Israel’s chariot and steeds!” Then he saw him no longer (2 Kings 2:11b-12). Some also believe Moses enjoyed a similar privilege as was given to Enoch and Elijah; even though the Scriptures say he died and was buried; we read “to this day no one knows the place of his burial” (see Deuteronomy 34:6b). And because Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration (which gave Peter, James, and John a glimpse into heavenly glory), it is suggested both Old Testament figures indeed had already been assumed into heaven and had places at the heavenly throne (see Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8, and Luke 9:28–36).
These Old Testament accounts of Enoch and Elijah (and possibly those referencing Moses as well) allow us to believe the Blessed Virgin Mary enjoyed a similar fate. And why not? Surely, she was the most important human being to have part in the events that led up the Incarnation of Jesus our Lord! Her singular role in Salvation history, her complete cooperation with the will of God the Father, and the fact that she bore his Son within her womb are so significant we believe they enabled her to enjoy the complete fruits of the Redemption for the entirety of her life: from her conception within the womb of her own mother to the end of her natural life on earth! Surely, Mary was most favored by God, perhaps even more than the chosen Old Testament figures of Enoch and Elijah (and possibly Moses too!).
One aspect of the special role of Mary that particularly inspires me is that she was a poor and humble young woman when the Angel Gabriel appeared and announced to her that she would be the mother of Jesus. She lived in the small, out of the way, insignificant town of Nazareth, and it was there and through her that God the Father Almighty made possible the Incarnation of Jesus our Messiah! God allowed an impoverished and lowly virgin to become perhaps the greatest human being in all of history; a reality about which she herself alludes when not long after the Annunciation and while visiting her cousin Elizabeth she proclaims: “for he has regarded: the lowliness of his handmaiden . . . and behold, from henceforth: all generations shall call me blessed . . . he has cast down the mighty from their thrones: and has exalted the humble and the meek” (see Luke 1:48 and 52). In this sense, it seems to me all of those who are lowly, or marginalized, or humble, or despised, or poor, or outcasts in any way, may be the most likely to complete God’s will during their earthly lives! Oh, and how easy it is for “the rest of us” to dismiss and think such people cannot possibly find favor with God! Not only may they find such favor, but they like Mary can be assured a place at the Heavenly Banquet for all eternity! This is something upon which I believe genuine Christians must reflect and always contemplate!
One day each of us will share in the great joy of Mary in heaven. We believe someday will meet God face to face and like Enoch, Elijah, Moses, and like all the holy men and women who have come before us, we will enjoy the glory of heaven. There, with Jesus our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the angels and saints, we will forever and with complete happiness praise our loving Father. We remember Mary also said to Elizabeth: “My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord” (see Luke 1:46). May we, like her, proclaim the greatness of our God in the way that we live our earthly lives and in the hope of our own resurrection and glory.
