Spirituality Corner

Matthew M. Umukoro

mattmukoro@gmail.com

 

Is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary a mere assumption or a concrete theological reality? In other words, was our Mother Mary, at death, truly assumed or transported into Heaven, body, soul, and spirit? 

Before we can attempt an answer, we need to examine closely what type of woman Mary is. To start with, she is the first and the last woman in human history to experience both pregnancy and motherhood without losing her virginity, and is therefore the Queen of Virgins as well as Queen of Mothers at the same time. The omniscient God sees all things, and therefore knows the end from the beginning, right from Creation to the Apocalypse as described in the Books of Genesis and Revelation.

Thus, Christ’s Incarnation and crucifixion up to his anticipated Second Coming that still lies ahead were well known to Him from the beginning of time. Even before Adam and Eve were created, God had seen the Fall of Man, and the fact that mankind would need to be redeemed at some point in human history. Therefore, God had made provision for the process of redemption, and nothing has happened by pure chance. Hence, unknown to Mary herself, she was part of the divine plan from the very beginning, and was thus spared the guilt of original sin when she was later born.  The type of life one lives determines the manner of one’s death. What type of life did Mary live on earth?

        Mary lived as a first century Jewish virgin of humble background, and cousin to Elizabeth who is mother of John the Baptist, the Forerunner of Christ. She was shielded by the Holy Ghost right from the womb and, at a tender age, betrothed to Joseph, the son of Jacob from the line of David, and was later brought to the limelight by the Annunciation. Mary must have been thoroughly bewildered by Angel Gabriel’s announcement at a time when virginity was a necessary condition for matrimony, and no virgin can possibly conceive without intercourse.  “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” Mary said, utterly perplexed (Luke 1:34). Because the story is now in popular domain, it is difficult to appreciate the dilemma Mary actually faced since she was totally oblivious of God’s plan for her.

 

Someone of lesser faith would have dismissed the predicted Holy Ghost pregnancy as sheer phantom tale. Fortunately, Mary passed the crucial test, and received God’s greatest blessing in reward. All this was in fulfilment of an earlier prophesy: “Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

Mary turned out to be the virgin in question, whom God prepared ahead of time. So, it can be concluded that Mary is a favoured woman who enjoys God’s special grace from birth to death and beyond. Mary herself realised the uniqueness of God’s favour upon her when she acclaimed: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation” (Luke 1:46-50). Mary’s greatest attribute is thus her unquestioning obedience, arising from the fear of God which won for her this uncommon and eternal favour, and which she acknowledged in utmost humility.

Mary lived a life of extraordinary righteousness, governed by absolute faith till the very end, and she lived to witness the gruesome murder of her beloved Son (bearing the psychological trauma, while Jesus bore the physical agony), and relished his subsequent glorious resurrection.  She also witnessed her only son’s ascension into heaven, and was there at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit physically descended into the world to kick-start the Church of Christ, marking the commencement of active evangelisation.

Like the rest of us, Holy Mary is fully human except in her purity and sinlessness, and like all mortals, she was bound to taste physical death at the end of her earthly career. But how did Holy Mary pass away and what transpired thereafter?

Considering her spiritual intimacy with the Angels, Mary must have had a premonition of her passing as the time drew close. Her physical death (also known as the Dormition of the Virgin Mary) must have been witnessed by some of the apostles of Christ with whom she maintained very close interaction during her lifetime. But her body was not abandoned in any physical tomb on earth; rather, she was transported into Paradise body, soul, and spirit. With due regard to the extraordinary life that she lived on earth and her special status as the biological Mother of Jesus, nobody can logically dispute the fact of the Assumption of Mary.

Does it not stand to reason that her divine son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, could not possibly have suffered her Mother’s immaculate body to rot in the grave like those of mere mortals? The earlier Ascension of Christ to Heaven was certainly an even greater and more dramatic miracle than the Assumption which merely involved the discreet transposition of Mary’s body to Heaven, away from public attention. Thus, it is far beyond mere assumption that the Assumption was a corresponding reality to the Ascension, and Mary remains forever the Queen of all saints. 

The Assumption had existed as a popular legend for centuries without any real formalisation. But as recent as 1950,  Pope Pius the 12th (1876-1958), who led the Church from March 1939 until his death at the age of 82, officially proclaimed the Assumption of Mary as a cardinal dogma of Catholic Faith, and an event of monumental proportions that deserves regular commemoration.

According to him, “the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven” (Internet Source). The Assumption has thus become a major Marian Solemnity in the Catholic calendar, normally celebrated every August 15, with the celebrants in white robe. Mary is seen as the latter-day Eve who came to reverse the tragedy that occurred in the Garden of Eden, giving humanity fresh hopes of restoration and redemption.

In Chapter 12 (Verse 1) of the apocalyptic Book of the Revelation, it is stated that “there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”  Blessed Mary ever Virgin may very well be this Heavenly Woman in reference, who continues to demonstrate her divine prowess for all eternity. Since her Assumption to heaven, she has appeared in many miraculous apparitions to groups and individuals, most notably those of Guadalupe, Mexico (in 1531), Lourdes, France (in 1858), and Fatima, Portugal (as recent as 1917). Her Immaculate Heart, which collaborates with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, continues to provide succour to mankind, through her powerful intercession in human affairs.

She is an embodiment of great Christianly virtues like faith, humility, and charity, and an inspiration to the rest of mankind. Her intercessory role is facilitated by her humanity which makes her to appreciate fully our strengths and weaknesses as human beings. Her Assumption must thus be taken as a theological fact beyond any meaningful controversy.