Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima
Theme: Death can’t conquer God’s beloved
The Catechism of the Church teaches us that at the end of the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she was taken up to heaven, body and soul. Though the Assumption is one of the oldest feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the belief in the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary started in the early years of the Church), it was, however, declared a dogma of the Church (an article of faith) by Pope Pius XII in his Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus of November 1, 1950, where he wrote: “The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”
The declaration of the belief in the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in heaven as an article of faith of the Church does not actually negate the fact that Virgin Mary died. It, however, affirms that following the course of God’s plan for her, her human body knew no decomposition, rather, it was assumed into heaven together with her soul after her earthly life. So, the feast of Assumption celebrates the accomplishment of the work of grace that God began in Mary from the beginning of her life as well as God’s triumph in her life: She was the one chosen by God to be the mother of the Lord and the mother of the church, the one filled with the Holy Spirit at both the Annunciation and the Pentecost, and also the one who was full of Grace and preserved from the stain of original sin. Now, she lives in heaven in body and soul, sharing in the resurrection of Christ, her son.
In the Assumption of Mary into heaven, God made manifest to us once again the plan he has for humanity, the plan of taking humanity to Himself after the end of time. In Mary also, humanity has seen that the goal of its journey of faith — the journey towards eternal life in heaven — is possible and achievable, because the feast of Assumption shows that God has already rewarded one of His fruits — Mary — with the beatific vision; it shows that God has accomplished in Mary that plan which He has for all humanity. The goal of our spiritual journey here on earth is to enjoy beatific vision at the end of our life, and this beatific reward has been shown to be possible in Mary’s Assumption into heaven. So, the Blessed Virgin Mary becomes the sign of the hope of our spiritual striving. In her we see the hope that all our efforts to live according to the plan of God in order to merit eternal reward will not be in vain, we will, rather, be rewarded with beatific vision after our death if we live according to the plan of God for us, just as Mary did. Hence, the Assumption tells us that all followers of Christ who imitate Mary’s fidelity and obedience to God’s word and plan will surely be lifted up to heaven. This feast also assures us that if we cooperate with the grace God has given us (because God has blessed each of us with different degrees of grace) by living according to the will of God, eternal life will be ours.
Furthermore, the feast of Assumption also reminds us that the triumph of death over the bodies of those who love God is only temporal, only at the moment of death, but then the power of God comes to rescue His beloved from the hand of death and reward them with eternal life. Thus, the feast of Assumption is the feast of the triumph of life over death. St Paul made reference to this in his first letter to the Corinthians 15:54–57 where he told us that when our body, which is mortal, puts on immortality, that is at resurrection, death has been defeated, death has been swallowed in victory. The Psalmist in Psalm 16:10 also mentioned this when he said: “I will not allow my faithful servant to see decay.” So, the lives of those who love God will not end at death; those who love God and live according to his Word cannot be conquered in eternity by death and all its powers made manifest in sickness, hatred, oppression, persecutions, social and economic hardships, fear and disease (Rom. 8:35). No, but from death and all these other problems which it uses to threaten our lives, the power of God will raise his chosen people. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven strengthens this assurance.
Peace be with you
Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima