Q: What is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and why is it so important?

A: The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is held every year on August 15th. It is a day of obligation, however, when it falls on a Saturday or Monday the obligation is often lifted and transferred to Sunday; as it in 2026 which lands on a Saturday.  
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So, what is the Assumption of our Lady? What happened? The word Assumption comes from the Latin noun assūmptiō, meaning “taking up.” It refers to the special privilege of being “taken up” to heaven, body and soul, of the Blessed Virgin Mary when the end of her time on earth was complete.

History shows that discussions about the doctrine of the Assumption goes back to as early as 300AD. Devotion to the Assumption goes back to the sixth century but was not officially stated in the dogma of the Church until 1950 by Pope Pius XII. The earliest devotions were called the “Dormition of Mary”, or Mary's falling asleep and being taken to heaven.

Where would this belief come from? There are many reasonable explanations.

1. There are other assumptions in the Scripture, so it is not unreasonable, Enoch and Elijah.

              “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him” (Ge5:24).
             “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found,
                  because God had taken him” (Heb11:5).
             “The Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind...Elijah went up by a
                  whirlwind into heaven...and he(Elisha) saw him no more” (Elijah 2Ki2:1,11-12).
             “Elijah because of great zeal for the law was taken up to heaven” (1Mac2:58).2.
      2.  The blessed Virgin Mary was full of grace unlike any other human person, second only to
           our Lord (Lk1:28). The phrase “full of grace” used here is different than in other places with
           other people, here in Luke1:28, the Greek translation means “has been and is now full of
           grace”, pointing to the belief that she was given fullness of grace from her conception
​           (CCC490-493,722, and Pope Pius IX1854b definition Ineffabilis Deus).
     3.  There are no relics of Mary’s body.
     4.  The Church and its tradition believed, honored, and celebrated this doctrine from the start
          it was just not officially stated dogma until 1950.
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In 1950 to help us understand the Assumption, Pope Pius XII wrote that Holy Mary’s Assumption related to her Immaculate Conception. “She, by an entirely unique privilege, completely overcame sin by her Immaculate Conception, and as a result she was not subject to the law of remaining in the corruption of the grave, and she did not have to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body” (Munificentissimus Deus, #4-5). Death is still a surprise when it comes, as it should be. Death was not meant for us from the beginning but because of original sin, we all experience bodily death from the corruption of being born into original sin from Adam and Eve. Sin causes death. Mary was saved from original sin from her conception, and stayed sinless, given the gift of fullness of grace, so her body never saw decay. Pope Pius XII further quotes St Robert Bellarmine, “And who, I ask, could believe that the ark of holiness, the dwelling place of the Word of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit, could be reduced to ruin? My soul is filled with horror at the thought that this virginal flesh which had begotten God, had brought him into the world, had nourished and carried him, could have been turned into ashes or given over to be food for worms. (see Munificentissimus Deus, #34).

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary gives us the hope of the Resurrection and points to our future home that we all strive for. Mary is our Mother of the order of grace praying for us on our journey home. She is the best of our race, our example of pure obedience to grace and the will of the Father and love of the Son.
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“Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed it the fruit of your womb Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen”.

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