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
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