Transcript Slide 1

MARY
MOTHER OF JESUS,
MOTHER OF GOD
Part V:
Mary’s Assumption
“Arise, O Lord, into your resting place; you are the ark which you
have sanctified, the ark of the Covenant made from incorruptible
wood.” Psalms 131: 8
The Assumption of Mary
For Catholic Christians, the belief in the Assumption
of Mary flows immediately from the belief in her
Immaculate Conception.
Catholic Christians believe that if Mary was
preserved from original sin by the free gift of
God, she would not be bound to experience the
consequences of sin--corruption of death--in
the same way we do. Mary's assumption shows
the result of this freedom from sin--the immediate
union of her whole being with her Son Jesus Christ
with God at the end of her life. Catholic Christians believe that the Blessed
Virgin Mary, at the end of her earthly life, was assumed both body and soul
into heavenly glory.
Catholics simply mean that Mary’s body and soul was assumed into eternal
glory just as all saved Christians will be resurrected into eternal glory at the
end of time. It is simply taught that Mary was the first after Her Son to
be taken into heaven.
The Catholic Catechism
2853 Victory over the "prince of this world" was won once for all at the
hour when Jesus freely gave himself up to death to give us his life.
This is the judgment of this world, and the prince of this world is "cast
out." "He pursued the woman" but had no hold on her: the new Eve,
"full of grace" of the Holy Spirit, is preserved from sin and the corruption
of death (the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of the Most
Holy Mother of God, Mary, ever virgin). "Then the dragon was angry
with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring."
Therefore the Spirit and the Church pray: "Come, Lord Jesus," since his
coming will deliver us from the Evil One.
The Catholic Catechism
966 "Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original
sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body
and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all
things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the
Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death." The Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and
an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians: In giving birth you
kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother
of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God
and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.
The Bodily Assumption of Mary into Heaven
Mary's Death
Dogma: Mary suffered a temporal death. (Sententia communior; the more
common theological opinion)
Even if reliable historical reports as to the place (Ephesus, Jerusalem),
the time, and the circumstances of Mary's death are lacking, still the
fact of her death is almost generally accepted by the Fathers and
Theologians, and is expressly affirmed in the Liturgy of the Church.
The Sacramentarium Gregorianum (of Pope Gregory the
Great to Charles the Great (784-791), contains the prayer:
“Grant us, O Lord, on this festival day, on which the
Holy Mother of God, from whom your Son our Lord
became flesh, under went a temporal death and yet was
not suppressed by the grasp of death.”
The “Oratio super oblata " of the same Sacramentary reads: “May the prayer
for your people by the Mother of God, whom we know departed from this
carnal condition, intercede for us before your heavenly glory.”
Origen (In loan 2, 12; fragm. 31);
St. Ephrem (Hymnus IS, 2);
Severian of Gabala (De mundi creatione or. 6, 10);
St. Jerome (Adv. Rut. II, S);
St. Augustine (In loan tr. 8, 9),
mention the fact of her death incidentally .
St. Epiphanius (c. 310–403) instituted research into the close of Mary's life.
“ Nobody knows how she departed this world."
He leaves undecided whether she died a natural death, or whether
(according to Luke 2:35) she died by violence, or whether she (Revelation
12:14) still lives on immortal in some place unknown to us. (Haer 78, II. 24)
Luke 2:34-35
. . . Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold,
this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to
be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will
pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
Revelation 12:14
When the dragon saw that it had been
thrown down to the earth, it pursued the
woman who had given birth to the male
child. But the woman was given the two
wings of the great eagle, so that she
could fly to her place in the desert, where,
far from the serpent, she was taken care
of for a year, two years, and a half-year.
The serpent, however, spewed a torrent
of water out of his mouth after the woman
to sweep her away with the current. But the earth helped the
woman and opened its mouth and swallowed the flood that the
dragon spewed out of its mouth. Then the dragon became angry
with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her
offspring, those who keep God's commandments and bear witness
to Jesus.
The unknown author of a sermon which has come down to us under the
name of the Presbyter Timotheus of Jerusalem (6th-8th cent.) is of the
opinion that
“the virgin is up to now immortal (that is, did not die), as He who (in her)
lived, translated her into the place of reception (that is, into the Heavenly
Paradise).“ (Or. in Symeonem)
For Mary, death, in consequence of her freedom from original sin and from
personal sin, was not a consequence of punishment of sin.
Pope St. Pius V, 1566-1572
Errors of Michael du Bay: “No one except Christ is free from original sin;
hence, the Blessed Virgin died because of sin contracted from Adam,
and all of her afflictions in this life as well as those of other just persons
were the punishment for actual sin, or original sin.” D 1073)
However, it seems fitting that Mary's body, which was by nature mortal,
should be, in conformity with that of her Divine Son, subject to the general
law of death.
Catholic Christians also know from the Bible that Mary is not the only one
to be in heaven, body and soul.
Genesis 5: 22-24
Enoch lived three hundred years after the birth of Methuselah,
and he had other sons and daughters. The whole lifetime
of Enoch was three hundred and sixty-five years. Then Enoch
walked with God, and he was no longer here, for God took him.
2 Kings 2:1, 11
When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a
whirlwind, he and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. . . As
they walked on conversing, a flaming chariot and flaming horses
came between them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
The Bodily Assumption of Mary into Heaven
Dogma: Mary was assumed body and soul into Heaven.
(De fide; must be believed to be a Catholic and to remain a
Catholic)
After Pope Pius XII, on May 1, 1946, had addressed to all bishops in
the world the official query whether the bodily assumption of Mary into
Heaven could be defined as a proposition of faith, and whether they
with their clergy and people desired the definition, and when almost all
the bishops had replied in the affirmative, on November 1, 1950, he
promulgated by the Apostolic Constitution “ Munificentissimus Deus “
as a dogma revealed by God.
“Mary, the immaculate perpetually Virgin Mother of God, after the
completion of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into the
glory of Heaven."
In the Marian Epilogue to the Encyclical “ Mystici Corporis,“ 1943, Pope
Pius XII had already taught that Mary
“Resplendent in glory in body and soul reigns in heaven with her Son."
(D 2291)
Proof from Scripture
Direct and express scriptural proofs are not to be had.
The possibility of the bodily assumption before the second coming of Christ
is not excluded by St. Paul’s words.
I Corinthians 15: 23
For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to
life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his
coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when
he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has
destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power.
Thus the objective Redemption was completed with the sacrificial death of
Christ, and the beginning of the final era foretold by the prophets
commenced.
Its probability is suggested by St. Matthew’s words.
Matthew 27: 52-53
And the graves were opened: and many bodies of the saints
that had slept arose, and coming out of the tombs after His
Resurrection came into the holy city and appeared to many.
Proof from Tradition
According to the more probable explanation, which was already expounded
by the Fathers, the awakening of the " saints" was a final resurrection
and transfiguration. If, however, the justified of the Old Covenant were
called to the perfection of salvation immediately after the conclusion of the
redemptive work of Christ, then it is possible and probable that the Mother
of the Lord was called to it also.
From her fullness of grace spoken of in Luke 1: 28, Scholastic theology
derives the doctrine of the bodily assumption and glorification of Mary.
Because she was full of grace she remained preserved from the three-fold
curse of sin (Genesis 3:16--19), as well as from her return to dust.
(cf. S. Thomas, Expos. salut. ang).
Genesis 3:16-19
To the woman he said: "I will intensify the pangs of your childbearing;
in pain shall you bring forth children. Yet your urge shall be for
your husband, and he shall be your master.“ To the man he said:
"Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree of which
I had forbidden you to eat, "Cursed be the ground because of you!
In toil shall you eat its yield all the days of your
life. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to
you, as you eat of the plants of the field. By
the sweat of your face shall you get bread to
eat, until you return to the ground, from which
you were taken; For you are dirt, and to dirt
you shall return.”
In the woman of the Book of Revelation clothed with the sun (12: I), which
in its literal sense, must be taken to mean the Church, Scholastic theology
sees also the transfigured mother of Christ.
Revelation 12:1
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve
stars.
The Fathers too refer passages such as Psalms 131: 8 in a typical sense to
the mystery of the bodily assumption:
Arise, O Lord, into your resting place; you are the ark which you
have sanctified, the ark of the Covenant made from incorruptible
wood (a type of the incorruptible body of Mary).
Revelation 2:19
And the temple of God was opened in Heaven and the ark of His
Covenant was seen in His temple.
Canticle of Canticles 8:5
Who is this that comes up from the desert, flowing with delights,
leaning upon her beloved?
Modern theology usually cites Genesis 3:15 in support of the doctrine.
Because by the seed of the woman it understands Christ, and by the
woman, Mary, it is argued that as Mary had an intimate share in Christ's
battle against Satan and in His victory over Satan and sin, she must also
have participated intimately in His victory over death.
It is true that the literal reference of the text is to Eve and not Mary, but
already since the end of the second century (St. Justin) Tradition has seen
in Mary the new Eve.
The speculative grounds on which the Fathers of the closing Patristic era,
and the theologians of the scholastic movement, led by Pseudo-Augustine
(ninth century) base the incorruptibility and transfiguration of the body
of Mary, are also based upon Revelation.
These are:
Freedom from sin.
As the dissolution of the body is a punishment consequent on sin, and
as Mary, the immaculately conceived and sinless one, was exempt from
the general curse of sin, it was fitting that her body should be excepted
from the general law of dissolution and immediately assumed into the
glory of Heaven, in accordance with God's original plan for mankind.
Motherhood of God.
As the body of Christ originated from the body of Mary it was fitting that
Mary's body, should share the lot of the body of Christ. As a physicospiritual relationship the Motherhood of Mary demands a likeness to
her Divine Son in body and soul.
Perpetual virginity.
As Mary's body was preserved unimpaired in virginal integrity, it was fitting
that it should not be subject to destruction after death.
Participation in the work of Christ.
As Mary, in her capacity of Mother of the Redeemer, took a most intimate
share in the redemptive work of her Son it was fitting that, on the
completion of her earthly life, she should attain to the full fruit of the
Redemption, which consists in the glorification of soul and body. The idea
of the bodily assumption of Mary is first expressed in certain transitusnarratives of the fifth and sixth centuries. Even though these are apocryphal
they bear witness to the faith of the generation in which they were written
despite their legendary clothing.
The first Church author to speak of the bodily ascension of Mary, in
association with an apocryphal transitus of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is
St. Gregory of Tours (AD 594).
St Gregory
of Tours
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In favor of the dogma, an anonymous tract appeared (" Ad interrogata ")
in the twelfth century, which has been attributed to St. Augustine but
the origin of which is not yet certain (9th-10th centuries), decisively
advocating, on rational grounds, the bodily assumption of Mary. Since
the thirteenth century, the view represented by Pseudo-Augustine has
gained the upper hand. The great theologians of the scholastic era declared
for it.
St. Thomas Aquinas, 1225-1274
“From this curse, just like reverting to dust, the Blessed Virgin was immune
because she ascended with her body into heaven.” (Epos. salut. ang).
Early sermons on the Feast of Mary's entry into heaven are those of
Pseudo-Modestus of Jerusalem (c. 700),
Germanus of Constantinople (d. 733),
Andrew of Crete (d. 740),
St. John Damascene (d. 749) and
Theodore of Studion (d. 826).
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In the East, at least since the sixth century, and at Rome, at any rate,
since the end of the seventh century (Sergius I, 687-701) the Church
celebrated the Feast of the Sleeping of Mary (Dormition).
The object of the Feast was originally the death of Mary, but very soon
the thought appeared of the incorruptibility of her body and of its
assumption into Heaven. The original title Dormition (Sleeping) was
changed into assumption (Sacramentarium Gregorianum).
In the Liturgical and Patristic texts of the eighth and ninth centuries, the
idea of the bodily assumption is clearly attested. Under the influence
PseudoHieronymus, there was uncertainty for a long time as to whether
or not the assumption of the body was signified by the Feast.
Since the peak period of the Middle Ages, the affirmative view has gained
precedence, and has now been dominant for a long time.
Middle Ages
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Historical Development of the Dogma
A hindrance to the development of the dogma of the Assumption in
the West was a pseudo-Augustinian sermon (Sermo 208: " Adest nobis ");
a letter forged under the name of Jerome (Ep. 9: "Cogitis me") ; and
the Martyrology of the Monk, Usuard.
Pseudo-Augustine (probably Ambrosius Autpertus, d. 784) takes up the
stand that we know nothing of the fate of Mary's body.
PseudoHieronymus (Paschasius Radbertus, d. 865) leaves the question
open, whether Mary was assumed into heaven with or without her body,
but maintains the incorruptibility of her body.
Usuard (d. 875) praises the reticence of the Church which prefers not
to know the spot “in which that venerable Temple of the Holy Spirit was
hidden from view by Divine command," than to maintain it as something
legendary.
Usuard
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Usuard's Martyrology was extensively used in many monasteries
and chapters during choir prayers. Part of the letter of Pseudo-Hieronymus
found its way into the breviary. This delayed the acceptance of the dogma
into the theological thought of the Middle Ages.
On the reform of the Breviary under Pope St.Pius V (1568) the PseudoHieronyrnian lessons were expunged and replaced by others which
advocated the bodily assumption.
In the year 1668 a violent dispute flamed up in France on the doctrine
of the Assumption, when part of the Chapter of Notre-Dame in Paris
wished to revert to the Martyrology of Usuard, which was abolished
in 1540 (or 1549).
Pope St
Pius V Dispute
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Jean Launoy (d. 1678) energetically defended Usuard's standpoint.
Pope Benedict XIV (1740-58) declared the doctrine of the Assumption
to be a pious and probable opinion, but in so doing, did not declare that
it belonged to the deposit of faith.
In the year 1849 the first petitions for dogmatization were addressed to
the Apostolic See.
Jean Benedict
Launoy XIV Petitions
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At the Vatican Council I (1869-1870) nearly 200 Bishops signed a motion
for dogmatization.
Since the beginning of this century, the movement grew louder. After
the whole Episcopate, following an official inquiry of the Pope (1946)
almost unanimously affirmed the possibility of and the desire for the
definition.
Vatican
Council
I Inquiry
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Pope Pius XII , November 1, 1950
The unanimous doctrine of the ordinary Church Teaching Office, and the
unanimous belief of the Christian people in solemn definition declared
infallibly, ex cathedra:
“Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body
and soul to heavenly glory.”
Dogma
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The Queenship of Mary
After being assumed into Heaven and being raised above all angels and
saints, Mary reigns with Christ, her Divine Son. The Fathers from ancient
times honored her as the Patroness, Lady, Queen, Queen of the creation
(John of Damascus, De fide orth. IV 14), Queen of Men (Andrew of Crete,
Hom. 2 in Dormit. ss. Deiparae). The Liturgy honors her as the Queen
of Heaven and Earth, and so do the Popes in their Encyclicals (Pius IX,
Leo XIII, Pius XII).
Mary's right to reign as Queen of Heaven is a consequence of her Divine
Motherhood. Because Christ, in view of the hypostatic union, is as
man the Lord and King above all creation (cf. Luke. 1:32; Revelation 19:16),
so Mary as "the Mother of the Lord" (Luke. 1:43) shares in the royal
dignity of her Son, even if only in an analogical way. Furthermore, Mary's
royal merit is based on her intrinsic connection with Christ in His work of
Redemption.
As consort to a king, the wife or if unmarried, the mother of the king merits
the title “Queen”.
Pope Pius XII, 1954, Encyclical " Ad coeli reginam”
“Just as Christ is also our Lord and King because He has redeemed us
with His precious Blood (I Corinthians 6:20; I Peter. I:18), so, in an analogical
way, Mary is our Lady and Queen because she the new Eve has shared
intimately in the redemptive work of Christ, the new Adam, by suffering
with Him and offering Him up to the Eternal Father. Mary's sublime dignity
as the Queen of Heaven and Earth make her supremely powerful in her
maternal intercession for her children all earth. “
The Constant Faith Practice of the Church
From the 5th Century
The Feast of the Assumption of Mary was celebrated in Syria.
5th and 6th Century
The Apocryphal Books were testimony of a certain Christian sense of the
abhorrence felt that the body of the Mother of God should lie in a
sepulcher.
6th Century
The Feast of the Assumption was celebrated in Jerusalem (and perhaps
even in Alexandria).
From the 7th Century
Clear and explicit testimony was given on the Assumption of Mary in the
Eastern Church; The same testimony is clear also in the Western Church
(Gregory, Tours, 538-594).
Gregory of Tours
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9th Century
The Feast of the Assumption was celebrated in Spain.
From the 10th - 12th Century
No dispute whatsoever in the Western Church; there was dispute over
the false epistles of Jerome on the subject.
12th Century
The Feast of the Assumption was celebrated
in the city of Rome, and in France.
13th Century to the present
Certain and undisputed faith in the Assumption
of Mary in the universal Church.
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Finally
Nonbelievers and enemies of Catholic Christianity often accuse the
Church of creating the belief in Mary's freedom from original sin and
Mary's freedom from the wages of sin--corruption of death--when the
truths were defined.
Such an error is equivalent to saying that before Adam named the
animals and birds of creation in Genesis 2:19-20 they did not exist.
Genesis 2:19-20
So the LORD God formed out of the ground various wild animals
and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to
see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of
them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle,
all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved
to be the suitable partner for the man.
Or that before the early Church in her Ecumenical Councils named the
belief of three persons in one God "the Trinity" and the belief that there
are two natures, human and divine in the person of Jesus Christ "the
Incarnation," the truths did not exist.
In naming the content of Divine Revelation after God has revealed it to us,
the Church reflects a long Biblical tradition and practice.
Or that before the early Church in her Ecumenical Councils named the
belief of three persons in one God "the Trinity" and the belief that there
are two natures, human and divine in the person of Jesus Christ "the
Incarnation," the truths did not exist.
In naming the content of Divine Revelation after God has revealed it to us,
the Church reflects a long Biblical tradition and practice.