‘Let’s ask our Mother to stay close to us,’ Cardinal Tobin writes in latest newsletter
When we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Sunday, Aug. 15, we are offering to Mary the highest possible form of veneration. We proclaim that our belief in the resurrection of the dead on the last day is not simply a profound hope. It is a reality that has already taken place in the life of Mary, the Mother of God and our mother.
When the dogma of the Assumption was promulgated in 1950, its whole purpose, clearly stated in the text of the proclamation, was “for the honor of the Son, for the glorification of the mother, and for the joy of the entire Church.” We who are the Church rejoice in Mary’s bodily assumption into heaven because it affirms our belief in the resurrection of Jesus and it anticipates the resurrection of all members of His Body. In other words, Mary confirms one of our deepest longings—to be united (body and soul) in heaven with God and with all those who have died and gone before us.
Pope Francis echoed this joyful belief in his Angelus message last year when he said: “The Madonna has set foot in paradise: she went there not only in spirit, but with her body as well, with all of herself. This step of the lowly Virgin of Nazareth was the huge leap forward for humanity.” We rejoice because we see ourselves, and our future happiness, in Mary. This simple, faith-filled woman has accomplished what no human being has even come close to experiencing. By the power of God’s grace, she has bypassed the bodily corruption of sin and death and, as a result, she lives with her Son Jesus, the source of all Life, in heavenly bliss for all eternity.
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This is an excerpt from the latest edition (Aug. 13, 2021 / Vol. 2, No. 23) of Cardinal Joseph Tobin’s Rejoice in the Lord newsletter. Read the full edition and past editions of the newsletter in English and Spanish here.
