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The Assumption of Mary is a Christian feast day that celebrates the belief that after her earthly life, the Virgin Mary was bodily taken up into heaven. The Feast of the Assumption is celebrated by Roman Catholics and some Christians of other traditions on the 15th of August each year. It is one of the few holy days that is not also a festival or a vigil. The feast day commemorates the end of Mary’s earthly life and her assumption into heaven, which means that Christians believe she did not experience death but was taken up to Heaven while still alive. Read on to find out more about this important religious celebration!
Assumption is the belief that after her earthly life, the Virgin Mary was bodily taken up into heaven. This is a unique belief in that it is not a “departure” in the sense of death, but a physical “ascent” into the divine. The assumption of Mary into heaven is seen as the culmination of her life’s journey, and it is celebrated in the hope that it is an example that all people can aspire to reach heaven. Mary is seen as the “New Eve,” a new kind of person. The first Eve was the source of all human sin, the new Eve is the source of all human salvation.
The feast of the Assumption was not celebrated in the early church. Some early Christian authors like Ambrose of Milan (c. 339– c 401), Jerome (c. 342–420), and Augustine of Hippo (354–430) refer to the Assumption of Mary, but it was not an established belief. It was not until the 12th century that the Assumption was celebrated. The earliest record of a Feast of the Assumption is in a letter from Pope Innocent II in 1139 to the bishops of Europe, urging them to celebrate the feast. He had been prompted to issue this letter by his receipt of a private revelation from the Virgin Mary. In 1148, Bernard of Clairvaux wrote an influential hymn called Virgin Mother, which asserted that Mary had been assumed into heaven. This hymn was used at the Third Council of the Lateran in 1179 to affirm Mary’s Assumption into heaven as Catholic Church doctrine.
The Assumption of Mary is celebrated with high masses, where the priest is vested in special liturgical garments and incense and candles are used. There are also many processions, particularly on the day of the Assumption. The Feast of the Assumption is one of the few holy days that is not also a festival or a vigil. Traditionally, feast days celebrate the lives of great saints and heroes of the faith, whereas festivals are celebrations of particular events in the life of Christ and occasions of communal joy. Vigil days, on the other hand, mark significant events in the lives of Jesus or the Virgin Mary. There is special indulgence for reflection and meditation on the Assumption of Mary. Long held as an article of faith, the feast of the Assumption is the only religious feast whose mystery and significance has been described in the encyclical letter of a pope. Pope Pius XII did this in his encyclical letter on the Assumption, issued in 1954 as part of the first ever International Eucharistic Congress.
The Assumption of Mary differs from some of the other important holy days in a couple of ways. First, it is not a “departure” in the sense of death, but a physical “ascent” into the divine. It is a unique belief that is not found in any other significant religious feast days. Secondly, the Assumption of Mary is one of those holy days that is not also a festival or a vigil. Traditionally, feast days celebrate the lives of great saints and heroes of the faith, whereas festivals are celebrations of particular events in the life of Christ and occasions of communal joy. Vigil days, on the other hand, mark significant events in the lives of Jesus or the Virgin Mary. Not every holy day is a festival or a vigil, but the Assumption is neither.
The Assumption of Mary is an important holy day because it is the source of hope. It is the affirmation that “we too can be taken up.” The Feast of the Assumption is significant because it celebrates a woman who is the full and complete image of God. The Assumption of Mary is important for all people, not just Catholics. It is a holy day that is relevant to all people of faith, and it is a celebration that offers hope to all human beings. It is an example of how human beings can aspire to be taken up into God.
The Assumption of Mary is a Christian feast day that celebrates the belief that after her earthly life, the Virgin Mary was bodily taken up into heaven. The Feast of the Assumption is celebrated by Roman Catholics and some Christians of other traditions on the 15th of August each year. It is one of the few holy days that is not also a festival or a vigil. The feast day commemorates the end of Mary’s earthly life and her assumption into heaven, which means that Christians believe she did not experience death but was taken up to Heaven while still alive. There are many reasons why this feast day is important to Christians. It is a holy day that celebrates a woman who is the full and complete image of God. It is a holy day that is relevant to all people of faith, and it is a celebration that offers hope to all human beings.
