Why Celebrate? – Homily for the Assumption of Mary 2024

Assumption of Mary                                                                                       August 15, 2024
Fr. Alexander Albert                                                               St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville

Why? Why celebrate the Assumption of Mary? For many reasons, but one above all: everything we celebrate about Mary gives even greater glory to Jesus Christ her son. Every Marian dogma, devotion, and practice is ultimately about Jesus Christ.

Before explaining why, let’s answer what it is. The Assumption of Mary commemorates the day that Mary was brought into heaven, body & soul. Everyone else, when they die, leaves their body behind and only their soul goes to heaven. When Jesus rose from the dead, he ascended into heaven with his body. When it was Mary’s time, she received the special privilege to also bring her body with her to heaven. As I said, there are many reasons to celebrate this, but I’d like to offer 3: fulfilment of prophecy, the consolation of God’s grace, and clarifying our hope.

First, the fulfilment of prophecy. For [tonight/the vigil Mass last night], we hear(d) the 1st reading and psalm talk about ark of the covenant coming up into Jerusalem. Remember that the ark of the covenant was God’s presence in the Old Testament. It held the Ten Commandments, the staff of Aaron, and some of the Manna from the desert – all signs that God “dwelt” inside that golden box.

Well, once the temple was destroyed and the ark hidden away forever, the Israelites kind of “lost” his presence and missed it. But we know what happens. Mary hears the word of God from the angel, keeps that word, and becomes the dwelling place of God on earth once again. She is the new ark of the covenant. That’s why the book of revelation shows a vision of the ark in heaven and then immediately describes a woman clothed with the sun and standing on the moon.

Just as the ancient Israelites rejoiced to have the ark ascend into Jerusalem, so the angels and we rejoice that Mary’s body – the new ark – enters into heaven. The Old and the New Testaments are connected in this way. Even better, it’s a chance to rejoice. Why celebrate this feast? Because it brings us joy in the midst of a broken world to know that, when God dwells in someone, he brings them to heaven!

The second reason to celebrate Mary’s assumption is the consolation of God’s grace. Jesus ascended into heaven; Mary was assumed. The difference is simple: Jesus acted by his own divine power. Mary, however, did not have the power to bring herself to heaven. She was brought up by God’s power as a sign of the holiness of her son, the dignity of her offering her womb to him.

This is also a consolation for us! Why? Because it means we aren’t on our own in striving for heaven! Jesus is pretty intense in his teaching: “be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect” and “Enter through the narrow gate.” Getting to heaven is hard, impossible, actually. Just as Mary could not bring her own body to heaven so we cannot bring our bodies or our souls to heaven on our own. Just as God raised her body up to heaven, though, so he will raise us up to heaven if we let him.

Mary’s example is not that she brilliantly worked her way into heaven, but that she humbly trusted God and let herself be lifted up. Yes, her life was full of suffering, but also joy. And it was always with God’s grace and strength. Celebrate this feast not just because Mary is in heaven, but because it is a promise that you too can get there! God wants to lift you up like he lifted up Mary.

Third and finally, the Assumption reminds us of what we actually hope for. Some people say things like “so-and-so died and became an angel in heaven.” No they didn’t! Jesus Christ became a human being. He didn’t become an angel. God the Father adopted us as sons and daughters – he didn’t do that for angels. We don’t want to be angels in heaven, we want to be human beings because Jesus is human!

And human beings? They are body and soul. A human soul without a body is incomplete. This is so important that we remind ourselves every time we say the creed: “I believe in the resurrection of the body.” Until our bodies get to heaven, we aren’t yet complete. Mary bringing her body first is a kind of down payment, a living promise of the fact that we too will get our bodies back at the end of time, glorious and perfect in heaven.

So, every time your body lets you down… when it hurts or gets sick, when it’s not coordinated or is uncomfortable, whenever your body suffers and feels less than it should be… remember the Assumption of Mary! Remember that you will one day receive your heavenly body, free from all its imperfections and failures.

So, celebrate this day, this great truth that Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven. Celebrate it because it’s one more reason for us to rejoice at God’s unending fidelity from ancient times through the Old Testament and into the New! Celebrate today because it means that we do not have to slog our way to heaven on our own but can be lifted up by His grace. Celebrate the Assumption of Mary’s body because it means your body too will one day be set free from death and evil.

N.B. The follow-up to this homily is on the Queenship of Mary, here.