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The Assumption of Mary
Revelation 11:19a; 12:1–6a, 10ab; Psalm 45; 1 Corinthians 15:20–27; Luke 1:39–56
The Assumption of Mary is not only about Mary.
It is also about us.
It is about the human body.
It is about death.
It is about what Christ has promised to those who belong to Him.
In the second reading, Saint Paul says:
“Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
This is the heart of today’s feast.
Jesus Christ is risen.
He is risen in His body.
Death touched Him, but death could not hold Him.
And because Christ is risen, the future of the human person has changed.
We are not made for the grave.
We are not made for nothingness.
We are not souls trapped inside bodies.
We are created by God, body and soul, and we are called to share in the glory of the risen Christ.
Mary is the first to show us this promise fulfilled.
At the end of her earthly life, the Mother of God was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.
It was grace.
It was the victory of Christ in her.
The Son did not allow His Mother, who gave Him His body, to be left in corruption. She who carried the Lord of life in her womb is now carried by His victory into glory.
That is why today’s first reading gives us the sign of the woman clothed with the sun.
The woman is both the image of the Church and Mary.
She stands before the dragon, the ancient serpent, the enemy of life.
The dragon wants to devour.
The dragon wants to destroy.
The dragon wants death to have the last word.
But it fails.
The child is born.
The Messiah comes.
The kingdom of God is proclaimed.
The victory belongs to Christ, and His Mother shares in that victory.
This is why the Assumption is a feast of hope.
We live in a world that often forgets the dignity of the body.
The body is used.
Sold.
Exploited.
Judged.
Rejected when it becomes weak.
Hidden when it grows old.
Feared when it becomes sick.
But today, the Assumption of Mary tells us something different.
The body is created by God.
The body is redeemed by Christ.
The body is destined for resurrection.
Mary began her journey of faith with:
“Let it be done to me according to your word.”
Then she carried Christ to Elizabeth and sang:
“My soul magnifies the Lord.”
And when her earthly journey ended, she was taken into the glory of Christ.
Where Mary is, the Church hopes to be.
Where Mary is, we hope to be.
Christ’s redemption reaches the whole human person.
Not only the soul.
Not only the mind.
Not only the heart.
Body and soul.
So today we look to Mary, assumed into heaven, and we bless God for what He has done in her.
And we ask for the grace to live as people of resurrection.
To receive Christ.
To carry Christ.
To give Christ.
Until the day when, body and soul, we too will share in the glory of God.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Matthew
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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© 2025 Krakus.
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