The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On August 15th, we honored a Glorious Mystery that radiates profoundly onto our prayer and family lives: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Church proclaims as truth that Mary, “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” This truth is alluded to in Scripture and ingrained in the ancient faith–while not defined as dogma until 1950, the Assumption has been celebrated since the fourth century. While Mary never experienced the fracture of body and soul that we will at the time of our death, the mystery foreshadows our eventual hope as children of God—the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Mary’s ascension to heaven inspires us to hope and trust in God, stretch ourselves further toward holiness, and surrender to his will in a way that only enriches our families’ lives. 

Suffering & Surrender 

In mothering Christ, in trusting God’s plan, and in remaining at the foot of the Cross, Mary exhibited a steadfast surrender to God’s will. Under different circumstances, we, too, can embrace a spirit of surrender reminiscent of and influenced by Mary’s own. Within the wide web of meaning carried by the Assumption, we are reminded of the deepest sorrows that touch our lives. We each know the pain of profound loss. We know the pain that such loss can inflict on our family members individually and collectively. Mourning loved ones, aching over separation, suffering illness, job loss, addiction, and other tragedies—as we reflect on the Assumption, let us rest assured in the truth that even the tragedy of death is not the final word. Our destiny is in the real home of heaven, with Our Mother and her Son, Our Lord. As we move through the pains of life both quotidian and overpowering, we can take Mary’s surrender to heart, embracing the radical yes to God as spiritual armor against that which threatens to loosen the ties that bind our families. We can weave this surrender to God, this headfirst dive into our faith, into each fiber of our family’s story, strengthening the way we view ourselves, each other, and our responsibilities to one another and to God. As we come closer to this holy surrender, we can anticipate our destiny with greater clarity. 

A Model for Prayer & Parenting 

One way that we can reasonably incorporate this kind of surrender into our family life is through prayer. The Blessed Virgin’s life–and subsequently, her resulting Assumption—models for us the kind of prayer that we can breathe into our lives (and teach our children to, as well). As St. Pope Paul VI notes, the final description of Mary’s life finds her praying: 

The apostles ‘joined in continuous prayer, together with several women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers’ (Acts 1:4). We have here the prayerful presence of Mary in the early Church and in the Church throughout all ages, for, having been assumed into heaven, she has not abandoned her mission of intercession and salvation. (Marialis Cultus, 18)

Surely, we each wish to be more like Mary—none of us want to abandon our own mission. We strive towards ongoing security in the wellbeing and salvation of ourselves, our children, our spouses, and our loved ones. As we work on cultivating a robust prayer life, may we consider what it means for us as flawed humans to cling to our mission with a Marian-esque allegiance. This may mean taking a moment each day to explore how we might further model our homes and family dynamics after the eternal home where Our Mother resides with her Son. What does it look like to create a home that emulates heaven? How can we practice forgiveness, mercy, and love in the messy human moments that fill our lives? Nurturing our family’s faith with behaviors, habits, and decisions that all point back to Him is one way to achieve such a home. It will likely be a daily tussle—and that’s okay. We can start by seeking to embody holiness in the building blocks of our lives, the transitional moments where we are likely to lose sight of Him. Every time we choose to imitate Our Lady’s devotion in our own families, especially when it’s difficult, we draw nearer to the love exemplified exclusively by the Holy Family. 

Seeking the Fullness of Life 

Mary’s Assumption is not an experience we will have at our own deaths. But it is a reminder of what we are made for: the fullness of life in His presence. Mary, at home in heaven both body and soul, mothers us not only through her devotion but by her example. As Deacon Chris Kabat writes in this month’s Full of Grace Youth Journal: 

The Immaculate Heart of Mary is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Her perfect, pure, and most blessed heart is a place of residence for God. Thus, Mary holds the key for us in coming to know and encounter God in our life. 

We find God perfectly at home in Mary’s Immaculate Heart. In her Assumption, we see the eventual triumph of the faithful made manifest in Our Mother’s fate. We can carry our trust in this triumph beyond the Feast of the Assumption and into the rest of our year. Take an extra moment to pray for Mary’s intercession in your family’s journey towards the true fullness of life that God offers us. Learn more about the Assumption and grapple with its implications alongside your older children. Consider the areas of your life where surrender does not come naturally—choose to surrender anyway. See how it feels to end your day together with the rosary and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Take heart in the knowledge that you and yours are not isolated from Our Lady’s love, Christ’s sacrifice, or God’s infinite grace. 

If you put all the love of all the mothers into one heart, it still would not equal the love of the heart of Mary for her children. 

– St. Louis de Montfort