The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven on August 15. We believe that Mary was assumed into heaven body and soul after following her son in death. Many Catholics and non-Catholics alike tend to mistakenly view the Assumption as a sign that the Catholic Church views Mary as a goddess. This vision overlooks the role that has been given to Mary in Salvation History. Like Moses, King David, and so many others, God chose Mary to lead humanity into the Covenant. Her role is to take us to her son. So where does her Assumption into Heaven in body and spirit take us? And what can Catholic families do to follow Jesus more faithfully?
1. Change your vision of death
God did not create humanity to die. In Eden, he gave up the Tree of Life. He created us for an unending relationship with him as his children. But sin brought death into the world. Sin destroys everything. He separates. Death is the separation of the body from the spirit. It is the separation from God’s most marvelous creation: the human person. Death is a great horror, so much so that even Jesus faced great anxiety about it in the Garden of Gethsemane (at least that was part of his anguish).
But when Jesus freely embraced death as payment for our sins and defeated it with his Resurrection, he transformed death into an act of salvific love. His disciples no longer need to be anxious about death. Jesus has conquered it. By his grace, we too can conquer it. Jesus transformed suffering and death into an act of love. By his grace we can suffer and die also for love of others. Jesus made death a door to glory. By his grace we can pass through the gate of death into the glory of the eternal kingdom.
However, how do we treat death as Catholics? Hear what people are saying at wakes and funerals. Things like:
- “It’s a shame. I was so young.”
- “He lived a good life.”
- “At least he doesn’t suffer anymore.”
- “He will always live in…in our memories.”
These statements reflect a secular view of death. While they may seem like nice and sympathetic things to say to the bereaved, the problem with each of these statements is that they are hopeless.
The assumption of Mary into Heaven does not show us how special she is. Her assumption into Heaven of her body and spirit reveals to us what is in store for all followers of Jesus. In the glory of Heaven, Jesus will reunite what sin and death have separated. Mary leads us to the glory and healing of her Son. Following Mary to Jesus should change the way we view death.
Following Mary to Jesus should help us see death as something we embrace with love and as a door through which we walk with hope on our way to glory. And that brings us to the second way we can follow Mary more faithfully to Jesus: to live in hope.
2. Live in true hope
Mary trusted in salvation. We know that her trust was one of Mary’s greatest virtues because of her response to the Archangel Gabriel when he announced God’s plan to bring the savior to the world through her. Her response was completely confident. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” In other words, Maria had hope.
Most of us think of hope as something akin to an illusion. We use it in everyday terms in sentences like “I hope to get an A on that test.” We tend to think in the same terms when we talk about our hope for Heaven. But Mary shows us what hope really is. Hope is trust.
Like many young children, my nephew loves to jump into the pool in the hands of a trusted adult. He can’t swim and he really doesn’t want his face to be underwater. So he stands at the edge of the pool and his face shows very clearly the mixture of excitement and fear. But he plucks up his courage and jumps, trusting that his uncle will catch him like his dad does. That is hope.
Empowered with grace, believers in Jesus can face life and death in the same way. We look at death and many trials of life with fear. But we trust that Jesus will catch us on the other side. We trust because we know that He passed through the gate of death and came out glorified. We trust because he tells us “Come and follow me”.
And Maria did. All her life Mary trusted and followed Jesus. That is why she received the reward on the other side of death of being completed once more.
So live by the words of Jesus. Don’t worry about what tomorrow will bring. Instead, trust God every day to take care of you. Exercising that trust is the virtue of hope.
3. Generate hope in your children
Our world needs hope today, desperately. Have you noticed how eroded trust has become in our world? We can’t even trust doctors and medical professionals anymore, as many of the decisions they make are dictated by the business interests surrounding the “medical industry”. Yes, it could be argued that there are good reasons not to trust. After all, we don’t want to be taken advantage of, right? But without trust, no real relationships can be formed. Parents want to teach their children how to form good relationships. How can we build trust in our children? How can we strengthen your hope?
The best thing we can do for young children is to protect their innocence. Our culture understands the idea of childhood innocence in strictly sexual terms (thank you, Sigmund Freud). But the Church really means it in a broader sense. we need to shield our children from the stress, worry, and trials of the adult world until they are emotionally mature enough to handle it. Our children need to learn that the world is a predictable place, full of goodness. Adults can hold on to this knowledge despite the stress and trials that kindness brings. Children can’t. Teach your children that they can trust you. Show them that you trust your friends and loved ones. Above all, teach them that you trust God.
As your children get older, their task becomes more complex. You must teach them that being a good friend means wishing the good of the other, truly loving. But you also have to teach them that true relationships (friendship, romance, etc.) take time to build trust, intimacy, commitment, and love. Do you see the balance? Be careful who you give your heart to, but don’t be afraid to give yourself to those you learn to trust.