In 451 bishops from throughout the Mediterranean traveled to Constantinople for the Council of Chalcedon.  At the council Marcian, the emperor of Constantinople, asked the patriarch of Jerusalem if he would provide the emperor with some relics of Mary, the Mother of God.  The emperor wanted to enshrine the relics in Constantinople.  The patriarch had to explain to the emperor that no such relics existed.

There were no relics because after Mary died, her body was placed in a tomb and, as was the case with Jesus, the tomb was later found to be empty.  The apostles who were present when Mary died concluded that her body had been taken up (assumed) into heaven by her Son.

Today (August 15) is the day we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven.  Although Catholics generally believed that Mary was assumed into heaven after her death, it wasn’t until 1950 that Pope Pius XII formally proclaimed that Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven.

We know from our faith that there are three divine persons in the Blessed Trinity – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Although the Son of God is one person, He possesses two natures – one human and one divine.

Prior to the incarnation, Jesus was a divine person with a divine nature.  When He was conceived in the womb of Mary, He took on an additional (human) nature.

I have a question for you: Why did Christ choose to be born of a woman when He could have simply appeared among us?

Could the reason be that He wanted to prove for all time that He was a true man and that it was necessary for our redemption that a true (God) man die on the cross for our sins?

Another question worth considering: Why did our Lord take His mother directly into heaven after her death?

Could the reason be that He did not want her flesh – the same flesh that had given Him His human nature – to be corrupted?

The prayer for the feast of the Assumption reads:

All-powerful and ever-living God: You raised the sinless Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, body and soul, to the glory of heaven.  May we see heaven as our final goal and come to share her glory.

As it was for Mary, our final goal should be to reside for all eternity with her Son in heaven.

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