Stories

By Fr. Anh Nhue

The solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, listed in the Roman Calendar on August 15, is celebrated in many countries on the Sunday following this date to facilitate the participation of the faithful in this mass of obligation. Therefore, together with the usual comment on the Sunday Gospel, I add here three brief thoughts to further delve into the mystery of the Assumption of Mary in the light of the Gospel for this celebration and above all on the basis of the teaching of the Church.

1. Did Mary die or not? A Necessary Clarification on the “Dormition of Mary”

On this discussion, crucial for a correct theological and spiritual vision of the mystery of the Assumption of Mary, it is necessary to recall the authoritative teaching of Saint John Paul II which, due to its catechetical importance, I take the liberty of reporting in full, marking in yellow the salient points (cf. General Audience, Wednesday, 25 June 1997 ;  https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/audiences/1997/documents/hf_jp-ii_aud_25061997.html)

2. Mary assumed into heaven is the pisteusasa “The-One-who-believed”: An important “evangelical” Marian title to underline

Therefore, as we can guess, that fundamental virtue called faith shines in Mary of the Assumption in all the moments, highs and lows, of her earthly life and therefore also of her death . So much so that in the Gospel foreseen for this Solemnity we hear the praise of Mary resounding on the lips of Elizabeth with the two very first “Marian titles” that the ancient Christian people reserved for her. She is called by Elizabeth as “Mother of [my] Lord” and “The one [woman] who believed [in the Word of God].” The last expression in the original Greek is actually just a word, an adjective participle “pisteusasa.” It also becomes a fundamental qualification to describe the person of Mary.

Our “Queen assumed into heaven” is also and above all the Believer par excellence, “The One who believed”. She always believed in the Word of God, in every moment of her life, from the joyful one of the angel’s Annunciation to the painful one under the Cross of his Son, as we glimpse in the Gospels. To use the words of Saint Paul the Apostle, Mary too walked through life, kept the faith, and now, at the moment of death, the crown of glory that God provides to his faithful, or rather, to His Most Faithful, is reserved for her, the masterpiece of the mission of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. She thus becomes the Mother of all believers of God, disciples of Christ. She, to whom Christ himself entrusted his beloved disciple under the Cross, continues her maternal care and concern for all of Christ’s disciples in their lives and particularly in their journey of faith and mission. She continues to intercede for them and continues to be an example, inspiration and concrete help for them to persevere in faithfulness to the Lord and to complete the divine mission now entrusted by Christ to them in the world. Thus, She continues to accompany the entire Church today, the community of Christ’s missionary disciples, in its pilgrimage towards the eternal homeland.

3. The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican dedicated to Mary assumed into heaven

We end our brief reflection with an interesting historical note regarding the famous Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. It was consecrated on 15 August 1483, in the first mass of the Assumption of Mary, by Pope Sixtus IV, who had renovated the ancient Cappella Magna in the papal building. It was then dedicated to Mary Assumption into heaven and called the “Sistine Chapel” from the name of Pope Sixtus IV (who was also a Franciscan!). As informed by the official Vatican website, the Sistine Chapel was used in 1513 for the election of Leo X (1513-1521), in 1623 for the election of Urban VIII (1623-1644), and twelve more papal elections until 1775. Later, since 1878 to today, the Sistine Chapel has been the seat of every papal conclave for the election of the pope, including that of the current Holy Father Leo XIV.

Thus, in the Chapel of which she is patron, Mary assumed into heaven continues to follow with maternal attention the most important events of the disciples of Christ and of the Church of God on earth, to take care of the popes elected in the past, present, and future. Therefore, grateful to God for the gift of Mary our Mother, we entrust to her once again today, on this Solemnity of her Assumption into heaven, the entire history of each of us, the history of our Church with our popes, the history of all humanity. Mary, Mother of our Lord and the One who believed, Queen assumed into heaven and Queen of missions, pray for us! Amen.