Our Blessed Mother as a “Sign of Sure Hope and Comfort”: Homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

With great joy, we celebrate today the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when God raised His blessed Mother into heaven, body and soul, at the end of her earthly life. In the year 1950, Pope Pius XII declared that this belief about Mary has been held by Christians since the early Church. “By an entirely unique privilege, [Mary] completely overcame sin by her Immaculate Conception, and as a result she was not subject to the law of remaining in the corruption of the grave, and she did not have to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body.” We rejoice in our celebration today because of what Mary’s Assumption into heaven means for her and because of what it means for us.

First, we rejoice over Mary’s Assumption because she is our mother, and she has received a great honor. Jesus gave His Blessed Mother to us as our Blessed Mother when, from the Cross, He told His disciple John, “Behold your mother,” and He told Mary, “Behold your son.” What son or daughter would not be filled with joy when his or her mother receives such an honor as to be raised into heaven, body and soul, to sit next to Jesus for all eternity? “That’s my mom!” we would have cried out if we had been there to witness this glorious event. All of the other saints who have preceded us in death are in heaven also, but they are still separated from their bodies until the Last Day when Our Lord will raise everyone from the dead in the Last Judgment. Our Lord ascended into heaven in glory, body and soul, and then He assumed our Blessed Mother into heaven, body and soul. This is our mother who has received such loving honor from God.

We rejoice also because of what Mary’s assumption into heaven means for us. The prayers from today’s Mass help us understand this. In the Preface, the prayer right before we sing the “Holy, Holy, Holy,” it says that Mary, in her assumption, is “the beginning and image of your Church’s coming to perfection and a sign of sure hope and comfort to your pilgrim people.” This means that what Mary has experienced already in being raised soul and body into heaven, we will experience one day if we persevere in our Christian journey. This is a sign of hope and comfort for you and I because we realize that earth is not heaven. Our lives here are often full of difficulties, suffering, and pain. We are traveling through life with many problems, troubles, and frustrations, and sometimes we can’t see the way out. This is life in a fallen world. Our faith in Christ doesn’t take away suffering. It didn’t take away suffering from Mary’s life. But it does show us that the first Christian, the Mother of all Christians, was raised up into heaven at the end of her earthly journey. When we lift our gaze to her, standing at the right hand of our Lord, as the Psalm today tells us, we are given the assurance that our God is faithful. If we stay true to him, he will be true to us. Mary’s Assumption gives us comfort and hope as we stumble through life’s hardships, enabling us to persevere through our trials, as she did, and to rejoice in the Lord even while the world gives us trouble.

Today, let us thank God for the wonders He has done for Mary. And let us take comfort knowing that He wants to do wonderful things for us as well. Just as God assumed Mary into heaven, body and soul, at the end of her earthly mission, so God will lift the whole Church into perfect communion with Himself in heaven at the end of time. Mary’s Assumption is God’s promise to us. Every Christian who follows Mary’s path of humility and fidelity to God can look forward to following her into the glories and joys of heaven.