On a bright, crisp morning in Rome, Italy, St. Peter’s Square was filled to overflowing with 700,000 Catholics who came to witness a long-awaited, solemn event.
They came to hear the solemn declaration of a doctrine—something that does not happen very often! The last time it happened was 1854, when Pope Pius IX declared the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Now, Pope Pius XII, resplendent in white and gold regalia, read the words of the doctrine from the steps of the Basilica, formally announcing the Assumption of the Blessed Mother to be part of the deposit of faith.
Although every person created by God is subject to physical corruption, explained the Holy Father, the Blessed Virgin Mary is an exception. Her body, after her earthly sojourn had drawn to a close, was taken up by her Son into heaven together with her soul.
This the Church had held to be necessary, through many centuries, for several reasons:
1) It was not possible that Our Lord should allow the body from which He had drawn His own flesh to suffer corruption.
2) Being immaculately conceived, the Blessed Mother “completely overcame sin,” and so was not subject to the punishment which the rest of mankind must undergo.
3) God had filled the Blessed Mother with such an outpouring of graces and perfections that she was able to receive Him perfectly and become entirely a tabernacle of God.
4) Our Lord, as the perfect Son Who honors His parents, would certainly honor His pure mother by raising her from the dead and bringing her to paradise with Him.
Do you want more insights into the Blessed Mother’s Assumption and the other events of her life? Faithfully recorded in The Life of the Virgin Mary, the visions sent to Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich concerning the Blessed Mother’s life, dormition, and Assumption are a must-read for every Catholic. Through this account of the life and profound virtues of our Mother, you will draw closer to her and, ultimately, to her Son. Get your copy today from The Catholic Company!
