In the Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius XII, Munificentimus Deus #6, it is said that Mary, by an entirely unique privilege, 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. Thus, as the Virgin Mother of God, was from the very beginning free from the taint of original sin, the dogma of the Virgin Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven was also defined by the Church's supreme teaching authority. St. John Damascene, spoke out with powerful eloquence when he compared the bodily Assumption of the loving Mother of God with her other prerogatives and privileges. "It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death” (Munificentimus Deus #17)
“Taken up into heaven, Mary shows us the way to God, the way to heaven, the way to life” (Pope St. John Paul II). After living her life on earth, Mary is now in heaven with Jesus. What does it mean for us? Our life here on earth is a pilgrimage. We are not vagabonds who don’t know where their feet will take them, moving from one place to another without any purpose. We have a purpose in our pilgrimage; we walk from where we are to a place, where Mary is now, in the unity with God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. So in our pilgrimage, we walk in faith and in hope that one day we will see God face to face like Mary.
Comments