The Solemnity of the Assumption: Mary’s Inspiring Effect on the Church

Mary’s life’s beginning – conception – is addressed in the Church’s dogmatic declaration in Ineffabilis Deus (1854) and her life’s ending on earth is addressed in Munificentissimus Deus (1950). Based on this, Mary’s life on earth is characterized with gratia plena. It means that Mary was conceived without any trace of the Original Sin and assumed her body and soul entirely into heaven at the end of her earthly life to ensure that she was not affected by the sins of the world. Because of her gratia plena, she was qualified to serve God as Theotokos. 

Though she was gratia plena throughout her entire life on earth, Mary suffered greatly. Her suffering, in fact, had a lot to do with her Son, Jesus.   When Mary and Joseph presented baby Jesus to God in the Temple, Simeon said to Mary, “Behold, this Child is appointed to cause the rise and fall of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:34-35).  Her suffering at the foot of the Cross, witnessing her Son’s agonizing death on the Cross and burying his corpse, has given her the title of Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens, as well as Mater Dolorosa. 

The first reading of the Solemnity of Assumption day Mass, Revelation 11:19a;12:1-6a;10ab, symbolically reflects Mary’s life of suffering and God’s providence for her. Though she was attacked for her child, God spared her life so that she was able to flee herself to safety, while the child was safely born in spite of the difficult circumstances and brought to God’s throne. This narrative tells us that Mary’s life on earth was marked with great suffering. At the same time, it also reminds that Mary had a place for her, prepared by God. This suggests that Mary enjoyed God’s special providence even though she suffered. Because of this, she was able to carry out her mission: giving birth to the Son, who sits on the divine throne.

While the Son is on the throne of God, the woman finds safe place in the wilderness, prepared by God (Revelation 12:5-6). This echoes how the Holy Spirit was poured out from the Father in heaven to the disciples, giving birth to the Church on earth on Pentecost, upon Jesus’ Ascension to the Father in heaven. The woman’s Son, who was taken by God to be enthroned (Revelation 12:5) represents Christ’s Ascension to seat at the right hand of God in heaven (Mark 16:19). Upon Christ’s return to the Father in heaven to be enthroned, the Church was born to this world on Pentecost, as the Holy Spirit was sent down, as Jesus’ promised (John 14:16, 26; 16:7).

Besides giving birth to Christ the Son, Mary served God also as the Mother of the Church. Because the Church was born out of the disciples, including Mary and few other disciples present at the foot of the Cross, and Jesus designated her also as the mother to the disciples from the Cross (John 19:27), the woman, who fled to a special place in the wilderness (Revelation 12:6) makes a symbolic reflection of Mary as the Mother of the Church.

Before we become Ecclesia triumphans to be ready for Parousia, we, the Church need to go through as Ecclesia militans, fighting all the sins and corruptions of the world, and as Ecclesia dolens, bearing consequences of the sins of the world. As Mary’s life on earth was marked with suffering, the Church also go through trials. As the Church overcomes all the impacts of the sins and corruptions of the world, she becomes ready for purification as her final preparation to meet Christ at the heavenly banquet, as envisioned in Revelation 19, echoing memories of the Last Supper. The place in the wilderness can be regarded as the purgatory, which is away from this world to make the final preparation through purification, to meet Christ upon Parousia. Thus, the woman fled to the wilderness in Revelation 12:6 symbolically represents Ecclesia poenitens as her mother.

In symbolically identifying Mary the Mother of Christ and the Mother of the Church with the woman in Revelation 12, we reflect not only the suffering of Mary and the Church but also God’s protective grace to the Church because the Mother of the Church is gratia plena. Just as the woman in Revelation 12 was protected, though suffered, Mary enjoyed God’s full protection from any effects of the sins of the world. Her life on earth began with the Immaculate Conception and completed with the Assumption into heaven to ensure her spiritual purity, though she was fully human. Ever since the Pentecost, we, the Church have had her as the Mother. Given her gratia plena, stemming from the Immaculate Conception, we, the Church sure can fight and overcome all Satan’s attacks with sins in order to become Ecclesia triumphans.

Though we, the Church in this world, continues to struggle, besides having Christ as the head of the Church (1 Corinthians 11:3; Colossians 1:18), we also have Mary as the Mother of the Church. The Father in heaven sent His only begotten Son by impregnating the Immaculate Mary to save us from the sins of the world. It was possible because Mary obeyed God as His servant (Luke 1:38), bearing suffering, as her Son suffered and died. Her suffering, as well as Christ’s suffering and death, was followed by the joy of the Resurrection, marking the triumph of Christ. Then, he Ascended to be at the right hand of the Father in heaven so that the Holy Spirit as another Parakletos is sent, giving birth to the Church out of the disciples, including Mary. With triumphant Christ as the head, with gratia plena Mary as the mother, we, the Church can endure all tribulations and sufferings in our mission to fight attacks of Satan to the triumphant victory.

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae; vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae. Ad te suspiramus gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte. Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.

Oremus. Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui gloriosae Virginis Matris Mariae corpus et animam, ut dignum Filii tui habitaculum effici mereretur, Spiritu Sancto cooperante, praeparasti, da, ut cuius commemoratione laetamur; eius pia intercessione, ab instantibus malis et a morte perpetua liberemur. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

 Deo gratias!