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At the Council of Chalcedon (451), St. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem made known to the Emperor Marcian and Pulcheria, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened, upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty. The Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven. From the time of the Apostles, Christian people have believed that Mary was assumed into heaven. August 15 is the day that Catholics have long celebrated what is called the Dormition (falling asleep) or Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The Feast of the Assumption celebrates both the happy departure of Mary from this life by her natural death, and her assumption bodily into heaven. Each year, on August 15, the Church celebrates the most glorious "harvest festival" in the Communion of Saints -- Mary, the supremely blessed one among women, the most precious fruit which has ripened in the fields of God's kingdom, is today taken into heaven. Where she has gone, we hope to follow. Though it was almost universally believed for more than a thousand years, the Bible contains no mention of the assumption of Mary into heaven. The first Church writer to speak of Mary's being taken up into heaven by God is Saint Gregory of Tours (594). On May 1, 1946, Pope Pius XII, asked all bishops in the world whether they thought this belief in the assumption of Mary into heaven should be defined as a proposition of faith, and whether they with their clergy and people desired the definition. Almost all the bishops replied in the affirmative. On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII declared as a dogma revealed by God that "Mary, the immaculate perpetually Virgin Mother of God, after the completion of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into the glory of Heaven". We have no real knowledge of the day, year, and manner of Our Lady's death. The dates which have been assigned to her death vary between three and fifteen years after Christ's Ascension. Both Jerusalem and Ephesus claim to be the place where she died. (By tradition, Mary lived at Ephesus after the death of Jesus.) Mary's tomb was presumably found in Jerusalem. It is believed that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that after her burial, her tomb, when opened, was found empty. Therefore, they concluded that her body had been assumed into heaven. Saint Gregory of Tours provided a rationale for the tradition, which is related to her having been preserved from original sin. He said that it is inconceivable to think Mary's sinless body, likened to the Ark of the Covenant which was made of incorruptible wood, should decay in the grave. The text, 'Rise thou and the ark of thy strength' (Ps 132/1:8) was understood to mean that it was God's will that, as Christ had ascended, so too Mary would be received into heaven. There is an important difference, of course, between the ascension of Jesus into Heaven after His Resurrection, and the assumption of Mary. To ascend is to rise up under one's own power; while to be assumed means something that is done to the one being assumed. Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, had no need of assistance; whereas Mary did not have this power. (A pastor once demonstrated this difference in an unusual way. He asked two children to come to the front of the church. He told one child to walk from one side of the sanctuary to the other; and the other child he carried across.) According to one tradition, Mary was warned of her approaching end by St. Michael the Archangel who conducts souls to Heaven, and was surrounded on her death-bed by the apostles, who were miraculously transported to her bedside from their various mission-fields. It was said that Jesus appeared, bore away her soul, and returned three days after her burial, when angels carried her body to Paradise where it was reunited with her soul under the Tree of Life. This coming Tuesday, August 15, the Feast of the Assumption is a Holy Day of Mass obligation. Holy Name Cathedral will offer six Assumption Masses – the vigil Mass at 5:15pm on Monday, August 14; plus the five daily Masses on Tuesday – 6:00, 7:00, & 8:00am; 12:10 & 5:15pm. Please join us in honoring Mary on the Feast of the Assumption. The annual Air & Water Show will take place next week on the lakefront. If you are a downtown veteran, you know that, especially if the weather is good, there will be a lot of visitors in our neighborhood next Saturday and Sunday. Please anticipate the extra traffic next weekend. Also, plan now when you’ll be coming to Mass. I’ll look for you! On the 65th anniversary of his martyrdom, St. Maximilian Kolbe will be remembered in the liturgical prayers on Monday. At Auschwitz, this Franciscan priest, already a famously devout believer, offered his life in place of that of another prisoner. Pray on August 14 and always for those in prison; and pray for all who proclaim the Gospel by reminding those in jail that they are children of God. I was pleased to be invited to the recent opening of a northwest side Crisis Nursery sponsored by Maryville, the famous child-care agency of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The Nursery will provide a supportive partnership with parents and legal guardians to help them through times of crisis - death, loss of home, arrest of a parent, danger of violence. Short-term residential care will be offered to children newborn through five years-old by a staff of skilled professionals. The facility is the only such facility in the Chicago area, an amazing fact considering the need. Works of mercy accomplished by Catholic social workers at Maryville and throughout the programs of Catholic Charities are regularly performed in the Holy Name of Jesus. Initiatives like the Crisis Nursery are basic Christian work done with the sponsorship and leadership of the Catholic Church in Chicago. Elsewhere in this bulletin, Father Michael Boland, Executive Director of Catholic Charities and a Cathedral resident priest, thanks our parish for the Mothers Day second collection in support of Catholic Charities. Furthermore, many Cathedral parishioners are active on the Boards of Catholic Charities. Every time any of us assists Catholic Charities, Maryville, Misericordia, the Little Sisters of the Poor, or any of the other Catholic social services in any way, we participate in their great work. These are not simply humanitarian acts, as noble as such works may be. These works are Christian. We proclaim the Risen Christ whenever a baby from a family in crisis is loved by the Maryville staff. Program Director Amy Kendal-Lynch has been a friend of mine since she herself was a youngster in a parish where I formerly resided. I remember her decision to enter the field of social work. Amy invited me to the opening. I was very proud of her. Finally, pray for those who work for Catholic Charities. Pray, too, for those who are served with Charity by the Catholic Church of Chicago. Fr. Dan Mayall |
