The solemnity of 15 August celebrates the Assumption of Mary. She has fallen asleep and been taken up to heaven, body and soul. Mary is the first of the faithful to experience the mystery of being taken up to heaven, body and soul. There, she has been enthroned as Queen of Heaven.
Mary has risen and been crowned by her Son. She resides in heaven, a place full of mystery for humans. It is humanity's great leap forwards. The journey to the moon, for example, pales into insignificance compared to that to paradise.
It is said that Mary died between 36 and 50 AD. Other sources mention her death occurring 3 to 15 years after the death of Christ. The place of death is not certain. There are several possibilities: it is possible that Mary died in Jerusalem on Mount Zion and was then buried next to the Garden of Gethsemane in the Kidron Valley, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where there are tombs of Mary and Joseph, according to the Greek Orthodox Church. There is also a reference to the Dormition Abbey (Dormitio Abbey) in Jerusalem on Mount Zion, which is connected to a Benedictine monastery. Another possibility for the place of death is Ephesus in Turkey, as Mary went there with the Apostle John. It is also possible that Mary died in Bethlehem, where she lived in the final years of her earthly existence. This reasoning is strong and credible for many. Therefore, nothing is known for certain about the death and burial of Mary. Due to this, it is an open question whether Mary died before or after her Assumption. It is said that Mary died in the presence of the apostles, and that these followers of Jesus saw Mary ascend into heaven. The Apostle Thomas was absent at the Assumption. Shortly after her death, there was an empty tomb, which was observed by Saint Thomas (=72), who is also known as Judas Thomas Didymus (“twin”).
The belief that Mary was taken up body and soul into heaven has had a gradual progression in the Catholic Church. The feast of the Assumption is already mentioned in the year 450.
The celebration of the Ascension of Mary was established on 15 August by Emperor Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539-602), known simply as Maurice, who ruled the Byzantine Empire from 582 to 602. The day of the celebration was decided in the year 582.
In the 7th century, the belief grew within the Catholic Church that Mary had been taken body and soul into heaven. Under Sergius I, Pope from 687 to 701, the Catholic Church also established the feast of the Assumption of Mary on 15 August. At that time, it was still referred to as the ”dormition of Mary” (“dormitio Mariae”). The commemoration of the “dormition of Mary” thus dates back to the 7th century. In the eighth century, the Catholic Church began to speak of the Assumption. Subsequently, the Assumption of Mary has been celebrated worldwide by the Catholic Church on 15 August.
During the First Vatican Council (1869-1870), some participants requested that the assumption of Mary into heaven be elevated to a dogma. Due to differing opinions among the high clergy in the Catholic Church, a decision was long delayed. It was Pius XII, Pope from 1939 to 1958, born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (1876-1958), who proclaimed the dogma (“dogma fidei”) by emphasizing that it applies to all believers. This occurred in 1950, on November 1st, All Saints' Day. From that day on, the Assumption is a point of faith for Catholics in the East and West.
On 21 November 1964, during the Second Vatican Council, the document “Lumen Gentium” (“Light of the Nations”) was adopted. In section 59, the teaching is articulated: Finally, the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when she had completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory, and by the Lord exalted as Queen of all things, that she might be more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords, and conqueror of sin and death. This, therefore, is the Roman Catholic viewpoint. In short: Mary was taken, body and soul, into heaven. Her body is preserved from corruption in recognition of her Immaculate Conception and her Motherhood of the Son of God.
Instead of the Assumption of Mary, it is also referred to as Maria Hemelvaart and Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Hemelvaart. This is not correct, because She was ascended to heaven by God. This means that Mary was taken to heaven by God. Thus, as a whole person, like her Son, she was taken up into heaven body and soul. This is according to the Roman Catholic Church.
In Orthodox Churches, the celebration is not on 15 August, but on 28 August. This difference of 13 days is due to the use of the Julian and Gregorian calendars. In Orthodox Churches, it is referred to as the “Dormition of the Mother of God”, and in the Old Catholic Church, the feast day is called the “Dormition of Saint Mary, Mother of God”. In these churches, the belief is that Mary’s dormition (Latin: “dormito”) was only her soul ascending to heaven. This dormition refers to her death on Earth. Eastern churches therefore do not speak of the Assumption of Mary. The concept of the “Dormition of the Mother of God” originated in the 5th century. This arose from the publication of apocryphal (attributed) texts from early Christianity, which were not included in the New Testament. Such writings include those of Pseudo-John the Theologian and Pseudo-Mileto of Sardes.
In the Flemish region of Antwerp, the 15th of August is also celebrated as Mother's Day, because Mary is the Mother of everyone.
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