Catholic dogma, 1950.THE ASSUMPTION PROCLAMATION video newsreel film
Posted on 08/15/2010 3:56:22 PM PDT by TaraP
The Assumption is not a metaphor...
We must be very clear on this point: The Assumption is not a metaphor. The Blessed Virgin Mary was really taken up, her physical body was transformed. Pope Pius XII in Munificentissimus Deus (1950) declared that Mary, “after the completion of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into the glory of heaven.” Both BODY and SOUL!
This means that her physical body was transformed and glorified (in a manner identical to Christ’s after his Resurrection), her soul was perfected with the Beatific Vision, and she was taken up.
Is heaven a place? In the General Audience of 21 July 1999, Pope John Paul II stated that heaven “is neither an abstraction nor a physical place in the clouds, but a living, personal relationship with the Holy Trinity.”
In this statement, as (almost) always, the great Holy Father was in perfect accord with St. Thomas Aquinas – “Incorporeal things are not in place after a manner known and familiar to us, in which way we say that bodies are properly in place; but they are in place after a manner befitting spiritual substances, a manner that cannot be fully manifest to us”.
What John Paul II wished to stress, and what is especially important to consider today, is that heaven is not to be understood in terrestrial terms.
Heaven is primarily a state of being and is certainly not a ‘place’ in the worldly sense of the term. Nevertheless, we come to a difficulty when we ask:
Where did Mary’s (and Christ’s) body go?
The simplest answer is: Heaven! But then we wonder: If heaven isn’t a place in the ordinary sense of the word, how could there be real human bodies present there?
The words of Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange (who taught John Paul II and oversaw his doctoral work) are most helpful: “Heaven means this place, and especially this condition, of supreme beatitude. Had God created no bodies, but only pure spirits, heaven would not need to be a place; it would signify merely the state of the angels who rejoice in the possession of God.
But in fact heaven is also a place. There we find the humanity of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels, and the souls of the saints. Though we cannot say with certitude where this place is to be found, or what its relation is to the whole universe, revelation does not allow us to doubt of its existence.”
Now do not think that John Paul II had contradicted his teacher when he said that heaven is not a physical place in the clouds! Garrigou-Lagrange and the great Pontiff are both getting at the same point: Heaven is first and foremost union with God; secondarily, heaven is the place where the bodies of Jesus and Mary abide, but this ‘place’ is not like every other place we think of – its relation to our universe is not clear.
Glorified bodies are very different than non-glorified bodies (though they are essentially the same). A glorified body does not move and take up space in exactly the same way as a non-glorified body does. Still, the glorified bodies of Jesus and Mary are somewhere, but this ‘somewhere’ will necessarily be a ‘place’ which is ‘glorified’ – just as the glorified body is different from non-glorified body, it resides in a ‘glorified place’ which is different from a non-glorified physical place.
Where is heaven? The simple answer is: This has not yet been revealed to us. However, we can say that it is certainly not on earth. Neither is it within the earth. It is not in clouds either. Heaven may be somewhere in our universe, far off – though we must be careful not to fall back into our terrestrial categories of space, distance, and location.
Perhaps it is most likely that heaven is outside the universe in what some Thomists have called “uncontained place”. In ST III, q.57, a.4, ad 2 (which is not in the oldest and best manuscripts) we read: “A place implies the notion of containing; hence the first container has the formality of first place, and such is the first heaven. Therefore, bodies need themselves to be in a place, insofar as they are contained by a heavenly body. But glorified bodies, Christ’s especially, do not stand in need of being so contained, because they draw nothing from the heavenly bodies, but from God through the soul.
So there is nothing to prevent Christ’s body from being beyond the containing radius of the heavenly bodies, and not in a containing place. Nor is there need for a vacuum to exist outside heaven, since there is no place there, nor is there any potentiality susceptive of a body, but the potentiality of reaching thither lies in Christ.”
This argument from the Summa claims that, because the glorified body in no way relies upon the non-glorified world, neither does it need to be contained in the universe. Thus, the bodies of Jesus and Mary may in fact be outside of the universe, outside of space and time, no longer contained by place. There is no space or place outside of the universe, but this is where the bodies of Christ and Mary are; since they need not be contained by physical place.
Therefore, it seems most likely that heaven is outside of our universe. It is not a ‘place’ as we usually think of ‘place’, but is a ‘non-containing place’, a ‘glorified place’. The glorified physical bodies of Jesus and Mary reside there
I found this to be an interesting article, after reading this scripture:
2 Corinthians 12:2-4 (King James Version)
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Does the Bible say how many heavens there are?
I’m trying to look up the scripture. Where does is it written that she was assumed body and soul into heaven? Thanks!
I thought Mary was buried in the basement of the Louvre.
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: 15 August [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
The Assumption and the World by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
The Early Church Fathers on the Assumption [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY: A BELIEF SINCE APOSTOLIC TIMES [Ecumenical]
August 15, Feast of the Assumption - Did Mary's Assumption Really Occur? [Ecumenical]
Assumption Sermon of Rev James Bartoloma 8/16/07 (on Summorum Pontificum)
Angelus - Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (2007)
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Solemnity of the Assumption
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Meditations for this Feast Day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
HOMILIES PREACHED BY FATHER ALTIER ON THE FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION
Why Catholics Believe in the Assumption of Mary
St. John Damascene: Homily 3 on the Assumption/Dormition
St. John Damascene: Homily II on the Assumption/Dormition
St. John Damascene: Homily I on the Assumption/Dormition
Catholic Caucus: The Assumption of Mary - Marcellino D'Ambrosio, PhD
Today's the Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven
Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15th.
Maronite Catholic: Qolo (Hymn) of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
St. Gregory Palamas: On the Dormition of Our Supremely Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
Maronite Catholic: Qolo (Hymn) of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Catholic Caucus: A NOVENA OF FASTING AND PRAYERS/ASSUMPTION/DORMITION
St. Gregory Palamas: On the Dormition of Our Supremely Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
The Fourth Glorious Mystery
Archbishop Sheen Today! -- The glorious assumption
The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Reflections For The Feast 2003
A Homily on the Dormition of Our Supremely Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
The Assumption Of Mary
I cannot find a clear picture in scripture of where Mary went....If Elijah and Enoch were taken in there (Body) maybe we are to assume Mary was as well...
Thanks!
Can someone help me find King James and Pat Boone in the Bible?
No such scripture exists. AAMOF, the Bible says that the only one of mankind that ascended to heaven was Jesus (John 3:13).
I’m trying to look up the scripture. Where does is it written that she was assumed body and soul into heaven?
No, the Bible does not tell us how many heavens there are, but I was taught that at that time, the sky (atmosphere) was heaven 1, the stars are in heaven 2 (space), and God lives in heaven 3.
Once again, Pope Olog-hai has used his divine power of infallibility to inerrantly teach the Christian faith. No more need be said on the topic; the Holy Spirit speaks through Pope Olog-hai, and through Pope Olog-hai alone. All hail Pope Olog-hai, the one true source of authentic Christian teaching.
What about Elijah, and how did Moses and Elijah come to visit Jesus and are they not the two prophets that return during the tribulation who are killed and after 3 days are resurrected?
I used to think Rev 12 was talking about Mary (who represented Israel).
She wasn’t ..., that is a catholic myth ...
"Assumed" and "ascended" are two different words. Jesus ascended to heaven by his own power. Mary did not.
I will never understand why non-Catholic Christians object to the Assumption of Mary, since many of them think they will all be assumed into heaven in an instant at some point in the future (they call it "the rapture").
I don't find that in the Bible, but I do find Revelation chapter 12, which speaks of a woman who is the "Ark of God's Covenant".
Yes, let us lay down palms before him as he rides astride his ass...
And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars:
Blessed be the Lord who made heaven and earth, who hath directed thee to the cutting off the head of the prince of our enemies. [25] Because he hath so magnified thy name this day, that thy praise shall not depart out of the mouth of men who shall be mindful of the power of the Lord for ever, for that thou hast not spared thy life, by reason of the distress and tribulation of thy people, but hast prevented our ruin in the presence of our God.
The "third heaven" is a Hebraic way of speaking. The "three heavens" were what we would call the atmosphere (where birds fly), outer space (where the stars are), and heaven per se (where God and the angels and saints live).
I'm not terribly impressed with the theological quality of this article you post. (Not your fault -- it's the writer I'm not crazy about.)
For one thing, John Paul II never said that heaven wasn't a place. The Italian word he used was piu and, as any musician can tell you, piu in Italian means "more". He said that heaven was "more than" [just] "a place", that is, if we think of it as just a place, like Poughkeepsie, NY is a place, then we're trivializing it. Heaven is perfect intimacy with God; there are some people on earth who practically live in that perfect intimacy already, so their heaven has already begun here on earth.
Catholic dogma, 1950.Catholics do NOT say that Mary ascended to heaven. That would mean out of her own power.
Not let’s look at the Bible and we’ll come back to that.
In Genesis — Enoch is one of the men mentioned, and he walked with God and was visible no more. Obviously Enoch was assumed into heaven. Genesis 5:24
In 2nd King 2:8 Eliijah is caught up in a whirlwind with flaming horses and chariot to God as Elisha looks on. Where did Elijah go? To heaven of course!
In Matthew 27: 52-53 as the veil of the temple is torn in two, people arise bodily from their graves and are seen in Jerusalem by many. I don’t think those people went back into their graves, do you? I believe they followed Christ into heaven since Christ was the FIRST one into heaven. Christ even tells the Good Thief, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”
So, Mary, without sin, since she carried the New Covenant, Jesus Christ, in her womb — back to her......Could she not also be assumed into heaven? Especailly since she was sinless.
There have been churches dedicated to the Assumption of Mary since the fourth century, even though this dogma was not pronounced until fairly recently.
So — once again, Mary was assumed into heaven like Enoch, Elijah and the souls who were waiting for Christ to open up heaven. She did not ascend into heaven, but was carried by the angels or possibly her own Son. We don’t know that part. But we do know that as the queen mother in Scripture sat at the right hand of her son, that Mary is also sitting at the right hand of Christ in heaven.
Please read some of those links I posted. They say it much better than I ever could.
>> maybe we are to assume Mary was as well... <<
Oh, that’s why it’s called the Assumption of Mary. Hehehe.
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