8/15/2009
Assomption
This is probably the most underestimated church holiday, since nobody lesser than the mother of our Lord Jesus Chirist was taken to heaven by God for she was more than just your average mother. Ste. Mary led a life that brought her many adoration, even from the apostles. So she was in the early centuries seen as a teacher of the faith. In her assumption she received the insignias of a queen, and she is the first person ever to be sainted. So, thi is the day of worship to her. I wrote this post only to remind my catholic brethren of her importance. Laters Pilgrim
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9 comments:
You will never forget this holiday if you do business with Italy. It is always closed for two weeks around Ferragosto.
Thanks for posting this, Pilgrim.
This morning at Mass the priest noted that in her Immaculate Conception, she was preserved from original sin, whereas we have it taken away at Baptism; and similarly, at her Assumption she received the life of body and soul in heaven which will be ours after our resurrection. So God takes her first in conferring the blessing he has in store for all of us.
Just for the sake of argument, how do we explain "Jesus said: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man” (John 3:13)" And if we say that is wrong, than Mary would not be the only one, what about Enoch, Moses, and Elijah?
@ Jay — and what is more, the words of John 3:13 are spoken at a time before Jesus returned to the Father.
Just goes to show that you can't always take everything literally.
OTOH at the time of those words Mary was also alive, so it is certainly true that as of then she had not gone up to heaven — which in no way argues against her assumption after her earthly life was over.
What about Enoch, Moses, and Elijah?
As I said:
"Just goes to show that you can't always take everything literally."
IIRC, the scripture does not say that Moses was assumed to heaven. I think that's in an extra-biblical writing. And the language of Genesis with respect to Enoch — "and he was not, for God took him" — is not nearly as explicit as the description of the chariot of fire and the whirlwind by which Elijah went up to heaven. So you've got four different cases.
As for Mary's assumption, well that is not even written in the Bible. Just a dogma written by the Pope. You can't pick and choose parts of the bible to believe in. It's not really faith than is it. I hope you don't think I'm being arrogant or argumentative, I just thought it would be a good discussion topic.
Well, the Assumption of Mary was believed by the Church long before it was proclaimed by the Pope. The Pope did not proclaim it until 1950, but even during the Renaissance painters were depicting it, and still before that it was one of the mysteries of the rosary which people prayed.
And it seems to me that it is not a question of believing some parts of the Bible and not believing others, but of understanding what every part of it means, and believing the truth which God wished to reveal through it for the sake of our salvation.
And I hope I'm not being argumentative either, just presenting a point of view which I think is valid.
@ NG "she was preserved from original sin, whereas we have it taken away at Baptism; and similarly, at her Assumption she received the life of body and soul in heaven"
i don't agree with this. It is not stated in the bible. "For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God" and this includes Mary.
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