When Did the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Become a Thing?
In 1950, in Munificentissimus Deus, Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as dogma in the Catholic Church, but does that mean it was the first time that Catholics began to believe that Mary was assumed (taken) into heaven?
Like most dogmas, the declaration of the dogma, is an official statement that declares what we have always believed.
Catholics have always believe that Mary’s body did not experience corruption. She died and her body was taken up to heaven.
In fact, Some of the Church Fathers referred to Our Lady’s Assumption. Here are just a couple of examples.
“It was fitting that the she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death. It was fitting that she, who had carried the Creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles. It was fitting that the spouse, whom the Father had taken to himself, should live in the divine mansions. It was fitting that she, who had seen her Son upon the cross and who had thereby received into her heart the sword of sorrow which she had escaped when giving birth to him, should look upon him as he sits with the Father, It was fitting that God’s Mother should possess what belongs to her Son, and that she should be honored by every creature as the Mother and as the handmaid of God.”
John of Damascene, Dormition of Mary, Munificentissimus Deus
“Therefore the Virgin is immortal to this day, seeing that he who had dwelt in her transported her to the regions of her assumption.”
Timothy of Jerusalem, (on Simeon and Anna (A.D. 400)
The Account of St. John the Theologian of the Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God
One of the most fascinating accounts we have of the Assumption is in the Account of St John the Theologian of the Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God, an apocryphal work.
“And when this miracle had been done, the apostles carried the couch, and laid down her precious and holy body in Gethsemane in a new tomb. And, behold, a perfume of sweet savour came forth out of the holy sepulchre of our Lady the mother of God; and for three days the voices of invisible angels were heard glorifying Christ our God, who had been born of her. And when the third day was ended, the voices were no longer heard; and from that time forth all knew that her spotless and precious body had been transferred to paradise.”
Account of St John the Theologian of the Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God, an apocryphal work.
The Blessed Virgin’s Assumption Gives Us Hope
In today’s reflection from Divine Intimacy, by Father Gabriel of St Mary Magdalen, Fr Gabriel describes how the Blessed Virgin’s assumption gives us a very special reminder.
“The Blessed Virgin Mary, whom we contemplate today assumed body and soul into heaven, reminds us very definitely that our permanent abode is not on earth but in heaven where she, with her divine Son, has preceded us in all the fullness of her human nature.”
Divine Intimacy
Yes, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was always a thing, and it is a thing that gives us great hope.
Below are some wonderful books that discuss her Assumption.
God bless!
Best Books on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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1) Queen of Heaven: Mary’s Battle for Souls
“She is history’s most famous woman. Those who come to her at their hour of need are welcomed with a mother’s love, compassion and care. She is gentleness itself to all who turn to her, save one: To Lucifer, the devil, she is an implacable foe.
Queen of Heaven is the story the battle between the angel who said “no” to God, and the woman who said “yes.” It is a battle that has flared through history to the current day.
Queen of Heaven is an encounter with Mary as you have never had before.
Accompany Mary from her Immaculate Conception through her Assumption and beyond. Join her as she defends Christendom at Lepanto, frees a captive people at Guadalupe and heals a broken nation at Lourdes. Listen to her at Fatima as she predicts the rise of Communism—and watch as she defeats it through her beloved Pope.”
“The Glories of Mary is five complete books in one volume. The first book examines the words of the Salve Regina and shows how God has given Mary to mankind to be the Gate of Heaven. The second book explains Our Lady’s principal feasts and reveals fresh truths about these mysteries. The third book explains the Seven Sorrows of Mary and why Our Lady’s martyrdom was longer and greater than that of all other martyrs. The fourth book describes ten different virtues of Our Lady, and the fifth book provides dozens of famous prayers, meditations, and devotions to her.
Included are the theological proofs for the Immaculate Conception, explanations of the invocations in the Litany of Loreto, and a description of Our Lady’s death. The Glories of Mary is the greatest compendium of nearly eighteen centuries of teaching on Our Lady and seeks to lead many souls to a greater love of Jesus through a more intimate knowledge of Mary and her exalted role in our salvation. To this end, St. Alphonsus quotes many Fathers and Doctors of the Church, including St. Bonaventure, who wrote, “No one can enter Heaven unless by Mary, as though through a door.” St. Alphonsus explains that Mary is the Gate of Heaven, the portal through which mankind meets the Divine in Jesus Christ.
3) Crown of the Virgin: An Ancient Meditation on Mary’s Beauty, Virtue, and Sanctity
n this book, St. Ildephonsus of Toledo provides a powerful, imaginative and lyrical set of meditations on the Immaculate Mother of God, reflecting on her splendor, beauty and sanctity.
This publication is the first translation into English of a Latin work, entitled Libellus de Corona Virginis, or “The Little Book on the Crown of the Virgin.” Traditionally, it has been ascribed to St. Ildephonsus of Toledo, a great monk, abbot and bishop of the 7th century. St. Ildephonsus contributed powerfully to the dissemination of the doctrine of the Perpetual Virginity of Our Lady in Western Europe, and to the popularization of fervent Marian devotion in Spain. In this beautiful, moving and ornate literary portrait, the author imaginatively and lyrically fashions a magnificent crown for the Blessed Virgin Mary, decorated with twelve radiant jewels, six brilliant stars and six fragrant flower blossoms. Each of these is interpreted as representing a particular aspect of the beauty, beneficence, virtue or sanctity of the Blessed Virgin.
A perfect companion for guiding daily devotion to the Mother of Mercy and the Queen of Heaven, each chapter reveals a new and scintillating glimpse into the glories of Mary, sure to inspire the heart of the reader with ever more ardent devotion to the Mother of God, the vessel of all graces and the paradigm and perfection of every virtue. As a guide to meditation and a catalyst for prayer, the Crown of the Virgin is an illuminating mirror of the beauty and splendor of the one who is herself the refulgent and immaculate image of her Divine Son.”
4) The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary: From the Visions of Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich
In The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary: From the Visions of Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich, Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich demonstrates the riches of this life she was privileged to know more intimately than perhaps any other besides St. Joseph and Our Lord Himself.
For in these pages are told the wondrous and miraculous elements of Our Lady’s time on this Earth, all the way from her birth and consecration, through her miraculous conception and pregnancy, through her suffering at the foot of the Cross of Our Lord, to her last days and ultimate Dormition and Assumption.
5) The Life of Mary As Seen by the Mystics
“A masterpiece that combines the visions of four great Catholic mystics into one coherent story on the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Based primarily on the famous revelations of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich and Venerable Mary of Agreda, it also includes many episodes described in the writings of St. Bridget of Sweden and St. Elizabeth of Schenau. To read this book, therefore, is to share in the magnificent visions granted to four of the most priviledged souls in the history of the Church.
In complete harmony with the Gospel story, this book reads like a masterfully written novel. It includes such fascinating details as the birth and infancy of Mary, her espousal to St. Joseph, and her Assumption into Heaven, where she was crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth.”
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