Spiritual Reflection

Looking to the Stars: The Assumption and Our Hope

As you look up at a clear night sky, what do those twinkling stars say to you? In many cultures, stories are told of our ancestors resting in the stars and looking down on us. These ancient tales echo a profound truth that resonates deeply within our Christian faith: life does not end when we die, and love goes on and on.

On 15 August 2025, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, a special ancestor of our faith. Mary was chosen not only to be the mother of Jesus but also a mother for all of us. This feast reminds us of her unique destiny and her continued care for us. The Church teaches that when her earthly life was completed, she was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory. This means that, unlike other human beings for whom the resurrection of the body will occur at the end of the world, Mary's body was glorified by a special privilege.

This truth, solemnly defined as a dogma by Pope Pius XII in 1950, was not a new invention but a reaffirmation of a long-held belief within the Church. It was proclaimed after extensive consultation with bishops and the People of God, reflecting a truth almost universally accepted and professed by the Christian community. The belief in Mary's glorious raising, body and soul, spread rapidly from East to West, with liturgical feasts of the Dormition and Assumption of Mary being instituted. The Eastern rites beautifully refer to it as the "Dormition" or "Falling Asleep" of the Mother of God.

The definition of this dogma in 1950, following the immense human suffering of two world wars and the horrors of concentration camps, served as a powerful message. It was a response to reaffirm the dignity of the human body and to rekindle faith in the resurrection of the body. This feast affirms that our human bodies, and indeed the entire world and cosmos, are not mere shells but are created in God's image and likeness. The Church, in celebrating Mary's Assumption, wanted to speak not only about the body of Mary but about the dignity of every human being's bodily presence and history, and the ultimate glorification of all creation.

In our own time, as we witness the profound suffering in places like Gaza and Ukraine, where human bodies are broken and lives are shattered by conflict, and as we confront the groaning of creation under environmental strain, the Feast of the Assumption takes on renewed significance. Just as Pius XII's definition offered a beacon of hope amidst the devastation of his era, Mary's bodily assumption into heaven today reaffirms the sacred dignity of every human person, even those enduring unimaginable hardship. It reminds us that despite the violence and destruction, God's ultimate plan is for the glorification of humanity and the renewal of all creation. It is a powerful sign that love and life, in their fullness, will ultimately triumph over death and decay, calling us to be instruments of peace, justice, and care for our common home.

Mary's Assumption is a "sign of sure hope and consolation" for us. When we look up at the stars, let us see in them the sign of God’s future of hope, a promise of our own future resurrected life, and the ultimate destiny of all creation in God's glory.