Today is the Solemnity
of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – it remains one of the great
feasts of the Christian year – both in the Latin and Eastern Orthodox churches.
While formally defined as dogma by the Roman Catholic Church only in 1950,
belief in Mary's assumption into heavenly glory has deep roots in Christian
tradition. Eastern Christians celebrate the same mystery as the Dormition,
the ‘falling asleep’ of the Mother of God.The Scriptures
assigned to this Solemnity are marked by joy and triumph. The Book of
Revelation presents the heavenly woman clothed with the sun. Psalm 45 depicts
the Queen standing at the king's right hand. St Paul proclaims Christ's victory
over death, and in Luke's Gospel Mary sings the Magnificat, praising God's
saving power and mercy.
