The story of the persistent Canaanite woman has intrigued and puzzled Christians for two thousand years. Why would Jesus treat this pious woman with what seems like indifference, even hostility? Why does he refuse (it seems) to answer our own prayers? The solution can be found in the very Biblical category of testing.
The doctrine of the Assumption of Mary was obviously always a historical reality, and something always believed and accepted by both the Roman and the Eastern church, both Catholic and Orthodox. The reason it is close in my memory is that Pope Pius XII solemnly defined the doctrine on November 1st. 1950, four years before my priestly Ordination. Pius chose to do this in order to bring to our attention the reality of her restoration to bodily life and entrance body and soul into heaven, and also to firm our belief that all of us like Jesus and Mary will some day at the end of time receive our resurrected bodies back into union with our immortal souls to participate hopefully in the joys and glory of heaven. It is interesting to note that the doctrine defining the reality does not explicitly address the reality of her death. It uses the expression, “having finished the course of her earthly life etc.” Of course there is no doubt that Mary died. In fact two graphical places claim to be the place on Mary’s death, the island of Patmos and Dormition abbey in Jerusalem. The doctrine focuses on being taken to heaven bodily, rather than the place of her death.
There is a logical reason for our belief in the Assumption of Mary. She was kept free from original sin by her Immaculate Conception. Death is a historical punishment for original sin. Since both Jesus and Mary were not guilty of sin, and thus free from the punishments of sin, they needed not to die. Nevertheless, they both embraced death to destroy the power and result of death and make it now a source of resurrected new life. Another personal note is that the year in which I was ordained was a special Marian year, commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the Immaculate Conception solemnly defined in 1854.
Notice the parallel between the life of Jesus and the life of Mary. Jesus was conceived virginally. Even though Mary was conceived by normal human intercourse, she was conceived in her souls free from original sin (feast day December 8th.). She was present at the death of Jesus and participated in a unique way with Jesus through her intercession in our redemption from sin and eternal death. Jesus ascended into heaven by His own divine power. Mary was taken (assumed) into heaven by Jesus’ divine power. This feast is a call to thank the Lord for His divine plan in calling us with Mary in future participation, both soul and body, in the eternal joys of God’s heavenly kingdom.
There is a logical reason for our belief in the Assumption of Mary. She was kept free from original sin by her Immaculate Conception. Death is a historical punishment for original sin. Since both Jesus and Mary were not guilty of sin, and thus free from the punishments of sin, they needed not to die. Nevertheless, they both embraced death to destroy the power and result of death and make it now a source of resurrected new life. Another personal note is that the year in which I was ordained was a special Marian year, commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the Immaculate Conception solemnly defined in 1854.
Notice the parallel between the life of Jesus and the life of Mary. Jesus was conceived virginally. Even though Mary was conceived by normal human intercourse, she was conceived in her souls free from original sin (feast day December 8th.). She was present at the death of Jesus and participated in a unique way with Jesus through her intercession in our redemption from sin and eternal death. Jesus ascended into heaven by His own divine power. Mary was taken (assumed) into heaven by Jesus’ divine power. This feast is a call to thank the Lord for His divine plan in calling us with Mary in future participation, both soul and body, in the eternal joys of God’s heavenly kingdom.