Solemnity of the Assumption of BVM

“In Christ shall all be brought to life, each one in proper order: Christ the first fruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ.”

A couple weeks ago, I was at camp with our middle schoolers in Georgia. We were sitting in the cafeteria for lunch, and the topic of sacred art came up (because a few of them were talking about all the beautiful churches they visited over the summer, with all these beautiful paintings and murals). So, one of the kids said that this one image of our Lady’s Assumption struck him because he noticed her being carried by a bunch of angels. And he made the connection that, in images of Christ’s Ascension, there’s just a cloud, but Mary seems like she’s actually being carried. So, theologically, that means that Christ went into heaven by his own power, while Mary was brought up into heaven. And the whole time he was saying that, I was like [pump fist] because I instantly knew I had a story for a homily—a real story where a real middle schooler really said that. Proud father moment, right there.

I’m a proud father because this middle schooler in that one thought expressed the whole drama of salvation, which St. Paul lays out for us in our second reading. That drama, beginning with Adam, is about how we try to access heaven by our own power, but failing to do so over and over again. But thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ for his victory over that cycle, because now we have access to heaven through Christ. As St. Paul says, “For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead came also through man. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life.”

What we celebrate today though is what is implicit in that line from St. Paul. St. Paul mentions the role of the old Adam and the New Adam, but implicit in that is the role of the old Eve and the New Eve. We could legitimately add to his line of thought: For since woman shared in the death of man, so the New Eve shares in the heavenly glories of the New Adam. For just as in Eve all were sent into exile, so too in Mary all shall return to the Heavenly Eden.

And that’s what all our Marian dogma is about. It’s all about Christ’s work of salvation, first and foremost; so, anything we say in honor of Mary, it’s in honor of her Son, our Lord. But then Christ’s work of salvation is for us, so anything we say Christ does for Mary, it will soon be ours when we’re with him in eternity, provided we configure ourselves to the life of Christ.

And the first step to that configuration is right here at this altar, when we receive Christ’s very life. We experience a real taste of heaven each time we’re privileged to receive the Eucharist. Each time the priest says, “The Body of Christ,” our “Amen” is the affirmation that we’ve kept our lives immaculate like Mary did. Our “Amen” is the affirmation that we’ll carry Christ in our wombs into the world like Mary did. Our “Amen” is the affirmation of hope that if we continue to conform our lives to Jesus and Mary, then we will one day share in Christ’s Ascension, one day share in Mary’s Assumption.

Pope Benedict XVI said that because Mary “had made room for the Lord in her soul,” she “really became the true Temple where God made himself incarnate.” And so, because of that, because Mary made room for the Lord in her soul, the Lord has made room for her in Heaven. As we prepare to sacramentally receive that very same Jesus Christ, let’s ask for the grace to really make room for him in our soul. By doing that, we have the privilege of being able to participate in this drama of salvation, so let’s also ask his Blessed Mother for the grace to play our parts well.