On August 15, Catholics celebrate the Feast of Saint Mary the Virgin, mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Not familiar with the details of such solemnity? Have a look at our dedicated blog post!

Have you ever asked yourself why are there no relics of Mary to be venerated on earth? This has a lot to do with the way she died…

First of all, “die” is not the appropriate term, but let’s start in order. Some theologians and Popes claim that the dogma of the Assumption is to be found between the lines in both the Old and the New Testaments. The official definition, however, has been formulated in the bull Munificentissimus Deus by Pope Pius XII in 1950. Its being a dogma means that the very concept of Assumption has been treated as a divine revelation, and as such, it cannot be subjected to any discussion or doubt.

Abbey of the Dormition, in Jerusalem

Previously we mentioned the fact that Mary has not “died” in the strict sense of the word. In fact, the cornerstone of the dogma at issue is that the Virgin fell asleep and was raised, or “assumed”, in soul and body in Heaven. This event is commonly referred to as “Dormitio”, that is to say, “Falling Asleep”. The reason why the Virgin did not die as all humans do is that she is free of Original Sin.

What we can learn from Mary’s Assumption is that earth is not our final destination either. She instills hope and serenity in our lives, so let’s pay respects to her with our prayers.

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Related articles:

Basic Facts about the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary→
St Catherine Labouré and the Miraculous Medal→