The Catholic Church celebrates the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15. Its origins date back to the turn of the 5th and 6th centuries, when it was known as the Dormition of the Mother of God. The Church’s faith in the form of dogma was announced only in 1950 by Pope Pius XII.
In the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus (God is Generous) of November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII proclaimed a dogma which stated that “the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-Virgin Mary, after the end of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”
When the corruption of morals threatens to destroy the splendor of virtue and ruin many human lives, let us in this magnificent way let it be fully understood that the sublime end of the destiny of our soul and body is before the eyes of all.
– highlighted the Pope, referring to the tragedy of the Second World War.
He also noted that “if anyone, God forbid, dares to voluntarily deny or doubt what we have defined (dogma – PAP), let him know that he has completely abandoned the divine and Catholic faith.”
However, the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary says nothing about Mary’s death. This issue was only addressed by Pope John Paul II in his catechesis of June 25, 1997. He then supported the thesis that Mary, like every human being, died and was then resurrected by Jesus, that is, she was resurrected body and soul and was taken to heaven.
Although the Church proclaims that Mary was preserved from original sin by a special privilege from God, this does not mean that she also received bodily immortality.
– said the Pope. He emphasized that “the mother is not greater than the Son, who accepted death, giving it a new meaning and transforming it into an instrument of salvation”. He added that “the transition to another life was for Mary the maturation of grace in glory, therefore, in this particular case, death could be understood as ‘falling asleep’”.
The content of the dogma announced by Pius XII confirmed the secular faith of the Church.
A long tradition
The Feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God was celebrated already at the turn of the 5th and 6th centuries under the name of the Dormition of the Theotokos, or Koimesis.
A temple was built in the Garden of Olives in honor of the “Assumption of Our Lady”. Eastern tradition still recognizes that Mary passed through the gates of death (fell asleep in the Lord) and only then was she taken up body and soul into heaven. The Orthodox Church celebrates three events: death – the Dormition of the Mother of God, her resurrection and the subsequent assumption into heaven. Therefore, in the words of Bishop Lazarus (Puhalo), a Christian is not said to “die”, but only to “rest” or “fall asleep”, because “death is only a moment after which every man rises”.
In the Western Church, the holiday has been celebrated since the 7th century under the name of the Assumption.
In popular tradition, the feast of “Our Lady of the Herbs” is celebrated on August 15th – also called “Our Lady of the Herbs”. There are two translations of this custom. One is related to the apocryphal books, that is, non-canonical books, according to which St. Thomas, after the Assumption, entered the tomb where Mary’s body was supposed to rest and saw only flowers and herbs there. The second tradition, however, explains that the flowers and herbs are a symbol of Our Lady, who is the most beautiful fruit on earth.
According to Polish tradition, on August 15, as a sign of gratitude to God for the harvests, bouquets of grains, vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs are brought to the church, which are blessed by the priest at the end of the liturgy.
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