Heaven’s Call
According to ancient tradition preserved by the Church Fathers and liturgical texts, when the time approached for the Blessed Virgin Mary to leave her earthly exile, God, in His merciful providence, revealed it to her. Mary, who had been the constant companion of the Apostles and the silent support of the early Church, prepared her soul for the final embrace with her Son.
She was then in Jerusalem (or, as some traditions say, in Ephesus under the care of St. John the Evangelist). Her heart, ever detached from the world, longed for the full vision of Christ’s glory. St. John Damascene tells us that the Archangel Gabriel — the same who had once announced the Incarnation — appeared again, holding a palm branch from Paradise, and told her that in three days she would be taken to heaven.
The Gathering of the Apostles
Miraculously, the Apostles, who were scattered across the earth preaching the Gospel, were transported to Mary’s side, except St. Thomas, who was delayed according to Divine Providence. They beheld her face radiant with peace, her words filled with consolation, exhorting them to persevere in their mission. The Upper Room, sanctified long before at the Last Supper, became once more a place of sacred mystery.
Her Holy Dormition
At the hour foretold, surrounded by the Apostles, Mary’s soul departed from her immaculate body. The Church calls this moment her Dormition — a “falling asleep” — because there was no corruption, no trace of the penalties of sin. The Apostles, filled with awe, carried her body in solemn procession to the tomb in the Valley of Josaphat, near Gethsemane. As they went, angels were heard singing celestial hymns, and fragrant perfumes filled the air.
The Empty Tomb
Three days later, St. Thomas arrived, grieving that he had not seen her. He begged the Apostles to open the tomb so that he might venerate her body. But when they rolled back the stone, they found the sepulcher empty, save for the burial cloths and an ineffable fragrance. Then they understood: Christ had taken His Mother, body and soul, into the glory of Heaven.
From that day, the Church treasured this mystery, which was celebrated in the East from the earliest centuries and solemnly confirmed in the West. Pope Pius XII, in 1950, would later define as dogma what had been held in the heart of the faithful for nearly two millennia.
Spiritual Meaning
The Assumption is not merely a privilege granted to Mary alone — it is a sign of our own promised resurrection. She, the New Eve, who never tasted corruption, is the first to receive in fullness what all the just shall receive at the end of time. Her glorified body stands as a pledge of the incorruptible glory that awaits the faithful.