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Mary’s Heavenly Birthday: A Change in How We Anticipate Death
Happy Feast of the Assumption! A Nun’s Life community member Marla Thurman wrote today’s blog post in honor of the feast day.
Assumption of Mary (14th c.) housed in Ávila Cathedral museum; photo by Lawrence OP on Flickr
I was directing a retreat for 22 college students when Pope John Paul II died. The theme of our retreat was “I Hope You Dance,” and suddenly everyone stopped rejoicing and became somber. I allowed a couple of hours for sadness, but then I pushed on with the joyful tone of the retreat.
“Should we be having a good time?” a student asked.
“If we believe what we say we believe, yes,” I told her. “If we truly believe that Heaven is the reward for those that do good, and if we believe that Heaven is amazing and beautiful, of course we should be having a good time! The pope is in Heaven experiencing more joy than he ever did on this earth. We should be celebrating!”
The feast of the Assumption of Mary is about just that. Sometimes referred to as “Mary’s Heavenly Birthday,” the Assumption is when we celebrate that Mary’s body and soul were taken up into heaven. Most Church discussion on the Assumption, which was not official Church doctrine until 1950, says that Mary actually died here on earth before being assumed, but it is “okay” with the Church to believe she never died. The issue isn’t forced because Church leaders know it is more important for us to understand where she ended up. To celebrate Mary’s entrance into Heaven is only right. No other person deserved Heaven more.
The custom of celebrating that transition from earthly life to everlasting life is what makes sense for Catholics as a hopeful people. When my best friend died of inflammatory breast cancer in 2001, a prayer card at her funeral read:
Marianne Tillman
Born September 30, 1949
Born to Eternal Life August 1, 2001
I see these announcements at most funerals now. As Catholics, we do hope for a life after this one, we do hope in Heaven. And if we believe that Heaven is joy, how could we not celebrate going there? When we lose those we love and are filled with grief, can we not also rejoice in the belief that they truly are in a happier, more beautiful place?
The Assumption of Mary has many theological implications, most far beyond my ken, but I acknowledge the feast with thanksgiving that there is, indeed, something more for all of us after this life, and it is a wonderful thing to hope for. While no one wants to rush, a “heavenly birthday” can only be awesome.
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{ 3 comments }
This is a great post Marla. It’s something I feel very strongly about and have actually said your words to myself and others: “do we believe what we say we believe? Truly?” I went to a funeral a couple of weeks ago for a woman who died from Alzheimer’s. I cried tears of joy for that woman. For what she had in front of her at that moment, I cried. I will cry tears of joy when my own Mother is called as well. And so many won’t understand.
Thanks, Marla.
Marla, this is a beautiful and insightful reflection. You really highlight the intersection of faith and human emotion. I have a Sister friend who always says, “The greater the love, the deeper the loss.” Many people remind me that Jesus wept (not just cried, but wept) at the death of Lazarus. But that’s not the end of the story. He also knew that in Him eternal life would be realized. Mourning and grieving a natural part of the heart, but in faith, we also seek to relate in a new way to our loved ones who transitioned before us. My Dad and his godbrother (not baptismal, but brother in spirit) always greeted each other at a wake by saying, “Condolences and Congratulations!” Only in a shared faith can their greeting be understood, yet that in fact, is our Christian reality. Mary was assumed into heaven so she was spared the transition of death. Yet what about the loved ones she left behind? Their hearts probably felt a space, yet they were probably comforted by knowing that her union with God was fully realized forevermore…
This is lovely Marla. I was drawn right away by your title, “A change in how we anticipate death.” It makes sense to me to anticipate it, not to dwell on it but to live our lives in the knowledge that we are all more than the physical body, and that maybe we don’t have to hang on so tight all the time. While I find it hard to really rejoice at someone’s death, I am coming to feel a slightly greater sense of acceptance and less fear.