Many Catholics know Jesus ascended into Heaven, but why do we say Mary was assumed?
The difference matters!
August 15 is the great feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, a holy day of obligation for Catholics.
Despite how it sounds, the feast is not about “assuming” Mary is in Heaven — it celebrates the Catholic Church's dogma that, at the end of her earthly life, she was taken up body and soul into Heaven.
Munificentissimus Deus (Defining the Dogma of the Assumption) states:
"The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into Heavenly glory."
This concept is different than what happens to most Christians, whose bodies remain on earth while their souls go to Heaven.
But why is this called an “assumption”?
Our Lord Jesus also went to Heaven, body and soul, at the end of his time on earth, but we refer to it as his “ascension.”
The distinction lies in who Mary and Jesus are — and the way each entered Heaven.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God made man, with both divine and human natures. When He went to Heaven, body and soul, at the end of His earthly life, He did so on His own power. Jesus himself was the active agent.
Thus, Jesus ascended (active) into Heaven.
Mary, on the other hand, is of course merely a creature, dependent entirely on the gratuitous grace of God for anything. She could not and did not go to Heaven through her own power, but instead was taken there.
Thus, Mary was assumed (passive) into Heaven.
Catholic theology is generally very careful with its words. Often, as in this case, a seemingly small difference in terminology can be a sign of important distinctions.
Prayer to Our Lady Of The Assumption by Pope Saint Pius X
O immaculate virgin, Mother of God and Mother of humanity, we believe with all the fervor of our faith in your triumphal assumption both in body and in soul into Heaven where you are acclaimed as queen by all the choirs of angels and all the legions of saints; we unite with them to praise and bless the Lord who has exalted you above all other pure creatures and to offer you the tribute of our devotion and our love.
We know that your gaze, which on earth watched over the humble and suffering humanity of Jesus, in Heaven, is filled with the vision of that humanity, glorified and with the vision of uncreated wisdom, and that the joy of your soul in the direct contemplation of the adorable Trinity, causes your heart to throb with overwhelming tenderness; and we, poor sinners whose body weights down the flight of the soul, beg you to purify our hearts so that, while we remain below, we may learn to see God and God alone in the beauties of his creatures.
We trust that your merciful eyes may deign to gaze down upon our miseries and anguish, upon our struggles and our weaknesses; that your countenance may smile upon our joys and our victories; that you may hear the voice of Jesus saying to you of each one of us, as he once said to you of his beloved disciple:
'Behold, you son,' and we who call upon you as our Mother, we, like John, take you as the guide, strength, and consolation of our mortal life.
We are inspired by the certainty that your eyes, which wept over the earth crimsoned by the blood of Jesus, are yet turned toward this world racked by wars and persecutions, the oppression of the just and the weak. From the shadows of this vale of tears, we seek in your heavenly assistance, tender mercy, comfort for our aching hearts, and help in the trials of Church and country.
We believe finally that in the glory where you reign, clothed with the sun and crowned with stars, you are, after Jesus, the joy and gladness of all the angels and the saints, and from this earth, over which we tread as pilgrims, comforted by our faith in the future resurrection, we look to you our life, our sweetness, our hope; draw us onward with the sweetness of your voice, so that one day, after our exile, you may show us Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb.
O clement, O loving,
O, sweet Virgin Mary.
Amen.