This Monday is one of the most important days in the Catholic calendar, yet its basis is not found anywhere in the Bible and most non-Catholics probably have little or no understanding of the significance.
August 15 is the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. While I got a superb theological description of the meaning of the Assumption from a local scholar, the simplest formulation comes from a Catholic friend years ago: 鈥淲e assume she was assumed.鈥�
The idea is that Mary, the mother of Jesus, lived a life so special that she could not simply die like the rest of us. In Catholic teaching, Mary was 鈥渁ssumed,鈥� body and soul, into heaven when her life on earth concluded.
Dr. Peter Meehan, principal of Saint Mark鈥檚 College at UBC, explains that, like some other aspects of Catholic theology, this idea springs not from the Bible, but from traditions begun in the first and second century after the life of Jesus.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a theological understanding that blends with Christian tradition, which comes to Christians from the early fathers of the church,鈥� says Meehan.
Among the founders of Christianity, he explains, there were the Apostles, the 12 men who knew and travelled with Jesus, among these the writers of the Gospels. Then there were what we might call the next generation, the Apostolic Fathers, who did not live in the time of Jesus but who may have known, or who were at least influenced by, the Apostles. It was in the time of these theologians that the idea of the Assumption originated.
It is all based on the idea that Mary lived a special life from beginning to end. The Immaculate Conception 鈥� which I mistakenly understood to refer to the virgin birth of Jesus 鈥� actually refers to Mary鈥檚 origin.
鈥淪he was conceived without sin,鈥� Meehan says. 鈥淭he Greek theological term is Theotokos, the God-bearer鈥� She then lived out this very special existence as the mother of God and at the end of her normal earthly existence, she was then assumed, body and soul, into heaven.鈥�
Not only does the Assumption narrative correct the misunderstanding around Immaculate Conception, it also clarifies confusion around the concept of papal infallibility.
鈥淲hat people don鈥檛 usually understand about it is it鈥檚 a very rarely used aspect of papal discretion,鈥� Meehan says. 鈥淓very time the Pope says something, it is not necessarily infallible. In fact, it鈥檚 been used extremely rarely and the last time a Pope spoke infallibly was when this particular dogma of Mary鈥檚 Assumption was declared to be definitive, and that was in 1950.鈥�
When Pope Pius XII infallibly declared the Assumption official Catholic dogma, it codified what Catholics had believed for close to 2,000 years.
Most people know that Mary is extremely central to Catholic theology. Among Protestants, while she is obviously considered very special because she is understood to be the mother of God, she is not at the heart of most Protestant religious expression.
鈥淎 lot of that has to do with the Reformation,鈥� Meehan says, referring to the period when Christianity divided, with Protestants splitting from the Roman church. 鈥淭here were a lot of divisions along different lines of Christian thinking at the time of the
Reformation that were critical of Catholic practices and Catholic theology. Certain denominations began to see Catholic worship as too focused on venerating saints or relics and things that were highly divisive at the time of the Reformation. I think the cult of Mary, for many Protestants, got caught up in that. It鈥檚 not that they didn鈥檛 have respect for Mary, but that her role was not seen as being anything nearly as important as the role that Jesus played while he was on Earth and then after he was resurrected from the dead. So Mary then takes on this secondary role.鈥�
Many Protestants, Meehan adds, even believe that Mary went on to have a fairly normal married life with Joseph and more children after Jesus. (Imagine trying to live up to the expectations set by that older sibling.) The Protestant approach emphasizes Mary鈥檚 humanity while the Catholics focus on her role as God-bearer. 鈥淐atholics believe that Mary continued to be a perpetual virgin,鈥� he says.
Considering that the Assumption is not written in the scriptures, Meehan says, it is notable that there is no dispute over it among Catholic theologians.
鈥淵ou oftentimes will get, in the world of theology, different opinions on things,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut when the church can get behind something and make a definitive papal infallible statement, that means it is something that is a rock-solid understanding. Really, what that does is emphasize the very special, very unique role that Mary plays.鈥�
It still seems surprising to me that such a central part of Catholic teaching does not come from the Bible. Meehan reminds me that it is not unique to the fate of Mary.
鈥淎 lot of the teachings of the church come to us by way of tradition,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not in the Bible that Christmas happened on December 25. These are things that are just developed over time.鈥�
@Pat604Johnson
