Assumption and Ascension
The term "Assumption" is used to
emphasize that Mary, intrinsically possessing no divine power, was taken up
into Heaven body and soul by God.
Two related feastdays that occasionally get confused are the Assumption
(of Mary) and the Ascension (of Jesus).
Forty Days after His Resurrection, in the sight of His apostles, Jesus
ascended into Heaven, where He is seated in glory at the right hand of God the
Father. The term "Ascension" is used to emphasize that Jesus, as God,
returned to Heaven by His own divine power.
At the end of her earthly life, Mary was assumed body and soul into
Heaven, where she reigns as first among all the saints. While understandably
endowed by God with the highest honor, Mary is still a creature of God and
therefore not divine herself, and not the recipient of the divine worship and
adoration owing to God alone. The term "Assumption" is used to
emphasize that Mary, intrinsically possessing no divine power, was taken up
into Heaven body and soul by God.
While different, the two feastdays are nonetheless similar in
specifically insisting on the bodily dimension of the presence in Heaven of
Mary and Jesus. Christ ascended into Heaven in His glorified body, not just in
spirit! Likewise, Mary was assumed into Heaven body and soul, a singular
privilege that will not be accorded to other saints until the end of time and
the general resurrection of the body, since God created us body AND soul; He
redeemed us body AND soul; His eternal plan is to unite us with Him, body AND
soul, just as He has already taken the Blessed Virgin, body AND soul, to be
with Him forever in Heaven!