In fact, it was precisely because of these sacred contents that the ark was so holy, and that is precisely why it is here depicted as having been taken up to heaven. John sees as housing the ark. John and Rev. John speaks of is not a temple made of brick and mortar. But he spoke of the temple of his body Jn. I saw no temple [in heaven], for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the lamb Rev.
When St. John views the temple in heaven, he is not viewing the Old Testament temple. In the same way, St. John is not seeing the Old Covenant ark. He sees the new and true Ark of the Covenant. The conclusion is inescapable. In heaven, according to the Book of Revelation! No matter which interpretation you choose—Israel, the Church, Mary, or all of the above—all interpretations agree: the labor pains of Rev.
This really should not be a problem at all. A body can go numb and cease to feel pain. Mary clearly chose to love. She was uniquely present for our Lord, from the Incarnation of Luke , to the birthing of his ministry in John 2, to the cross in John 19, and into eternity in Revelation If you enjoyed this, there is much more in my new book available by clicking here.
Skip to main content Accessibility feedback article. Download Share. John : No one has ascended up to heaven, but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man.
I Cor. He showed that the Old Testament tells of Elias, taken to heaven bodily to teach us about our immortality, and — because of our immortal soul — to respectfully honor the bodies of the saints. Against this backdrop he states, "Because of this, we believe that the pure immaculate chamber of the God-bearer, the Virgin Mary, is a temple of the Holy Spirit, that is her holy body, borne by angels into heaven.
The proclamation of this dogma is found in the encyclical: Munificentissimus Deus. Mary's story does not stop with her Assumption. After entering heaven, Mary has remained active in the service of her Son for the life of the Church. Many Christians believe that she has manifested her concern in visible appearances and miraculous cures. Some of these events are commemorated in the liturgical calendar e.
The close association between Jesus Christ and his mother is foundational to belief in the Assumption It is essential and significant to note the distinction between the resurrection and ascension of Christ, who rose up, in contrast to Mary who is assumed or taken into heaven. The early poetry on the Assumption of Mary, which originated and circulated widely in the Eastern Church, expresses this difference and parallelism.
The death that Christ conquered in the resurrection and ascension, is also overcome for Mary. The early poetry tells of Mary's passing from this life to the next. Much of this poetry remains untranslated for the West. Nevertheless, a small important script, based on early oral versions of the Assumption and written at the beginning of the fifth century, came into the West.
This text, more commonly known as Transitus passing on, crossing over Mariae , and attributed to Melito of Sardes tells of Mary's homegoing in detail:.
In the presence of the apostles gathered around her bed, also in the presence of her divine Son and many angels, Mary died and her soul, rose to heaven, accompanied by Christ and the angels.
Her body was buried by the disciples. Difficulties developed among certain of the Jews who wished to dispose of her body. Various types of miracles occurred to convince them to honor Mary's body. On the third day, Christ returned. At the request of the apostles the soul of Mary is reunited with her body. Accompanied by singing angels, Christ brought Mary to paradise. In addition to teaching about Mary's perpetual virginity, the Transitus refers to Mary's body as a glorious tabernacle, a living vessel, and a heavenly temple.
All-powerful and ever-living God, you raised the sinless Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, body and soul to the glory of heaven. Mary is called 'Woman' in John's Gospel. At her Assumption, she is said to enter 'into heavenly glory'. Revelation 12 could be a poetic description of these facts. Finally, the place of the Lord's feet mentioned in Is 61, His resting place at the Incarnation, was Mary.
The glorification mentioned could refer to glorification in heaven. The encyclical also offers a number of scripturally based arguments of fittingness in support of Mary's Assumption.
For example, the fullness of grace ascribed to Mary in Lk , and the accommodation of Gen to her, indicate that Mary "was exempted from the fourfold curse that had been laid upon Eve. Ex was seen to imply Jesus' care for Mary's body after her death cf. Finally, the bodily resurrection won by Jesus' Resurrection in which "Death is swallowed up in victory," I Cor is applicable to Mary as to all believers.
However, because Scripture and Tradition indicate the close link between Jesus and His Mother on earth, the link between Jesus' bodily Resurrection and Mary's share in it was assumed to be equally close. None of this constitutes explicit Scriptural proof of the doctrine of Mary's Assumption.
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