Solemnity of the Assumption reminds us of our hope to join her in heaven

With the month of August upon us once again, our Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption. Since 1950, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been an official dogma of our Catholic faith and thus, it must be believed with our unconditional assent of intellect and will.
 
What Pope Pius XII made official the Catholic Church had already believed and celebrated for many centuries about the Blessed Virgin Mary. The pope’s bull declaring the Assumption an article of Catholic faith is readily available, and I would encourage all to read it. It is truly inspiring and it captures our age-old faith in the Blessed Mother’s Assumption into heaven at the moment of her death and the re-infusing of her soul into her body so that as she was Immaculately Conceived at the beginning of her life, so at the end of her earthly life her body would not experience the corruption of the grave and have to await the final day of judgment to be united body and soul in heaven with Almighty God.
 
The solemn Mass which we celebrate on August 15 is truly beautiful. The Mass propers (collect, secret and post-Communion prayers) express the Church’s faith in Our Blessed Lady’s Assumption. The special preface for this solemn Mass does the same but it also highlights further our own faith and hope. Our Blessed Mother already enjoys what we hope and pray to have at the Final Judgment, that perfect union in heaven of body and soul for eternity in the presence of God.
 
The Solemnity of the Assumption as a consequence of being declared a dogma of Catholic faith is also a holy day of obligation. All of us know what this means. The obligation to attend and participate at Holy Mass on the Assumption is the very same as it is for every Sunday. The Church has always taught and still teaches that for any Catholic who has achieved the age of reason, to miss Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day through one’s own fault, that person has committed a mortal sin. To receive Holy Communion worthily, that person must go to confession and receive sacramental absolution from a priest first. The reason I mention this is that it seems some Catholics do not consider this a sin at all, no less a mortal sin. Thus, they neither go to confession nor refrain from receiving Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin.
 
This year the Solemnity of the Assumption falls on a Friday. Most of our parishes in the Bismarck Diocese will have a Vigil Mass on Thursday evening and then Masses on the day to celebrate this great event in the life of the Blessed Mother and in the life of the Church for whom she is Mother. Please plan now to be at Mass not just to fulfill your obligation but to celebrate what you hope to have and enjoy and which Our Mother has and enjoys and for which she prays for us to join her.