Sermon – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – August 15, 2026

My dear brothers and sisters,

Today is the day we celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven, both in body and soul. This is a feast of the triumph and glorification of the Mother of God. Therefore, it is important to celebrate this day, which is so significant for our Mother.

What does the Assumption of Heaven mean, and why was the Virgin Mary taken up to heaven?

Saint Peter Canisius tells us: “The term ‘Assumption ’ refers to the glorification of Mary’s body as well as her soul .” Her assumption was due to God’s will and because she is the Mother of God.

Pope Pius XII, in his apostolic constitution "Munificentissimus Deus," offered several reasons for declaring this mystery a dogma of faith:

1. The Holy Scriptures: “Come forth, O Lord, to your dwelling place, with the ark of your power. ” (Psalm 132:8). The Ark of the Covenant, made of perishable wood and placed in the Lord’s temple, is a symbol of the pure body of the Virgin Mary, protected from all decay of the tomb and raised to great glory in heaven.

However, one of the most striking biblical quotes is found in a sermon by Saint Anthony of Padua: “I will glorify the place where I set my foot” (Isaiah 60:13). This statement expresses the supreme exaltation of the divine Savior’s most beloved Mother, the one from whom He took human form.

“It is clear from this that the Blessed Virgin Mary was taken up to heaven with her body, the very place where the Lord’s feet trod. ” Therefore the psalmist says: “Come forth, O Lord, to where you will dwell, with the ark of your power.”

The saint says that just as Jesus Christ rose from death and ascended to the right hand of his Father, “so the Ark of Sanctification has risen; for today the Virgin Mary has been raised to the heavenly resting place.”

2. Liturgy: Pope Pius XII said: “ The liturgy does not create faith; rather, it presupposes it , and worship practices, like the fruits of a tree, stem from faith.”

Therefore, liturgical testimony helps us see that the first Christians already embraced the truth we celebrate today as part of their faith.

The Byzantine liturgy states: “To you, things beyond nature were bestowed by God, King of the universe; for He preserved you as a virgin at birth, and He preserved your body without decay in the grave, and He exalted you with the divine Assumption into Heaven. ”

Pope Saint Sergius I also lists the principal feasts of the Virgin Mary: the Nativity, the Annunciation, the Purification, and the Assumption, that is, the Sleep.

3. Theological reason: God accomplished this through Incarnation , Death, and Resurrection in order to save humanity.

To accomplish the incarnation, God needed to assume human nature. He did this through Mary . Mary is God's perfect, sinless masterpiece. God assumed human nature through her.

God chose a Mother in whose womb He would reside. Mary is the Ark of the Covenant. This fact is directly related to the Dogma of Divine Motherhood.

However, this Ark must be sinless and pure. Therefore, there is a close connection between the Immaculate Conception and the Ascension to Heaven.

Mary conceived without sin, and therefore, “ She overcame sin through her Immaculate Conception; thus she was not subject to the law of decay in the grave and did not have to wait until the end of the world for the salvation of her body.”

Saint John of Damascus says:

“She who preserved her virginity at birth had to have her body preserved after death. She who carried the Creator as a child in her womb had to dwell in the divine abodes. The Father’s Wife had to dwell in the heavenly chambers. She who saw her Son on the cross and took the sword of suffering into her heart, from which she was exempt at birth, had to watch her Son sit at the Father’s right hand. The Mother of God had to share in what belongs to the Son and be honored by all creatures as the Mother and servant of God.”

After presenting all these reasons, the Pope concludes:

“The ultimate basis for all these justifications and considerations of our Holy Fathers and theologians is Scripture. Scripture shows us that the spirit of God’s Mother is inextricably linked to Her Son and always shares in His destiny.

Therefore, it is almost impossible to think of Mary separately from Christ. It is impossible to imagine that His Mother, who carried Him in her womb, gave birth to Him, nourished Him with her milk, held Him in her arms, and held Him tightly to her breast, was physically separated from Christ after this life.

From the moment our Savior became the Son of Mary, he could have followed no other path than to honor his most beloved Mother, as well as the Eternal Father, as the most perfect executor of divine law.

Therefore, it must be believed that he truly did so, given that he had the opportunity to bestow such great honor upon his mother by protecting her grave from decay.”

So what conclusions can we draw from all this? We can draw two conclusions.

First: Christ and His most holy Mother have ascended to heavenly glory in body and soul. If we are faithful disciples of Christ, we too will one day attain eternal life with Him.

Secondly: Christ is in heaven and intercedes for us, as Saint Paul said: “For he lives forever to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

Mary also intercedes for us, her children. Let us ask her for all that we need, especially the forgiveness of our sins and the salvation of our souls.