Twentieth of Year C - Assumption
August 2010
Today, the feast of the Assumption and I quote directly from the Catholic Encyclopaedia;
‘Regarding the day, year, and manner of Our Lady's death, nothing certain is known. The earliest known literary reference to the Assumption is found in a Greek work dating from the fourth of fifth century. Catholic faith, however, has always derived our knowledge of the mystery from Apostolic Tradition. The dates assigned for it vary between three and fifteen years after Christ's Ascension. Two cities claim to be the place of her departure: Jerusalem and Ephesus. Common consent favours Jerusalem, where her tomb is shown; but some argue in favour of Ephesus. The first six centuries did not know of the tomb of Mary at Jerusalem.
St. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, at the Council of Chalcedon (451), made known to the Emperor Marcian and Pulcheria, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened, upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; where from the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven.
Today, the belief in the corporeal assumption of Mary is universal in the East and in the West.’
There is no mention of the Assumption in the New Testament.
But that does not worry us Catholics. Unlike the Reformation churches, who base their teaching on Scripture alone, the Catholic Church bases its teaching on both Scripture and Tradition.
Scripture is the Bible, especially the New Testament.
Tradition refers to a doctrine, account or custom, transmitted from one generation to another, orally or through local customs or practises.
For example the U.S. has a written constitution which is the guide and inspiration of all subsequent legislation.
England has no written constitution but relies on common law or long standing custom and legal decisions down the centuries.
Reformation Churches are like the U.S., relying on a written constitution - the Bible.
The Catholic Church is a combination of U.S. and England, relying on the Bible and on Tradition.
For the Catholic Church both are of great value and you could even say that Tradition is of greater importance since the New Testament Scripture is only that part of Church Tradition which was written down in the early Church.
Therefore the fact that certain church doctrine (like the Assumption for example) is not mentioned anyplace in the Bible is of little concern.
These beliefs were passed on from generation to generation, within the Church, without ever being formally written down, of described by chance in some other writings.
All the above is irrelevant to most of you. I give it to you because I couldn’t think of something more interesting to say.
Today’s message is simple. As Elizabeth said to Mary at the Visitation; ‘Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.’
And what has been spoken to me by the Lord?