Making Assumptions

One of the chief criticisms leveled at Catholics regarding the Dogma of the Assumption of Mary is that “it’s not in the Bible!”

Well, that may not be the case, as Revelation 12 clearly stated that “a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars…she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron…”

Three guesses as to who the woman and her child are.

However, I will grant that the actual event of the Assumption is not in Scripture – that is, there isn’t a detailed account of Mary being taken up into heaven, body and soul, at the end of her earthly life. But that doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen.

Consider the last verse of the Gospel of John: “But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” If that’s true of Jesus’ life, no doubt it’s true for Mary’s also.

But today’s scripture reading at Mass from 1 Kings 2 is also important, because, along with the case of Enoch in Genesis (“he walked with God, and was no more, because God took him”), the “assumption” of the prophet Elijah, body and soul, into heaven in a chariot of fire proves that not only could God do such a thing as assume a saint like Mary into heaven, but that he has done so on at least two other occasions in the past.

Could he? Could God do it? Of course he can – otherwise he wouldn’t be omnipotent. Did he? Of course he did – and his infallibly established Magisterium (teaching office) has confirmed it.