The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Assumption Day commemorates the belief that when Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, died, her body was “assumed” into heaven to be reunited with her soul, instead of going through the natural process of physical decay upon death. On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII defined the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of faith: “We proclaim and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory.” What the pope solemnly declared was already a common belief in the Catholic Church.
Although the bodily assumption of Mary is not explicitly recorded in Scripture, Catholic tradition identifies her with the “woman clothed with the sun” who is described in the 12th chapter of the Book of Revelation. The passage calls that woman’s appearance “a great sign” which “appeared in heaven,” indicating that she is the mother of the Jewish Messiah and has “the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Accordingly, Catholic iconography of the Western tradition often depicts the Virgin Mary’s assumption into heaven in this manner.
Prayer for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Almighty and everlasting God,
You have taken up body and soul
into the heavenly glory the Immaculate Virgin Mary,
Mother of Your Son: Grant, we beseech You,
that, ever intent upon heavenly things,
we may be worthy to be partakers of her glory.
Through Jesus Christ Your Son, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
One God, forever and ever.
Amen.
0815 Assumption Prayer for the Assumption of Mary
Father in heaven,
all creation rightly gives you praise,
for all life and all holiness come from you.
In the plan of your wisdom
she who bore the Christ in her womb
was raised body and soul in glory to be with him in heaven.
May we follow her example in reflecting your holiness
and join in her hymn of endless love and praise.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer To The Blessed Virgin Assumed Into Heaven By Pope Pius XII
O, Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and Mother of Men,
we believe with all the fervour of our faith in thy triumphant Assumption,
body and soul, into Heaven,
where thou art acclaimed as Queen by all the Choirs of Angels
and by all the Legions of Saints.
We unite with them to praise and bless the Lord
Who halls exalted thee above all other pure creatures
and to offer to thee the fervour of our devotion and our love.
We know that thine eyes,
which caressed maternally the humble
and suffering humanity of Jesus on earth,
are now filled with the vision of the glorified humanity of the incarnate Wisdom,
and that the joy of thy soul contemplating face to face the adorable Trinity.
makes thy heartbeat with beatifying tenderness.
And we, poor sinners. whose bodies burden the flight of the soul,
we beseech thee to purify our senses so that we may learn,
while yet here below, to enjoy God and God alone in the charm of His creatures.
We are confident that thine eyes of mercy look down upon our miseries,
our sorrows, our struggles, and our weaknesses,
and smile upon our joys and our victories,
and that thou hearest the voice of Jesus saying to each one of us,
just as He said of His beloved disciple. ” Behold thy son.”
and we invoke thee, our mother,
and like John, we take thee for guidance,
strength and consolation in our mortal life.
We have the life-giving certainty that thine eyes,
which wept on the earth bathed with the Blood of Jesus,
still gaze on this world. a prey to wars, persecutions
and the oppressions of the just and the weak;
and, in the shadows of this vale of tears,
we look to thy heavenly light and thy sweet pity for comfort
in the grief of our hearts and in the trials of the Church and our homeland.
And we believe. too, that in the glory where thou reigns,
clothed in the sun and crowned with the stars, thou art,
after Jesus, the joy and the happiness of all the angels and saints;
and we on this earth, who pass as pilgrims
comforted by faith in future resurrection,
look to thee, our life, our sweetness and our hope.
Draw us with the sweetness of thy voice and show unto us, one day,
after this our exile, the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
0 clement, 0 loving, 0 sweet Virgin Mary.
Novena prayer for the Feast of the Assumption:
Mary, Queen Assumed into Heaven, I rejoice that after years of heroic martyrdom on earth, you have at last been taken to the throne prepared for you in heaven by the Holy Trinity.
Lift my heart with you in the glory of your Assumption above the dreadful touch of sin and impurity. Teach me how small earth becomes when viewed from heaven. Make me realize that death is the triumphant gate through which I shall pass to your Son, and that someday my body shall rejoin my soul in the unending bliss of heaven.
From this earth, over which I tread as a pilgrim, I look to you for help. I ask for this favor: (Mention your request).
When my hour of death has come, lead me safely to the presence of Jesus to enjoy the vision of my God for all eternity together with you.
Amen.
Prayer to Mary Assumed into Heaven
O Blessed Virgin Mary,
united to the victorious Christ in heaven,
you are the image and first flowering of the Church
as she is to be perfected in the world to come.
You shine forth as a sign of sure hope and solace
for the pilgrim People of God.
In your Assumption,
you manifest the fullness of redemption
and appear as the spotless image of the Church
responding in joy
to the invitation of the Bridegroom, your Son,
who is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Grant that we may follow your example on earth
thereby imitating your Son as well
and being enabled to share your glory,
with Him for all eternity.
Prayer to Our Lady, Assumed into Heaven
Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, we believe in your triumphant assumption into heaven where the angels and saints acclaim you as Queen. We join them in praising you and bless the Lord who raised you above all creatures. With them we offer you our devotion and love. We are confident that you watch over our daily efforts and needs, and we take comfort from the faith in the coming resurrection. We look to you, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. After this earthly life, show us Jesus, the blest fruit of your womb, O kind, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary.
