8.12.25 - Assumption of Mary and Original Sin

House rules/notes…

1. Our meetings/classes are on ZOOM every Tuesday, 7-8 PM. Sign up on Meetup at www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy

to receive Zoom reminders and meeting recaps afterwards.  Zoom ID: 829 7355 9896  Password: 358319.  

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3. Questions. We encourage questions although we ask that you keep them on topic and brief. You can ask during the meeting, or in the chat box, or if you prefer you can email us through Meetup.com, or Ron directly: ron@hallagan.net. 

4. Recaps. Within a day or two after each meeting, we will post the edited meeting notes of our discussions on our website, www.catholiccatacombs.org. Taylor will notify everyone when this is posted and provide you with a link.

5. Respectfulness. We will be discussing differences between Christian denominations and religions in general, and we seek to be respectful at all times. Protestants especially are our friends and brothers-in-Christ; in fact, I personally owe much of my return to the faith to them! 

6. No politics.  It would be easy for us to self-destruct, but that’s not our goal :). Our goal is to learn, understand, and apply the Bible and our Catholic faith to our everyday lives. 

7. “The Chosen” TV series.  All of us seek a relationship with Jesus Christ and it can help if we have seen and heard Him. The Chosen series captures Jesus better than any show I have ever seen. Season 4 is underway. Highly recommended.  

8. Catholic Prayer & Fellowship. Are you interested in praying the rosary, etc. with other Catholics during the week?  Follow fellow member Jason Goldberg at https://www.meetup.com/online-catholic-prayer-fellowship-and-spirituality/.  

9. Cursillo. Interested in meeting weekly over coffee to discuss how God is involved in your personal and professional life? Join Cursillo (cur-see-yo). Initiation involves a 3-day retreat at Mission Hurst in Arlington. For men’s groups, contact Ron (ron@hallagan.net) and Jennifer Pence (Jennifer.pence@gmail.com) for women’s groups.  

Our Bible Study is a combination of Exegesis and Apologetics.

                           Study and interpretation of Scripture          A reasoned defense of the faith 

Format:  Each week of the month has a repeating theme, as shown below. 

    Wk 1:    Gospel Week – we study several Gospel stories, especially the tough ones.     

    Wk 2:    Bible Week – we are working our way through the Bible. We are studying the Prophets.  

    Wk 3:    Questions and Survey Topics chosen by Members:       

7. Fathers of the Church, Heresies, Church Councils    2) Near Death Experiences    3) Jesus prefigured & prophesied in the OT    4) Apparitions and modern miracles   5) Suicide  6) What happens to pets after they die. 7) Prison ministry stories  8) Could you review of Plenary and Partial Indulgences again? 

        Wk 4:    Apologetics:

1. Gen 1-3 (Creation Story, Adam & Eve, the Fall of Man, The Meaning of the Trees) 

2. Faith and Doubt

3. Deeper meanings of the Mass    

Each meeting is (roughly) as follows:

• 15 min Apologetics/Catholic topic

• 15 min Upcoming Gospel reading

• 30 min  Weekly topic/theme

            1 hour

Reader for the day… (if one is needed, Taylor will select)

Opening Prayer: 

O LORD

Thank you for your promise that where two or three of us are gathered in your name, You are there. 

We are here and we welcome You among us today!

We ask that You open our ears so that we hear Your voice, 

Our minds that we may receive Your wisdom,

And our spirits so You might change our lives.

And as you taught us to pray together…

Our Father 

 Who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. 

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread, 

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen!

Upcoming major holy day:   Friday, August 15:  Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

www.masstimes.org

TODAY:

• Apologetic Term:  Original Sin

• Gospel Reading for Friday, Aug 15, The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

• Bible Timeline:  The Books of Maccabees – next month

Apologetic Quote of the Week – Tradition

“I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you.” – 1 Corinthians 11:2 

“There are many more things that Jesus did. If all of them were written down, I suppose that not even the world itself would have space for the books that would be written.” – John 21:25

Original Sin

The reason for choosing this subject is because it has a bearing on who Mary is, her Immaculate Conception, her sinless life, and her Assumption. 

What is Original Sin?

Original Sin may not be the best name to describe what it is, but it is a multifaceted event so probably no single word or phrase can capture it perfectly. Indeed, it was the “first sin of our first parents,” so “original sin” applies perfectly there. However, the difficulty comes with explaining how this first sin applies to us. Since we didn’t commit it, for us it is not a “personal sin.”  

To this end, it helps to understand that God sees the “oneness” of the human race. We are all in this together – friend and foe, neighbor and enemy. When God breathed His Spirit into our first parents, we all received this gift, not just our first parents. Likewise, when our first parents turned on God, humanity fell with them. A weak analogy would be the penguin. Once upon a time, it used to be able to fly. At some point in its history, it lost that ability. The penguins today can complain all they want, but what good would it do? Tt’s their present fate. Now, I admit that is a simplistic comparison, but there’s more to come. 

Consider that God could have let humans go. Our first parents chose to follow self and Satan, and honestly, God could have – should have – granted their wish. Would that not have been justice, to give them what they chose? Instead, God temporarily suspended His own perfect justice in order to give us another chance. He would correct the scales of justice later when He took the cross for us. 

Now, let’s discuss the state that this Original Sin put us in. 

What were the ramifications of Original Sin?

Original Sin caused man’s fall from grace. Prior to this fall, our first parents had what is called “sanctifying grace.” This special grace allowed us to be in a unique relationship with God and have access to Heaven. When we lost this grace, we lost that intimacy with God, and we lost our access to Heaven. BTW, this is where we get the term “disgraced” from. We were “dis-graced.”  

So then for us, “Original Sin” means the loss of sanctifying grace and access to Heaven. The reason the “Gospel” means “Good News” is because – undeserved – God gave us another chance (another bite at the apple, so to speak!) – one whole lifetime to get right with God again. And, more Good News, because of the cross, we now receive sanctifying grace back at our Baptism. In a way, it’s as though we are back in Eden and now it’s our turn to choose. So, if anyone things it’s unjust for us to have lost sanctifying grace, well, now’s your turn!  Fortunately, by no merit of our own, we have received sanctifying grace and access to Heaven again, so all we have to do is not lose it!  

Of course, that’s easier said than done, since we humans love to sin. So then, MORE Good News! Again, because of the cross, we get forgiveness for the asking. Jesus paid for it, so we can keep wiping our slate clean, but we must have the humility to recognize our mistakes and ask for forgiveness. That’s the deal. It’s a pretty good deal!

As mentioned above, humans are not only seen as unique individuals but also as “one,” united by our spiritual natures and the love of God.  Likewise, the fall from grace is part of our shared humanity. God wants to be clear that we are all in this together, which is why Jesus taught to love our neighbors and our enemies. 

The greatest truths are often the simplest, although simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy. In our case, love, understanding, and forgiveness are the solutions to all human ills. Simple on the one hand, yet seemingly impossible on the other; but that’s our fallen condition. We all play a part, starting with how we love or fail to love everyone around us every day. Once again, the “Good News” is that Jesus came here to save all humanity, beginning with each one of us individually, and then from there we are supposed to extend that same loving hand to everyone around us. Just as anything of value takes practice and discipline, the same is true for us spiritually. We are God’s apprentices and, as we have seen, He will do anything to help us succeed. 

Where is the first reference that someone will come to save man and reverse the Fall? 

In Genesis 3:15, God declares that the seed of the woman will ultimately crush the serpent’s head. Even Jews interpreted this as the first Messianic prophecy: in spite of man’s Fall, someone will come and undo their mistake. The woman whose seed will save mankind is Mary and her seed is Jesus.  

Jesus came to bring us sanctifying grace, the Holy Spirit, and access to Heaven. Who was the first person to receive sanctifying grace? 

Mary was the first one to receive it. Adam and Eve’s eating of the forbidden tree was their “No” to God. Just as Eve teed it up by saying “No” first, so the woman who would carry the Son of God into the world would need to “Yes” to God, and reverse Eve’s “No.” 

Mary does this when the Angel Gabriel comes to ask her to be the mother of the God’s Son. Her response is, 

Mary’s “Yes” opened the door to Jesus entering into humanity to save us. It is also why Mary is called the “New Eve,” just as Jesus is called the “New Adam.” The heavy lifting will be done by Jesus, as only someone who is human and God could possibly take on all of humanity’s sins. But poor, humble Mary will open the door. 

When did Mary receive sanctifying grace? 

Since God knew for all time that Mary would say yes, she was given sanctifying grace at her conception so that she could be bear the Christ child in a womb full of grace, free from Original Sin. That is why every Dec 8 we celebrate Mary’s “Immaculate Conception.”  

This is also what Angel Gabriel meant by his strange greeting to Mary when he said to her, “Hail, full of grace!” Notice, he used “full of grace” like a title. Mary had the grace and purity necessary to be the mother of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. Although Jesus dying on the cross effectuated His “saving grace” for the rest of us, God is not bound by time and so Mary was granted it at her conception because 1) God already knew she would say yes, and 2) it was only proper that Jesus be born in a womb “full of grace” and without Original Sin.  

In case you are interested, this also made Mary the very first Christian. 

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

What does the Assumption of Mary refer to? 

The Assumption of Mary was originally called “The Dormition” (falling asleep), was held by the Church since early Christianity and says that at the end of Mary’s life on earth, she was assumed, body and soul, into heaven. This was informally celebrated in the East and West until the 17th-18th centuries as Protestants continued to distance themselves from all Catholic Marian traditions. The Church under Pope Pius XII finally made it official in 1950.  

Two points: 

1. The Assumption does not mean that Mary "ascended" into heaven. Only Christ, under his own power, ascended into heaven. Mary was assumed – or taken up – into heaven by God. She did not do this under her own power. 

2. Her Assumption does not mean Mary was alive when she was taken; the consensus is that it was shortly after her passing. 

Why is her uncorrupted body being assumed into Heaven of interest? 

Because the Fall of Man caused man to become mortal and our bodies to be corrupted (decay). If Mary was preserved from Original Sin, then her body would not decompose. 

Wouldn’t Mary also not have died if she had no Original Sin?

Yes. The reasoning given is linked to her conformity to Christ. As Pope John Paul II explained, since Christ died, Mary’s participation in Christ’s redemptive work and His saving sacrifice meant she was able to share in His suffering and death for humanity’s Redemption. 

There are several Marian apparitions written about in the book, “The Life of Mary as seen by the Mystics,” and one of her apparitions Mary states Jesus offered to take her into Heaven alive, and Mary said no, she wanted to die just like he did. 

Was Mary being bodily assumed by God into Heaven without any precedent?

No, there were two other examples mentioned in Scripture. 

1. Enoch was the 7th generation from Adam. Scripture says: 

“Enoch walked faithfully with God: and then he was no more, for God took him away.” – Gen 5:24 

2. The Prophet Elijah – who some say was the greatest of the prophets – was very outspoken in the Northern Kingdom of Israel and was in constant trouble with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, who wanted him dead. Elijah had been training the young Elisha – who was to become the next great prophet: 

“As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” – 2 Kings 2:11

BTW, this is why the Jews thought Elijah would return to make way for the Messiah. Jesus told his apostles that John the Baptist was in the spirit of Elijah. John was like Elijah in every way, which got him killed by King Herod because he insulted the Queen Herodias.  

Although Mary’s Assumption had never been in question in the Church, there are several traditions about the particular events of the Assumption that have been passed down through the centuries. I will share the most accepted story below. 

Was the Assumption challenged by Protestants?

It was challenged for the first time after the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. I say “after” the Reformation” because even the first Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, was a strong believer in the Assumption:    

“For Martin Luther, Mary's Assumption was an understood fact, as his homily of 1522 indicates, in spite of the fact that Mary's Assumption is not expressly reported in Sacred Scripture. For the Protestant reformer, there was no reason to doubt about the Assumption of the Virgin into heavenly glory: "Indeed, no Christian doubts that the most worthy Mother of the Lord lives with her beloved Son in heavenly joy." (Marienlexikon, vol 3, 200)

The rejection of Mary’s Assumption came as Protestantism began splintering into separate groups within the first 10 years of the Reformation, due to differences of opinion. One of those was the Catholic infatuation with Mary. 

What is our answer to the question of why the Assumption is not explicitly written in Scripture?  

The most obvious reason is that Mary was likely still alive when most of the NT was being written. The best estimate for her death is in the 50s-60s, either in Jerusalem or Ephesus, where John resided.  

The second reason would be the same reason that Mary would give us:  that the Gospel is about her Son, not her. Everything Mary ever said and did during her life – and in her apparitions thereafter – Mary always points us in the direction of her Son. 

Thirdly, our faith is passed onto us not only in Scripture but in tradition. As Paul said to the Thessalonians, not everything is to be found in the Scriptures:  

“So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:15 

Paul also emphasized to Timothy the importance of the Church as the final authority (not the Bible alone):  

“… but if I am delayed, thou may know how thou ought to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” – 1 Timothy 3:15

In one of her appearances in “The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics,” Mary relayed how she avoided that kind of attention during her life after Christ’s Ascension because she refused to take attention away from her son’s message of salvation. She indicated many had tried to make her the focus and a hero, but she would have none of it.   

What were Mary’s last words written in the Bible?

“Do whatever he (Jesus) tells you” - Mary at the wedding at Cana, John 2:5 

Where did the Assumption happen? 

It is agreed upon that Mary completed her life in either in Jerusalem or Ephesus. Of course, neither those cities claimed her remains (because there were no remains to claim!). It is worth noting that, as important as tombs and relics of the saints were back then (and still are!), here was the most highly regarded saint who ever lived, but there have zero records of her bodily remains being venerated anywhere. 

Are there other early references to support this tradition?

Yes, but remember that the Assumption was like many other Apostolic traditions of the Church that were only written down a) after Christian persecutions finally ended in 313 AD, and b) when it became necessary to set a doctrine down in writing because of rising heresies that challenged the teachings of the Apostles. This is why defining the books of the Bible or explaining the Trinity weren’t codified by the Church until the mid-300s.   

As for the Assumption, we have several 2nd and 3rd century writings on what the early Christians believed. One is St. Epiphanius, the great bishop and defender of orthodoxy, who in 350 AD gives us key insights into the antiquity of the Assumption. 

As mentioned above, there are a number of stories about Mary’s end of her life on earth, some saying she was taken up bodily while still alive, some saying she was taken up just after dying. The Church claims no certainty about the specifics because we don’t know, but the integrity of the Assumption is not impaired either way. Her Assumption was either right before or after her death, though the nearly universal opinion is that she died. As Pope Pius XII stated in the 1950 declaration Munificentissimus Deus, Mary "after the completion of her earthly life was assumed body and soul into the glory of heaven." Note the statement doesn’t say anything about her death. 

Below is one example of early writings from the Eastern Church that tells of Mary's passing from this life to the next. The text, more commonly known as Transitus Mariae (transitus means passing on, crossing over), tells of Mary's homegoing in some detail:

In the presence of the apostles gathered around her bed, also in the presence of her divine Son and many angels, Mary died and her soul, rose to heaven, accompanied by Christ and the angels. Her body was buried by the disciples. Difficulties developed among certain of the Jews who wished to dispose of her body. Various types of miracles occurred to convince them to honor Mary's body. On the third day, Christ returned, and Mary was reunited with her body. Accompanied by singing angels, Christ brought Mary to paradise.

          Dormition-Assumption of the Virgin – Mary, the first to be bodily glorified in Heaven

As we have noted, Mary's story does not end with her Assumption. After being assumed, Mary was crowned Queen of Heaven (Rev 12, the 5th glorious mystery) and remains active in the service of her Son for the life of the Church. Many Christians believe that she has manifested her concern in visible appearances and miraculous cures. Some of these events are commemorated in the Church’s liturgical calendar, such as Our Lady of Fatima on May 13, Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11, Protection of Mary on October 1, and Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. 

CLOSING PRAYER

Hail, Holy Queen,

Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope.

To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.

To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us,

And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

“And 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.” – Rev 12:1