Feast of the Assumption of Mary

 

A few years ago, I had the privilege of visiting not one, not two, but three different places that all claim to be the site of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Assumption.

In Jerusalem, there’s the ancient tomb in the Kidron Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives, said to be where Mary rested before being taken into heaven. Not far away, on Mount Zion, the Church of the Dormition remembers the “falling asleep” of Mary in peace. And then, in Ephesus, Turkey, there’s the House of Mary, where tradition says she lived with the Apostle John and was taken from there into glory.

So which one is it? The Church has never officially said. And maybe that’s the point. The Assumption is not about where it happened, but what happened: that at the end of her earthly life, Mary was taken body and soul into heaven.

Our first reading tonight tells of King David bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem with great rejoicing. The early Christians saw Mary as the true Ark—she carried within herself the very presence of God in Jesus. The second reading proclaims, “Death is swallowed up in victory,” and in Mary we see the first and fullest example of that promise fulfilled. And in the Gospel, Jesus reminds us why Mary is truly blessed—not only because she bore Him physically, but because she heard the Word of God and lived it completely.

The Assumption is not just Mary’s story—it’s our hope. She shows us our destiny if we remain faithful to her Son: eternal life in body and soul, sharing in the victory of Christ.

So whether it happened in Jerusalem or Ephesus, the real location that matters is the one Mary points us toward: our true home in heaven. Today we honor her, rejoice with her, and ask her to help us live now in such a way that, like her, we may one day be welcomed into the place prepared for us by God.