by Giuseppe Monno
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not an isolated truth nor one without biblical foundation; rather, it is the coherent and necessary outcome of a theological thread that runs through and unifies the whole of Revelation.
First of all, Scripture teaches that the corruption of the body is a consequence of sin: “Through one man sin came into the world, and through sin death” (Romans 5:12). If Mary was preserved from sin (cf. Luke 1:28: “full of grace”), it follows that she is not subject to the corruption of the grave. The Assumption, therefore, is the natural fulfillment of her Immaculate Conception.
Moreover, Scripture itself attests precedents of bodily assumption: Enoch “walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him” (Genesis 5:24), and Elijah “went up to heaven in the whirlwind” (2 Kings 2:11). If God worked such wonders for his servants, it is even more fitting that he should do so for his Mother.
A key passage is found in Revelation: “Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, robed with the sun…” (Revelation 12:1). This Woman, whom Catholic tradition identifies with Mary glorified, appears already in the heavenly reality, not as a disembodied soul, but in a bodily and glorified condition. The immediately preceding context mentions the “ark of the covenant” seen in heaven (Revelation 11:19): Mary is the new Ark, she who bore within herself the Word of God (cf. Luke 1:43).
Psalm 132:8 offers a further and significant prefiguration: “Arise, Yahweh, come to your resting place, you and the ark of your strength” (Psalm 132:8). Christ is the Lord who ascends; Mary, the new Ark, is associated with his exaltation.
Furthermore, Scripture teaches that the righteous will fully share in glory, even in their bodies: “He will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body” (Philippians 3:21). Mary, the holiest among the redeemed, receives first and in a unique way what is promised to all: she is the anticipated realization of this promise.
A deeply Christological argument strengthens this understanding: Christ is the perfect observer of the Law, which commands, “Honour your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12). It would be unthinkable that the glorified Son would not honour his Mother in the most perfect way, preserving her from corruption and associating her with his glory.
Finally, the silence regarding Mary’s bodily relics is highly significant. Unlike many saints, there exists no credible tradition of a tomb venerated as containing her body. This silence is eloquent: the Church has never held that Mary’s body remained on earth.
Thus, the Assumption is not a “late invention,” but a truth that flows organically from Revelation: from Mary’s unique holiness, from her intimate union with Christ, and from the divine promises concerning the glorification of the righteous.
Those who reject this doctrine often tend to adopt a reductive reading of Scripture, separated from the living Tradition that has preserved and interpreted it. The Catholic faith, in its fullness, recognises that God has redeemed not only the human soul, but the whole person; and in Mary this redemption has already reached its perfect fulfillment.
The Assumption is therefore the triumph of grace, the victory over death, and a radiant sign of Christian hope: what God has accomplished in Mary, he will accomplish—according to his promise—in all who belong to him.