The Blessed Virgin Mary already lives body and soul in Heaven.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the Assumption as:
966 “Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.” The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians:
In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.
The first paragraph of the Wikipedia article on the Assumption sums things up pretty well also:
According to Roman Catholic doctrine and the traditions of the Catholic Church, the Blessed Virgin Mary (Mary, the mother of Jesus) “having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”[1] This means that Mary was transported into Heaven with her body and soul united. The feast day recognizing Mary’s passage into Heaven is celebrated as The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Roman Catholics. This doctrine was dogmatically and infallibly defined by Pope Pius XII on 1 November 1950 in his Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus. In those denominations that observe it, the Feast of the Assumption is commonly celebrated on August 15.
This is also a holy day of obligation in the US and most other places. If you’re not Catholic and you’re wondering why the Catholic Churches seem so busy today, this is why. The holy days of obligation for we catholics requires us basically treat the day like a Sunday as far as our spiritual and worship life is concerned.
The Catechism explains Holy Day of Obligation as:
2180 The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.”117 “The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day.”118
2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.119 Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.
2182 Participation in the communal celebration of the Sunday Eucharist is a testimony of belonging and of being faithful to Christ and to his Church. The faithful give witness by this to their communion in faith and charity. Together they testify to God’s holiness and their hope of salvation. They strengthen one another under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
2183 “If because of lack of a sacred minister or for other grave cause participation in the celebration of the Eucharist is impossible, it is specially recommended that the faithful take part in the Liturgy of the Word if it is celebrated in the parish church or in another sacred place according to the prescriptions of the diocesan bishop, or engage in prayer for an appropriate amount of time personally or in a family or, as occasion offers, in groups of families.”
If you have any questions about this or any other aspect of the Catholic Church, feel free to leave of comment or contact me through email. I might not know the answer off the top of my head, but I do know how to find the answer.
God bless everyone and Happy Assumption Day!
BTW – The quotes from the catechism include paragraph numbers before each paragraph. This is the referencing method used in it. You can pick any copy or printing of it and find these paragraphs using the paragraph number.
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