The Assumption of Mary Fits

15 August 2026  Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6,10

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

“…and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.”  (Revelation 11:19)  

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, body and soul, into heaven didn’t become infallible dogma in the Catholic Church until 1950, but it didn’t come out of nowhere. Catholics have been comfortable with this story for centuries because it fits.

Of course, the separated brethren in the Protestant churches don’t think it fits at all, but there are some things that every believer agrees on. For one thing, all Christians agree that, since the Ascension, there has been human DNA in heaven. The Risen Christ never stopped being human, and so when He ascended into heaven He took His human nature with him.

Mary’s relationship to Jesus was utterly unique. He was the fulfillment of all the covenants God made with His people, and Mary bore Him in her own body. That makes her the true and living “ark of the covenant,” and where else could such an ark be but in heaven?

For a second thing, every Christian believes that Jesus got his human DNA, his human nature, and maybe even some of his looks, from Mary. If we paid attention in high school biology class, we know that is how DNA works.

That, of course, means that if Jesus is in heaven, Mary’s DNA is already in heaven, too. Protestants (and various others) think all of that is an extravagant over-interpretation, and utterly irrelevant to the determination of Mary’s whereabouts. Catholics, however, are equally sure that it all has to mean something. After all, for all the rest of us humans, who you are related to matters a lot, more than most other things. Who you are related to forms your personality and all your primary relationships. It has a heavy influence on where you will live, grow up and go to school. It largely determines what you read, maybe even if you read; who you marry, if you marry; what you will do for a living, how you will live, and how you will die. Who you are related to matters a lot, unless (for Protestants) if you are Mary. Then who you are related to has nothing to do with where you are.

Catholics think that doesn’t make any sense. Mary’s DNA is already in heaven. There is nothing in scripture or tradition to suggest that she was anything other than completely obedient to the divine mission she was given before, during, and after Jesus’ earthly life. For all those reasons, it fits that at the end of her life she was assumed, body and soul, into heaven, and it would be unfitting to believe that while some of her DNA is in heaven, the rest of it was condemned simply to rot after her earthly death.

Some may complain that this makes Mary into some kind of goddess, but no Christians should believe this. The New Testament says that Mary was “full of grace” (Luke 1:28) – a description applied to no one else in the whole Bible. Everything that happened to Mary was a gift of divine grace, the same as it is for the salvation of us all. Her relationship to Jesus, however, was utterly unique. He was the fulfillment of all the covenants God made with His people, and Mary bore Him in her own body. That makes her the true and living “ark of the covenant,” and where else could such an ark be but in heaven?

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary fits. All you really need to believe that is the stuff every Christian already believes: Human DNA is in heaven; Mary’s DNA is in heaven; Mary was completely obedient to the divine call she received, had an utterly unique relationship with Jesus; Mary is the true and living ark of the covenant, a gift she received by divine grace. Heaven is the only place she can be, body and soul.