Brothers and sisters: Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. The Church celebrates today the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven. The Church holds that at the end of her earthly life (death), the Blessed Virgin Mary was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven. It is worth pointing out that the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a doctrine (teaching) that, although solemnly proclaimed by the teaching office of the Church, arose from the collective faith of the people. The Christian faithful have always believed that the Lord Jesus Christ could not let the blessed body of his holy Mother be subjected to the corruption that all bodied creatures must face at the end of their earthly existence. In addition, Mary is regarded as the Queen of heaven and earth not only because she is the mother of God but also because she reigns at the side of her son in heaven. She reigns by the side of her son because she is already with her son in heaven. The question that we must reflect upon today as we celebrate this feast is this: WHAT IS IT THAT WE CELEBRATE TODAY AND WHY DO WE CELEBRATE IT? What is in it for us as members of this faith community, and as sons and daughters of Mary?
The decades leading to the declaration of the doctrine of the Assumption of BVM were filled with intrigues, wars, and death. The latter half of the 19^th century witnessed the death of thousands of people in the American Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. By the mid 20^th century, there had already been two World Wars which culminated in the use of atomic weaponry.  To many people, the world was coming to an end. There was just too much death and destruction to even have a slight hope for the continuity of the human race. In the midst of this despair that engulfed the universe, the Church saw that it was her responsibility to restore hope. There was an urgent need to give encouragement and hope to the despairing members of the human race. In the face of what was taking place, it was necessary for the Church to remind her sons and daughters that death was not going to have the final say because in his resurrection from the dead, our Lord and Savior had already conquered death. To teach that the Blessed Mary was assumed into heaven after her earthly life was to say that Jesus Christ had already opened the door for the human race to triumph over death. As the new Eve and new mother of the human race, Mary’s triumph over death marked the beginning of the triumph of the human race over the forces of darkness and death.
What we celebrate today is the fulfillment of God’s promises for the created universe. Today’s feast celebrates the fulfillment of our life of faith, the fulfillment of the mysteries of faith of which we are part. In the opening prayer, we have asked to be enabled to see heaven as our final goal and to come to share in our Lady’s glory - the glory of being raised body and soul to heaven. We thus have a reason to join our Lady in her song of praise for in what happened to her, we have a foretaste of the ultimate redemptive act of God on our behalf.
The assumption of the BVM makes real our Christian belief that the death of our earthly bodies is not the end. Beyond our physical death there is life. St. Paul reminds us that Jesus had already destroyed death in his death and resurrection. Jesus’ rising from the dead opened the door to the raising of our own bodies. Jesus’ rising from the dead was the first, but not the last, and what we celebrate today confirms that. The raising of the Blessed Mary to the glory of heaven is an assurance that we too have been raised with her son to the glory of heaven. When we call our Lady blessed, dear brothers and sisters, let us keep in mind that we are speaking of ourselves too - each one of us. We too are recipients of that immense love which God reserved in a unique and unrepeatable way to our Lady. Let us look to the glorification of our Lady with hope for it opens us to a future full of joy.