Mary precedes the faithful into heaven, Pope says on Feast of the Assumption
August 16, 2016
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary “is a great mystery that concerns each one of us; it concerns our future,” Pope Francis said during his August 15 Angelus address.
“Mary, in fact, precedes us on the way on which all those go that, through Baptism, have bound their life to Jesus, as Mary bound her life to Him,” the Pope told the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
“She was the first to believe in the Son of God, and she is the first to be assumed into heaven in soul and body,” he said. “First, she received Jesus and took Him in her arms when He was still a baby, and she is the first to be received by His arms to be introduced into the Eternal Kingdom of the Father.”
“The song of Mary also leads us to think about many actual sad situations, in particular those women overwhelmed by the weight of life and the drama of violence,” he added. “May the beginning of a life of peace, of justice and of love reach them as soon as possible, in expectation of the day in which they finally feel gripped by hands that do not humiliate them, but assuage them with tenderness and lead them to heaven.”
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Further information:
- Angelus Domini 2016.08.15 (YouTube Vatican)
- Le parole del Papa alla recita dell’Angelus, 15.08.2016 (Holy See Press Office)
- ANGELUS: On the Feast of the Assumption (Zenit)
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