Today has been celebrated as a public holiday in Cameroon and that has been the case for a long time. It is popularly known in the Anglophone regions as ‘Big Day Maria’. The reason for the celebration is that today is the Catholic Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. She is believed to have ascended body and soul into heaven.
As Roman Catholics in Cameroon and around the world celebrate this feast, there are many who might be wondering what it is all about.
Origins
Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of faith on November 1, 1950. He pronounced, declared, and defined it as a divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory after completing the course of her earthly life. After consulting with bishops, theologians, and laity, the pope proclaimed this dogma. Few voices dissented. The Catholic Church already commonly believed what the pope solemnly declared.
Homilies on the Assumption date back to the sixth century. In the following centuries, the Eastern Churches steadily held to the doctrine, but some authors in the West hesitated. However, everyone universally agreed by the 13th century. People celebrated the feast under various names—Commemoration, Dormition, Passing, Assumption—from at least the fifth or sixth century. Today, people celebrate it as a solemnity.
Scriptural Basis
Mary’s assumption into heaven is not accounted for in scripture. Nevertheless, a woman is caught up in the battle between good and evil, as described in Revelation 12. Many people see this woman as God’s people. Mary’s assumption exemplifies the woman’s victory because she best embodies the people of both Old and New Testaments.
Furthermore, Paul speaks of Christ’s resurrection as the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep in 1 Corinthians 15:20.
The Church believes in Mary’s share in Jesus’ glorification because she is closely associated with all the mysteries of his life, and the Holy Spirit has led them to this belief. She was so close to Jesus on earth that she must be with him body and soul in heaven.
In the light of the Assumption of Mary, praying her Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55) with new meaning becomes easy. She proclaims the greatness of the Lord in her glory and finds joy in God her saviour. She has experienced marvels from God and she guides others to acknowledge the holiness of God. She reverences her God deeply and has been raised to the heights as the lowly handmaid. She will use her position of strength to help the lowly and the poor find justice on earth, and she will encourage the rich and powerful to question wealth and power as a source of happiness.
