Queen assumed into Heaven

Twenty-one years ago I professed the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience for the first time.  Five years later I made a public profession of  these vows for life.  Today is the Feast of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother and I treasure this date, because, like Mary, on my profession day I declared to the Lord that I was His handmaid and I asked Him to let His will be done in my life according to His word.  I haven't always lived with my will surrendered to God but each year on this feast I  have the opportunity to renew the gift of my life to Him.    

In November of 1950 Pope Pius XII declared that the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was a doctrine of our Catholic Faith.  However, for many years the Church had already accepted the fact that our Blessed Mother was assumed, body and soul into Heaven at the time of her death.  Here is an excerpt from the Apostolic Exhortation that Pope Pius wrote elaborating on this mystery:

"In their sermons and speeches on the feast day of the Assumption of the Mother of God, the holy fathers and the great doctors of the church were speaking of something that the faithful already knew and accepted: all they did was to bring it out into the open, to explain its meaning and substance in other terms. Above all, they made it most clear that this feast commemorated not merely the fact that the blessed Virgin Mary did not experience bodily decay, but also her triumph over death and her heavenly glory, following the example of her only Son, Jesus Christ.

  "Thus St John Damascene, who is the greatest exponent of this tradition, compares the bodily Assumption of the revered Mother of God with her other gifts and privileges: It was right that she who had kept her virginity unimpaired through the process of giving birth should have kept her body without decay through death. It was right that she who had given her Creator, as a child, a place at her breast should be given a place in the dwelling-place of her God. It was right that the bride espoused by the Father should dwell in the heavenly bridal chamber. It was right that she who had gazed on her Son on the cross, her heart pierced at that moment by the sword of sorrow that she had escaped at his birth, should now gaze on him seated with his Father. It was right that the Mother of God should possess what belongs to her Son and to be honoured by every creature as the God’s Mother and handmaid."