History
Catholics have always believed that Mary was assumed to heaven when her life on earth was over. As one legend tells it, all the Apostles who were still alive were gathered at Mary’s bedside as she was dying, except for Thomas. By the time he got there, she had been buried in a tomb. He had the tomb opened, but Mary’s body was gone. Only beautiful lilies and roses remained.
This is an important feast day for Catholics, because Mary’s Assumption gives us the hope that God will take us to heaven, too. It is a Holy Day of Obligation, which means that Catholics all over the world will go to Mass today, and most will enjoy a special meal or feast. Traditionally, people bring flowers from their gardens to place at the Mary altar at church, and they would bring baskets of fruit and herbs (especially the kinds used as medicine in the old days) to be blessed.
Activity
In addition to going to Mass today,
your family can celebrate with a special meal or dessert, like this Fluffy Cloud Dessert found at Catholic Cuisine. (It’s a frozen dessert made with
strawberries, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate sandwich cookies and frozen
whipped topping, so be sure to prepare it in the morning.)
You may want to bring a bouquet of
flowers to set at the Mary altar at your church, or you might want to make a
gift basket filled with fruit and flowers to give to your priest or somebody
else you know. The blog Shower of Roses has more ideas for celebrating here.
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