Today, Catholics and many other Christians celebrate the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This significant feast day recalls the spiritual and physical departure of the mother of Jesus Christ from the earth, when both her soul and her body were taken into the presence of God.
Venerable Pope Pius XII confirmed this belief about the Virgin Mary as the perennial teaching of the Church when he defined it formally as a dogma of Catholic faith in 1950, invoking papal infallibility to proclaim, “that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”
His Apostolic Constitution “Munificentissimus Deus” (Most Bountiful God), which defined the dogma,
contained the Pontiff's accounts of many longstanding traditions by which the Church has celebrated the Assumption throughout its history.
The constitution also cited testimonies from the early Church fathers on the subject, and described the history of theological reflection on many Biblical passages which are seen as indicating that Mary was assumed into heaven following her death.
Although the bodily assumption of Mary is not explicitly recorded in Scripture, Catholic tradition identifies her with the “woman clothed with the sun” who is described in the 12th chapter of the Book of Revelation.
The passage calls that woman's appearance “a great sign” which “appeared in heaven,” indicating that she is the mother of the Jewish Messiah and has “the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Accordingly, Catholic iconography of the Western tradition often depicts the Virgin Mary's assumption into heaven in this manner.
Eastern Christians have also traditionally held Mary's assumption into heaven as an essential component of their faith. Pius XII cited several early Byzantine liturgical texts, as well as the eighth-century Arab Christian theologian St. John of Damascus, in his own authoritative definition of her assumption.
“It was fitting,” St. John of Damascus wrote in a sermon on the assumption, “that she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death,” and “that she, who had carried the creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles.”
In Eastern Christian tradition, the same feast is celebrated on the same calendar date, although typically known as the Dormition (falling asleep) of Mary. Eastern Catholic celebration of the Dormition is preceded by a two-week period of fasting which is similar to Lent. Pius XII, in “Munificentissimus Deus,” mentioned this same fasting period as belonging to the traditional patrimony of Western Christians as well.
The feast of the Assumption is always a Holy Day of Obligation for both Roman and Eastern-rite Catholics, on which they are obliged to attend Mass or Divine Liturgy.
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Today (July 31) we celebrate Saint Ignatius of Loyola, a courageous soldier turned spiritual master whose total surrender to Christ led to the founding of the Jesuits and a profound renewal of the Church.
Quick facts every Catholic should know about Saint Ignatius of Loyola:
1️⃣ Born December 24, 1491, in Spain, he founded the Society of Jesus in 1540 and died in Rome on July 31, 1556.
2️⃣ In 1521, a severe battle injury to his leg forced a long recovery, during which reading the lives of Christ and the saints sparked his conversion.
3️⃣ He received papal approval for the Society of Jesus, a religious order known for its "fourth vow" of direct obedience to the Pope regarding missions.
4️⃣ He is the official patron of soldiers, retreats, and spiritual exercises, and established the famous motto "Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam" (For the greater glory of God).
His life shows us that God can transform our greatest earthly defeats into beautiful spiritual victories. By trading his military ambitions for the armor of faith, Ignatius learned to find God in all things and developed a path of spiritual discernment that still guides millions today. May his intercession inspire us to surrender our own plans to the Lord, live entirely for the greater glory of God, and answer the call to mission with generous hearts.
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The French Parliament on July 21 definitively passed a law banning children under the age of 15 from accessing social media, making France the first country in Europe to enshrine such a restriction in its national legislation.
The measure is the culmination of a campaign led by President Emmanuel Macron since 2017 in which he has denounced anonymity on social media as a gateway to online abuse.
The law, presented as a child protection measure against all the risks associated with the use of social media, from addiction to bullying and abuse, has also reignited concerns about increased government oversight of internet users, as the age verification requirements — intended to target minors — entail identity checks for everyone.
“France is leading the way in Europe by becoming the first country to establish a ‘digital age of majority’ to better protect our children online,” said Anne Le Hénanff, minister delegate for digital sovereignty, following the vote.
The Senate adopted the compromise bill by a vote of 243 to 2, and the National Assembly followed suit a few hours later, paving the way for Macron to sign the measure into law, subject to review by the Constitutional Council.
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Today (July 11) we celebrate Saint Benedict Abbot, the father of Western monasticism and a patron saint of Europe, whose spiritual wisdom laid the foundation for a renewed Christian civilization.
Quick facts every Catholic should know about Saint Benedict Abbot: