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Q. How do you argue for the Assumption of Mary from the Bible?

A.

The first thing I would do is refute the notion that we HAVE to argue teachings of the Catholic Church from the Bible. While no teaching of the Catholic Church is contrary to the Bible, Catholics maintain the belief of the early Church that the teachings of the Church are passed along both orally and in writing. Click here to view the two slides from "Where We Got The Bible" on "Using Scripture to Refute Sola Scriptura."

Be sure to point-out that the burial places of Biblical figures, both Old Testament and New Testament, have always been prominently marked because they draw people to venerate them, even today. Not only is this important for the religious, but also for business people since it helps the local economy. For example, a priest in our parish is from India, and even though India is not a Catholic country, the burial place of St. Thomas is prominently marked and people venerate the site. Remarkably, not one country boasts of having the body of Mary interned there, and NEVER has. Mary is honored by Christians and Muslims alike, and her burial place would be a major attraction. There is a reason why no country has ever claimed to have her body, but two cities claim she died there: Ephesus and Jerusalem. Hmmmm.

Next, I would show that bodily assumption is consistent with Sacred Scripture:

Genesis 5:24 (Hebrews 11:5) Enoch taken to heaven without dying
2 Kings 2:11 Elijah assumed into heaven in a fiery chariot
Matthew 27:52 Many saints who had fallen asleep rose from the dead after Jesus died

Then, I would reference the Book of Revelation. John talks about the souls of the martyrs being in heaven (Revelation 20:4). But when John speaks of Mary in heaven, she has a body. Her head has a crown and her feet have the moon under them (Revelation 11:19 thru 12:1).

Here are some other places you can go to read about Mary's Assumption: