On 1 November 1950, in St Peter’s Square, Pope Pius XII defined as dogma something Christians had been celebrating for centuries: at the end of her earthly life, Mary was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven. This is the Assumption, celebrated every 15 August, and so far there is no Assumption emoji to mark it with anything more specific than a well-meaning 🙏.
In much of the Catholic world the feast is a public holiday, and statues of Our Lady are carried through streets baking in the summer heat, to the quiet suffering of whoever drew the short straw and holds the banner. Eastern Christians call it the Dormition: Mary falls asleep, and Christ comes to take his mother home. The Catholic dogma carefully leaves open whether she died first; it states what matters, that she is with her Son.
What makes the day so joyful is its promise: what happened to Mary is promised to all who follow Christ. For the emoji, the Mass readings of the feast offer a lovely lead in the woman of Revelation, clothed with the sun and crowned with twelve stars. A blue mantle rising between two clouds, a crown of stars ✨, a face turned upward: grab a pencil, summer is long.
Amen !by AI Generator
Amen !by AI Generator
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