Presented by Dr. Christine E. Wood

In this talk Dr. Christine Wood explores some of the dimensions of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heavenly glory. Beginning with Pope Pius XII’s dogmatic definition of this event, Christine takes us through the biblical images of Mary as the Queen of Heaven, the Ark of the Covenant, and the New Eve. Just as Christ’s Ascension is intimately related to his Enthronement as King in the heavenly Kingdom; so too, Mary’s Assumption is tied to her coronation as Queen of Heaven. Just as the Ark of the Covenant was the holiest object in the Old Covenant and contained the commandments of God, Aaron’s priestly staff, and the Manna which fed the Israelites for forty years while in the wilderness, so too Mary as the New Ark is the bearer of Jesus Christ, who is the eternal Word of God, the true High-Priest, and the Bread of Life. As the New Eve, Mary participates in the redemptive work of her Son, Jesus Christ, who destroyed the power of sin and death. Christine, then, explains the motif of the New Creation which Christ ushered in through his Resurrection. From this we learn how the singular privilege of Mary’s Assumption, body and soul into heaven, is a participation in Christ’s Resurrection and an anticipation of our own future glory. This talk opens up for us the eschatological hope Christians have in light of the reality of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Listen to a Sample of this Talk