We can be convinced.

We can be convinced.For us to be convinced that Mary was taken into heaven in body and spirit, we need to know:
1) That she was made free from the taint of Original sin mainly for the sake of Jesus
2) She lived in holiness
What is meant by Jesus’ Sake?
God is holy. Prior to Incarnation, Jesus was holy. Holiness in Him is required to be continued while in the womb of His mother where the baby drew sustenance from her body, mind and spirit. If the adverse effects of Original sin, physiological & spiritual, were passed on to Mary, will not Baby Jesus absorb them and holiness in Jesus get contaminated? Medical Science informs us about genetically transmitted illness and defects. Is this not proof enough for us to be convinced that the adverse effects of Original sin is passed on to us? Research and Genetic Engineering has succeeded to prevent certain type of illness and defects. From this, can’t we be convinced that God prevented Mary from the effects of Original sin? The Immaculate Conception of Mary facilitated her entry into heaven, in body and spirit.

Mary lived in holiness throughout her life
Lk. 1:35 “…… The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most high will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy”. Here, the power / work of the Holy Spirit brings greater holiness in the child and in the mother in addition to the safety and benefits of Immaculate Conception. (There is no suggestion here, holiness was less earlier. E.g in another context when Jesus was baptized, “The Holy Spirit descended upon him, in bodily form, like a dove”. Lk. 3: 22. This happened not because holiness was less in Jesus, but for other reasons). So, Mary was ‘Full of Grace’. Also, when we read Lk 1: 39-56 – We can believe that throughout her life she lived her ‘song of praise’.

Other valid statements
1. God said to Adam “….. For in the day that you eat of it, you shall die.” Gen. 2: 17 – This means, if they did not eat the forbidden fruit, they would not have died.  Because Mary was freed from the Original sin, her physiological and spiritual state was similar to that of Adam and Eve, prior to their eating the forbidden fruit. For this reason also, Mary could not be mortal.
2. The Bible says ‘Wages of sin is Death’. When Mary was without sin, why should she receive wages of sin? A question that arises here is, Jesus died although He was without sin (and sickness). The answer is, Jesus died because He was killed. A question that arises here is, Jesus died although He was without sin (and sickness). The answer is, Jesus died because He was killed.

A grand reception for our Mother Mary. We can rightly infer that:
1) Jesus, along with St. Joseph, Mary’s parents, some Saints and Angels, came down to earth to accompany His precious mother to heaven.
2) There was a banquet in heaven in honour of Mary.
3) She was crowned and  felicitated as the ‘Queen of Heaven

Marceline Rebello