Editor,
On August 15, we Indians celebrate two great, significant, and deeply related events: Independence Day and the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Though one is national and the other religious, both proclaim a profound message of freedom.
Independence Day marks our nation’s liberation from foreign rule and domination into self-governance and sovereignty. It is a celebration of political freedom, a reminder of the sacrifices made so that we might live as citizens of a free and self-determined country. It is a day of gratitude, pride, and renewed responsibility toward our homeland.
On the same day, the Church celebrates the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In Catholic teaching, at the end of her earthly life, Mary was taken body and soul into heavenly glory. This doctrine was solemnly defined in 1950 by Pope Pius XII.
The Assumption can be seen as freedom of a higher order—freedom from the limitations and incompleteness of earthly life into the fullness, bliss, and eternity of heavenly glory.
There is a beautiful harmony in celebrating our nation’s Independence Day on the Feast of the Assumption. As a country, India has long entrusted itself to the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin Mary, honouring her as patroness in many places across the land. On this shared day of celebration, we are reminded that true freedom is not only political but also spiritual. While Independence Day calls us to cherish and protect the freedom of our nation, the Assumption lifts our eyes toward the ultimate freedom promised by God—the hope of eternal life.
Closely connected to the Assumption is the ancient Christian tradition known as the Dormition, meaning “falling asleep.” While the Church teaches definitively that Mary was assumed into Heaven, it has not formally declared whether she physically died before her Assumption. Many Catholics, drawing from early Christian tradition, believe that Mary did experience a natural death. According to this tradition, she peacefully “fell asleep” in the Lord, surrounded by the Apostles, and was then taken into Heaven by the power of God.
This understanding reflects Mary’s intimate union with her Son, Jesus Christ.
Just as Christ truly died and rose again, many believe that Mary also shared in death, though her body did not undergo corruption. Others hold that she may have been assumed without dying, as a unique privilege granted by God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms her Assumption as a sign of hope for all the faithful: those united with Christ will share in His Resurrection and eternal life.
Thus, although the exact manner of Mary’s passing is not dogmatically defined, Catholic tradition lovingly holds that her earthly life ended in peace and that she was taken into Heaven to reign with her Son forever.
August 15, therefore, stands as a powerful reminder of two freedoms—one that shapes our life as a nation, and another that points us toward our eternal destiny.
Jubel D’Cruz,
Mumbai
